Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-07-01

The boy stood up when the CLERK
babe him. He heard the question ask
ed whether there was any reason why
the penalty Of the law should not be
exacted from him. He could think Of
nothing to say save, II am innocent"
The formula Of sentence was mum
bled by the judge and an officer tool
him BY the arm and led him away
As they reached the bridge over
Franklin street., connecting the Tombs
and court building, and the sunlight
from the square windows struck upon
them for moment, Montgomery ask
ed his keeper:
"How many years did he say?
could not hear him."
The officer looked at him uneasily and
hesitated. =
Life Imprisonment" -
| Montgomery staggered and the Off
Ger released his grip and caught him
under the arms, thinking that he would
faint. -.
There was q sob, hard and bitter
and then the young man cried as a
child would cry when an ugly temper
ed servant took from the nursery floor
its toys newly given.
The sentence of the court had swept
from him the toys of young manhood
and had cast them as grass into the
furnace. He would never hear the
sound of a woman's voice, nor the
sound Of laughter by man or child. He
would never again see the magic line
where sky and sea or woodlands meet
Even the seasons of the year were
taken from him. The beauties Of ma
ture familiar to the eyes Of whole
some country boy, the spread of smiling
| fields, tasseled corn waving in the
wind, bending roads, glimpses of the
sunlit river through foliage, quiet lit
tie gardens in front of quiet little
houses, were all taken from him as If
the tail of a comet loaded with cyan0.
| gen had swept the earth and had wiped
out all the loneliness that God had
| fashioned for his children.
AS the sentenced prisoners were be-
ing taken from the Tombs for the jour-
neys to the states various prisons De-
tective Lieutenant Michael Kearney
sat in the Office of his inspector and
received the congratulations for his ex.
cellent work in the Montgomery case.
Inspector Ranscombe looked over his
list of assignments for the day and
found nothing worth the time and skill
of his favorite man hunter.
"You have a day off. Mike" he told
| the detective.
Kearney rose. saluted and left head
quarters. A man absolutely unappre-
ciative of the ordinary pleasures of
life, he found himself at loss what
to do. There was only one thing worth
while on a day off-his little fat in
Oliver street. He made his way home.
He rang the bell in the vestibule. The
lock clicked and he entered.
Kearney mounted the stairs and
opened his mothers kitchen door with
out knocking.
"Well, Nike" exclaimed Mrs. Kear,
ney in surprise, what brings you
home at this time of day?"
Il gotta day off," he told her. "Ye're
scrubbing the kitchen aure again
When'll you be done?"
"Pretty soon, Mike. You go in the
parlor and make yourself comfortable,
and I'll bring the beer and your pipe. "
He did as she babe him, and she fol-
| lowed, clearing off center table and
placing his beer, pipe and tobacco on it.
He tried several chairs. They were
all stifay tufted-bought for ''compa.
n.y." He could adjust himself to none
of them comfortably. He returned to
the kitchen.
"Could ye spread down some bagging
so can stay in here?'' he asked.
"Sure, lad" she replied from her
knees. I'm finished now
She made him comfortable in his old
chair by the window. He was engag.
ed in balancing himself at his favorite
angle when he noticed something black
on the end Of the kitchen table.
"What's that, old lady?" he asked
curiously.
The mothers face paled.
He reached over and picked it up
1t was filmy and torn veil. Beneath
it was a little black fan.
"She forgot them-Mrs. Montgom
cry" explained the mother, taking the
two articles from the hand of her son
1.-THE poor little woman. the poor little
woman
She hurried with them to her bed
room, which opened on the kitchen
When she returned and began shaking
down the ashes in the stove she sighed
''1t's terrible, Mike" she said. '"Tht
poor old mither is left out in the worl(
to starve or die of a broken heart
Blessed Mother in Heaven. look afte
her."
Some of the coziness of the room
seemed to leave it. Was there chill ii
the air, or did he just imagine it? III
closed the window back of him.
'"The evidence was all one way" b.
grunted. IL didn't try him. WASH
the judge or the jury. didn't decid,
whether he was guilty or innocent
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