Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1914-12-24

iorbears had done in the way of prop
agation since the fourteenth century
Hetty did not find 1t easy to accom-
modate her pride to the plan which
was to give her a fresh and rather
imposing start in the world. She was
to have a full year in which to deter.
mine whether she should accept toll
and poverty as her lot, or emulate the
symbolic example of Dicky. the canary
bird. At the end of the year. unless
she did as Dicky had done, her source
of supplies would be automatically cut
off and she would be entirely depend.
ent upon her own wits and resources.
In the interim she was a probationary
person of leisure. 1t had required
hours OF persuasion on the part of
Sara Wrandall to bring her into line
with these arrangements.
But l am able and willing to work
for my living" had been Hetty's stub
born retort to all the arguments
brought to bear upon her.
Then let me put it in another light.
1t is vital to me, OF course, that you
should keep up the show of affiuence
for while at least. | think | have
made that clear to you. But here is
another side to the matter; the ques.
ton of recompense."
''Recompense?" cried Hetty sharply
Without your knowing it, l have
virtually held you a prisoner all these
months, condemned in my own judg-
ment il not in the sight of the law
| have taken the law unto myself. You
were not convicted OF murder in this
unitarian court of mine, but OF an
other sin. For fifteen months you
have been living under the shadow OF
a crime you did not commit. was
reserving complete punishment for
you in the shape of an ignoble mar
riage, which was to have served two
bitter ends. Well, | had the truth
from you. | believe you to be abso-
lutely innocent of the charge I held
over you. for which | condemned you
without hearing. Then, Why should
l not employ my own means OF max
ing restitution"
You have condescended to believe
in me. That is all ask"
True. that is all you ask. But is
it altogether the fair WY cut OF it?
To illustrate: our criminal laws are
less kind to the innocent than to the
guilty. Our law courts find a man
guilty and he is sent to prison. Later
on. he is found to be innocent-abso-
lutely innocent. What does the state
do in the premises? 1t issues formal
pardon-a mockery, pure and simple
and the man is set free. II all comes
to curt. belated apology for an error
on the part of justice. No substantial
recompense is offered. He is merely
pardoned for something he didn't do.
The state, which has wronged him.
condescends to pardon him, Think OF
1t! 1t is the same as If a man knocked
another down and then said, before he
removed his foot from the victim 4
neck: I pardon you freely My ia
Their was opposed to the system we
haye-that all countries have-of par
doning men who have been unjustly
condemned. The innocent victim is
pardoned in the same manner as the
/ y.
accept my fathers contention that
an innocent man should not be shamed
and Inundated by a pardon. The
court which tried him should reopen
the case and honorably acquit him Of
the crime. Then the state should pay
to this innocent man, dollar for dol
lar, all that he might have earned dur
ing his term OF imprisonment, with an
additional amount for the suffering he
has endured. Not long ago in an ad-
joining state man, who had served
seventeen years of life sentence for
murder, was found to be wholly inno-
cent. What happened? A pardon was
handed to him and he walked out of
prison, broken in spirit, health and
purse. His small fortune had been
wiped out in the futile effort to prove
his innocence. He gave up seventeen
years of his life and then was par.
doned for the sacrifice. He should
have been paid for every day spent in