The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-11-24
REUNION HELD
IN THE PRISON
Mrs. Wakefield Has One Pleas
ant Hour With Her Aged
Parents and Two Little
Children.
[By Fred s. Ferguson, Staff Cor es
pondent of United Press.]

pondent of United Press.] II
HARTFORD, Conn, Nov. 24.-A lit-t
tie child's voice raised high in q baby
outburst Of song resounded through
the death chamber Of the Connecticut
state prison today. The cold stone
walls echoed with tender little words
from baby lips, as little four year old
Clara Belle Wakefield sat upon herr
mothers knee and sang the simple
little songs she had been taught beforei
the mother was taken away, tried and
sentenced to be hanged.
For the first time since midsummer
Mrs. Bessie Wakefeld--"the woman
who never had chance"-saW her
children and talked with her aged
mother and father today Having been
convicted with James Plew of the
murder of William Wakefield, the con-
| demned mother Is now cut off from
| communication with all Of those VINO
are bringing every pressure to bear to
/ obtain a Communication of sentence
when the board of pardons meets next
! month.
Frank Webster and his wife, the
father and mother of the condemned
woman, are too poor to visit her. They
4 have not been able to save enough
money to pay their train fare Incl
denal to the thirty-five mile trip to
the prison. An automobile was placed
at their disposal by the United Press
today and for more than an hour this
family was united in the prison.
/ At the sight of her children, tear
less, clinging to the hand of theii
! grandmother, Mrs Wakefield, ordin
arily resigned, broke down and criee
for Joy. She was taken from hel
death cell and throughout her talk with
|, her parents, sat in the cell corridor
with little George on one knee and thu
little girl, Clara Belle on the other
/ When the condemned woman, afte
!. the first greetings. asked Clara Belle
she remembered the songs she used t
sing for her, the child's big eyes shon
!. as she wiped away her tears that ha
u come at the first sigrt 81 her mothe
and prepared to show that she had nc
n forgotten. Then through the du
!, gray corridors sounded the child
:. voice as she lisped through the vers
of song about "a Little Black Hen.
!, None but Clara Belle and Mrs. Wake
field who taught it to her have bee
able to figure out the complete word
: Of this song but through 1t runs
! constant line Of My Baby, My Baby
IS The child looked in wonderment at he
: , mother as she saw that she had broke
down completely. A moment later tn
i little one was fairly smothered In
= mothers embrace while the weepin
:. mother begged her to go on. The CHI
y lisped q protest that mamma shou
5 not cry when sing" Little Geors
y sat gravely on his mothers other kne
a and bewildered, cried in sympath
n The aged grand father and grand mot
3, er broke down and the childish 30
p closed with chorus of sobs fro
1t which other women prisoners attrae
ss ed by the singing, turned away.
IS Leaving the prison Clara Belle ca
u ried little flower her mother hi
10 given her. 1t came from a symp
10 thizer of the condemned woman. II
sa child clutched it tightly and as if to l
a pay the gift announced quite soberly,
80 man gave me fifty cents and ga
n George another fifty cents and VIII
we come to see you again, We
ne bring the money with US end you c.
te have 1t. Grandma says maybe 1t W
ch help you to come back home. VIII y
he try hard?" Both the young moth
Mt and the aged grandmother smil
nd sadly and when the little tot press
he for an answer, replied mother
ry come home just as soon as she cal
ne Mrs. Wakefield has not abandon
tt. hope. She has learned things in pr
e., on unknown to her before her trl
of She has learned the penalty she pi
or- in her ignorance of her rights. 5