The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1913-11-04

IL Press.)
COMO Italy, Nov. 4.-Porter Charl
ton-son of Judge Charlton, Yale
classmate and intimate friend of for
mer President taft-awaiting trial here
for the murder of his wife. formerly
Marry Scott Castle, in 1910, is already
a reformed man. This is not only the
firm conviction of the prison authori-
ties who have him in charge but this
was also the impression made when
Charlton was visited today by the Uni
ted Press correspondent under special
permission from the minister of JUS
| tice
Under this reformed aspect, young
Charlton is proving a profound mys-
terry to his jailers and the judicial au-
thorities generally, Short in stature,
with light hair, blue eyes and pale
face, he gives no outward evidence Of
the unusual physical strength which
made him a prize winning athlete in
his high school days at Omaha, Neb.
and the college years which followed
The prison keepers, half pityingly, half
fondly, have nicknamed him the little
boy and are absolutely convinced that,
unaided, he could not have placed the
body of his wife in the trunk, carried
it the 400 yards from the house in
which he murdered her, and dumped it
into Lake Como where it was found |
later. They are therefore looking for
an accomplice.
Charlton Doesn't Drink.
Another thing that puzzles the Ital-
ian jailers is Charlton's abstemious-
ness. In the two weeks preceding the
murder of Mrs. Charlton both she and I
young Porter are known to have drank
almost every moment of the day and
night. They took only champaign,
whiskey, rum and the stronger drinks
Of the northern countries, the use of
which in Italy is almost unknown. |
Since his return tc the Como Jail,
Charlton takes nothing but water, re-
using even the local wines which are
average Italian that they are included ,
With the prison meals. The change I
S one which the jailers can account ,
or only on the basis of a complete al
most miraculous reformation.
Charltcns appearance of boyishness =
Which has impressed so deeply the jul
icial authorities has also been great !,
Y heightened by the 6ocility, the cour- II
and the consideration which +
e at all times shows to his Keepers =
lis entire department. appearance and n
onduct towards others is so far diff :,
srent from that of the cold-blooded ;,
rGtal murderer whom the jailers had 7,
ypected would return to them from
merica that they are at complete
,ss how to harmonize the ;ncongruity.
Earring Wen in Prison. i,
Charltcn's gentlemanly, considerable
caring towards his keepers is so sin
ere that it has had the inevitable eff
ct of inspiring in them a kindred re-
procal feeling, and as a consequence re
: is faring better than perhaps any h.
her prisoner, charged with murder =,
'er Jared in an Italian Jail. He has -,
,en given the best of omodations =,
e local jail affords. His room is kept ~,
clean and all of the at 80
ndants take turns in helping him 60
lily with his study of Italian. To this
d, even the judge himself has allow !.
him to subscribe to one of the Ital- -.
n daily papers which he can read ~
tn little difficulty. All of these are a.
if not actual breaches Of -;
llian prison regulations, of most az l.
ual type. ~
Got Special FayOrs. an
Nevertheless in the short interview no
owed between Charlton and the pie