Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1913-10-09

to give him a much larger wage ht
wanted to put Skinny to the test.
Day after day he proved his worth
and his wages were increased accord
ingly, SO that at the end of a few
years he was in a position to marry
Wherever he has worked he has prov
ed faithful and has given every salts
faction to his employers. He is at
present holding a position of respon.
sibility, is married and has two fine
young daughters. He has lived an up
right life for fifteen years.
Then there was the case of Tom,
who had served two short terms in
Sing Sing prior to 1889. Upon the
evening of the day of his second dis
charge from Sing Sing Tom, wander
ing down the Bowery, met two of his
friends, who invited him into one of
the saloons to have a drink. After
their third or fourth drink they were
placed under arrest by detectives from
headquarters, who charged them with
a robbery committed that very day.
His Innocence of No Avail
Tom protested his innocence, saying
that he was not the man, that he had
only just come from Sing Sing, and in
fact did not have time to do a job of
that kind. Despite his depials he was
locked up, for, unfortunately, Toms
appearance tailed almost exactly with
the description of the missing third of
the three men who had done the rob-
berry.
On the day of trial the other two
men pleaded guilty and received f1f-
teen year sentences, at the same time
affirming that Tom had no part in the
robbery. Tom again protested his in
nocence, saying that he had not com
mitted the crime, that he had done
nothing for which he should have been
arrested. He declined to take a plea
and decided to stand trial On his
record he was found guilty in short
order, and as he put the county to the
expense of a trial he was sentenced
to twenty years In prison. He went
back to Sing Sing soured and sullen
and with a desire in his heart to get
even with society for the wrong 1t
had done him and determination
out.
How well I remember the many |
talks I have had with Tom, and how !
at times 1t seemed as though nothing
that might be said would move him,
but at last God working In His own
@ 70 ri Tn oh 10
heart. Tom put the evil desires and
evil inclinations back Of him and came
out of prison a saved man.
Twelve Years of Upright Life.
1t is now twelve years since Tom
eft prison. He is holding a good
position In one of the towns OF Penn
,ylvania We hear from him fire.
Iuently and the burden of his letters
o US is that he thanks God that the
volunteer Prison league came into his
life, and now he has wished that he
lad hardened earlier to the godly
ounsel and wise precepts.
John c. was liberated in 1907, hav-
ng come under the operation OF the
arole law which permitted life pris-
ners who had served twenty years
nd whose conduct had been good to
e paroled. For twenty-seven years
ohm had been an inmate of Sing Sing
rison and for many years of that
me hope and John were strangers.
We went into that prison carrying
message of hope to such poor souls
S he, and it was with gladness that
g received the message, and he has
I'D us now he hoped and prayed that
lie time would come when he would
ecure his release, and thanks to the !
Use measures instituted by our law !
Iakers he was one of the first who {
lme under the operation Of the
ifer" parole law He now Folds a |
osition Of trust and responsibility in
lie of the largest corporation in New
ork city.
Forty-seven Years In Prison. t
Another example, and this one is t
ghty-three years old. He was, / 8
ink, the dean of the prisoners of 8
is state, for he had spent forty-seven a
,ars of his life in the prison In Dan b
'mora every one knew old Frank. a
e too was beneficiary of the life e
ems parole law, for he is now much f
mt and at times somewhat feeble. {