The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-07-11
had GOOD CHANCE
TO START LIFE Over
Although an Ex-COnvict, SeabOId Met
His End When Life Seemed fright
est-Ex-PrisOner's SOhiety n
Great Help.
MoND.v A-sDoo,.,

Although an cX-conVict. who had
m9u TWO doses OF penal serVitude
LnoihaS Seabolt, alias Joseph Nc
Twins the man murdered Thursday
under somewhat mysterious Cirrun,Y
! stances, went to his doom at "A tin1a
WnSh lie had much in store for hin,
report has 1t that he had recently
| cohle INTO the possession of a sub
| Stantial little nest egg through the
/ death of a relative. 1t appeaTs foo
according TO his own statements that
! IL was ms purpose to marry Mrs. Res-
sic walker. the woman with whom
! ne n"u q HalSon and at whose house
/ he lost his life.
! Seabolt kept in constant touch with
/ the officers of the EX-Prisoners' Ala
Society, and by them was regarded as
4 person well worth encouraging. His
manners We're engaging and he seem
ed appreciative OF the favors shown
him. S''0 " Il
Moreover, he appears to have been
| KIND and considerable towards Mrs.
! Walker. The two have visited = cor
| tam Broad Street store quite frequent
! ~ OF late, and both admitted that
| they were planning to wed. although
1t does not appear that Mrs. Walker
Las yet procured divorce from her
husband.
Seabolt paid for the purchases
made by the woman. He told an Of
hcer of the EX-Prisoners' Aid Society
mat Mrs. Walker was his affis pct.,.
ana that his sister had picked her
! out for him. MOreO' n, he explained
that he had told I'll about his past
life to Mrs. Walker
When last seen by this officer of
the EN-PrisOners' Aid Society-it was
oriy day before NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
| seemed abundantly supplied with
money. He was perfectly sober at
that time and gave no signs of hav-
| ing been drinking.
Had Had Good Taste OF Prison.
% oh,
! mOnd tailor, and his connections are
altogether respectable. But he him
self apparently could not resist temp
tation. His criminal record shows
! this Though hardly more than thir-
I ty-fOur or thirty-fiVe when he met
/ his end. he had twice been in the
| penitentiarY-once in the State prison
I i'm this city and but recently in the
/ Federal penitentiary in Atlanta.
I He was sent to the State prison
/ from Allegheny county in July. 1904.
/ to serve three-year term for house
| breaking. An attempt to escape add
| ed one year to his term.
But he had winning ways, and
/ while behind the bars appeared to
have reached determination TO lead
a better life. He Joined church and
sang bass in the penitentiary choir.
People believed that he had really re-
formed, and on June Is, 1907, he re-
ceiVed his parole.
After that, despite the help he got
from the EX-PrisOnerS Aid Society
life was pretty hard shedding for him
Finally he found himself forced to
seek an asylum at the City Home.
| There he served as a cook. And a
good cook he was, with many friends
who liked him-nOt only for his Gu
! linary skill but also because of his
amiable disposition.
But cooking at the City Home
proved too tame an occupation. Along
about January, 1909, Seabolt's friends
here were much disappointed to hear
| that he had been arrested in COM
pany with one Walter Turpin on
charge of counterfeiting.
This man Turpin also had winning
ways, and, like SeabOlt, proved a
great disappointment to the EX-Pris-
oners' Aid Society. 1t was through
the influence Of this organization that
Turpin was parOled December "a,
1908. only two or three weeks
thereafter he was in limbo again and
had dragged Seabolt down along with
him
Turpin's Record Far from Good.
To Judge what manner of man Wal
ter Turpin is, ii may be well to pause
for moment and go over his Grim
inal record. Just at present he is
completing a five-year team in the
Atlanta prison for cOunterfeiting and
Will be free in eight months. For
years he has been engaged in break
ing the law. He was convicted in the
charge of housebreaking and given
five years in the State prison. An ad-
ditional five years was his portion,
as this was his second conviction.
Then one year was added for escap-
ing and two years more for cutting
out of his cell
'Turpin was the protege of the Metho-
dist Institute when the charge of max
ing and passing the queer" was en-
tered ter against him and Seabolt. The
SX-Pris0ners' Aid Society was then
do oil fAr- 4
had it not been for the influence of this
organization he would never have been
paroled. But Governor Swanson, in
view of representations made to him.
determined to give the man another
chance. At that time the convict had
spent by far the greater part OF his life
in prison.
When arrested Turpin was beastly
drunken seemed to be so-and Sea-
bolt endeavOred to take all the blame
upon himself. Investigation proved. !
however, that he was merely circulat
was the person on whom rested the
greater burden of guilt. Such. at least, |
eral court, for Turpin was given five
year term while Seabolt got off with a
Not without Gratitude.
1t should be said to the credit of |
Turpin and Seabolt that both men. |
though unable to resist temptation, |
have shown themselves consistently !
grateful to the officers OF the Ex- |
Prisoners Aid Society and have kept
in constant touch with them through |
thick and thin.
1t was Turpin who apprised the presi- |
dent of the society of the fact that !
SeabOlt was about to return to Rich |
mOnd. And the latter was prompt to |
show up about three weeks ago though |
he asked no faVors in monetary way.
Under the circumstance the officers Of !
the organization are not altogether |
diScOurage d nor will they deSiSt from
the efforts to lift up the fallen.
Mrs Walker, when she went shop
ping on Broad Street, impressed the |
working woman simple girl from
the country. She says that her hus- |
bands name is Ben Walker and that |
she married him at the instance of her |
father when only fourteen. Walker |
She says, is fifty years old.