The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-04-30

ssWe're having our honeymoon over were
the reports made again and again.
Intense gratitude to the law for giving
them "another chance was the character
istic sentiment in nearly every case, and
this feeling proved more powerful in bring
ing about their reformation than the fear of
punishment.
Story of Jim the Engineer
One day was hearing a robbery case,
when Jim entered and modestly seated
himself at the rear of the courtroom. Jim
was running locomotive on the Burling-
ton Road, and although he had recently
married, was voluntarily laying off two
DAYS in the week in order that fellow
engineer, who had family to support,
might have a show during the hard times.
| motioned to my bailiff, and minute
later Jim was seated beside me on the bench,
listening to the evidence in the robbery case.
| we'll knew what was passing through his
mind, for it was only ten months before that
he stood before the same bar, charged with
crime, and it was then that he had prom
ised me, whom he had never seen before,
that if l give him ''another chance he
would turn over a new leaf and eschew crime
and the society of criminals forever.
This resolution followed brief talk in
my chambers after his trial. His record
was not in his favor, and his picture hung
in the rogue's gallery. His brother was
then serving time, and he had two sisters
dependent upon him for support. After
had briefly pointed out to him the folly of
such life as he was then leading, he quiet
ly remarked: "No one ever talked to me
that way before; my father is dead and my
mother is dead, and l haven't friend in
Il. I'll
probably don't deserve one, the way you
have lived, but if you will cut out liquor
and go to work" Che had not worked for
you will have friends He finally agreed
that he would do this. ''Now," eff you
don't keep your promise to me, you will
get me into trouble with the officers He
said: 81 will show you can make good. -
He could not get bondsman, and let
him go after he had signed his own bond.
He went to work at dollar day at the
first place he struck, and his wages have been
raised four times. One day had letter
from his sister saying that he had met with
an accident. AS soon as adjourned court,
| went to the hospital to see him. He said
to me: 81 will never take chloroform
again. | asked, 'Whv not, Jim3" and
he replied: During this operation, while
| was under the influence of chloroform, it
seemed to me as if was going from one
saloon to another, and they tell me didn't
do thing except holer for beer. You bet
l will never touch chloroform again.
After five weeks in the hospital, thanks to
to his fine constitution, he pulled through,
but the first day he went out on the street he
was ''picked up by vigilent "plain-
clothes man on suspicion of being i'm
plicated in robbery, and spent several
hours in Jail. Truly the way of the trans
gressor is hard-not only while he is trans
gressor, but for some time afterwards.
Suspended Sentence Versus Gold Cure
Prejudice against any new method, no
matter how successful, was not the only
| thing had to contend with in carrying out
| my plan. Many members of the medical
| profession assured me that habitual drunk
| ard could not voluntarily leave liquor alone;
| that his stomach was in such a condition
| from the use of alcohol that he must first
be given medical treatment before any hope
of his reform could be entertained. "Gold
Cure" specialist haunted me day and night
with offers of free treatment for those on
my parole list, all of which respectfully
declined for the reason that several persons
who had taken such "cures'' without eff
feet had, under the influence of suspended
sentence, become entirely sober and re-
manned so. Many, in fact, were upon the
verge of delirium tremens when brought
into court, but none were too far gone to
be restored.
That many, perhaps majority, of Grim
inals can be wholly reformed without i'm
prisonment, through he means of suspend
ed maximum sentence, with little or no ex-
pense to the State, | am satisfied beyond
doubt; and this will be done when we can
eliminate from the treatment of criminals
the desire for revenge and look only to the
oOod IF the individual and IF SOcietv