Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1914-04-28
FREED !: TO BEAR
HIS MOTHER !
TO Her GRAVE.
D1NvIR WOODS, I'm" FOR 1s
YEARS, ATTENDS FUNERAL
or HIs MOTHER ALONE.
uPD0lDs als llebol
With Heart Bowed Down Hikes in
! Darkness Back to tho
Psnitsntiary.
Nv W. 4. sT,ckLey.

The fact great men and women
have discovered that there is hu.
name side TO all mankind, that there
Is honor among all men, and that
even those who are imprisoned for
crime have that element Of honor in
their souls which Overshad0ws every
thing within them and their lives,
even to the greatest prize Of life. that
Of liberty. has proven one Of the
greatest discoveries, and departures
from the practices OF the dark ages,
which has been developed within the
last few years. ,
The honor system has been the out
growth Of years Of pleading by a few
good people for "tae. man on the in
side" 1t has a tendency 10 make
him better. and instead of grinding
the bitterness Of his heart into his
soul and making him hardened crea.
turet against all that Is good, the hon.
or system teaches him that he is not
SO bad but that there is honor left
and, that there Is - chance for him
ION the i outside" some day.
- concrsse Case.
{, a xeonerete case OF this has been;
brought before the people OF this
state, and of the world, recently,
right here ID Bismarck. About two
s5oars ssDaAs si1DWn -AA-ta&aSin0sthy
by tho name Of Denver Woods, In .
smJx.up With some others, shot ana
killed Z man, and claimed II was III
sAlf-defense. However, the court and
the Jury found him guilty s,of a crime
and sent him to the Bismarck prison
to serve a~term Of: 13 years.
i. Last winter, his aged mother was
here pleading that he be liberated.
The pardon board could not grant her
request. and she returned home, weep
ing and sorrowing because Of the
fate OF her son. @5 Z. - ,;@# T.
Heart.broken, she stated to the au-
thOrities, that she never would live
to see her son again. A short time
ago she was taken i'll at her home In
Baker. Mont She sent letter to
Governor Hanna and to Warden Tai
colt, asking that her son might come
t0. her and see her before she stem
med that dark tide, which can never
he recrossed. At first it was thought
to send him. accompanied 4by a guard.
Then the human side of the prOp0si.
ti0n appealed to Governor Hanna and
to Warden Talcott. They reasoned
that there was no man so mean as to
break his promise when allowed to 60
to see mis- dying mother. They placed
Denver Woods on his honor to go to
see his mother, and to make her a
visit, placing upon him the only re.
Quirement that he wire them every,
day, and that he would return prompt
ly.
This he did. He was taken to the
depot, given a return ticket and sent
on his way: Out Of the state he went,
alone, into Montana. He arrived too
late to see his dear old mother alive,
and only to see her sweet face, freed
from it's cares and hushed to sleep
by the hand of death. He attended
the funeral. ...t.a&.
: Returns Bowed With Grief.
When he had bidden farewell to. all
that was mortal Of that one who low
ed him tenderly even In his days OF
misfortune. his next thought was the
honor which was born of her, though
his feet had slipped In an unguarded
moment and he had become a pris.
Oner. The better instincts predom-
mated and his next thought was that
of returning upon his honor to the
prison, nearly 800 miles away.
: Walks to Pen.
He took a train and hurried for
Bismarck. Arriving In this city at
3:20 a. M, In the blackness of the
night. he ,phoned to the officials at the
pen that he had arrived and would
soon be there. Out in the darkness
of the night he plodded his way, two
miles to the eastward, where he could
see the lights which twinkled over
the prison walls and where he had
promised to return and give himself
NJ. again for eleven more years.
Darknsse His Only comrade.
/ Aye, that must have been the. bit.
terest part Of the trip. Can any
reader OF these lines imagine the
feelings In the heart of this man as
he wended his way toward the prison
on that dark night, returning TO cap
tiyity, after having lost the best and
possibly the only friend on earth?
Was it not . wonderful demonstration
of the fact that there is still honor In
all men? He entered the prison; the
iron doors again changed behind him.
He had redeemed his promise. He
was an honorable man.