The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-10-01
HAVE YOU HAD YOUR
MONEYS WORTH?
Have Proceeds of Wrongdo-
ing Benefited You?
Just a Few Instances Mentioned To Show
That Crime Does Not, Cannot, And
Never Will Begin To Pay You
For What You Have Lost
By FL. S. Med.

During the past few months we
have spent many hours in revie wing
scenes of the past. Old acquaintan-
ces have been recalled to mnd. and
we have endeavored to fix certain
value upon the words which we re-
member having heard them speak.
These acquantances have come
from every walk III life, the high.
The low, the rich. the poor, the hon
est. the dishonest, the prisoner. the
exprisoner, and the man who would
lie a prisoner If be received his just
deserts.
/, is in regard to matters dealing
with, aud of interest to the prisoner
and exprisoner that we wish TO
write, therefore, we will eliminate
all the others. The subject that we
are going to bring before you, is oft
written about. but there are always
few more thoughts and observa-
tions which may be added without
detracting from, or injuring, the
value of previous deductions. We
have learned by bitter experience
that crime does not pay, and we are
familiar with the stories of large
number of others who are, or have
been, situated in circumstances
ideuucal to those that surround us
today, and, omitting their names, we
are gong to cite few instances of
men who have found that there is
nothing in the life of crime. Many
of them have settled down and are
regarded and respected as honest
citizens, the history of their past has
been forgotten; some Of them have
gone over the way from which there
is no returning; but they, one and
all, have realized that crime does
not pay.
There was King" with whom
we were very well acquainted. We
first met him something like ten or
eleven years ago. At that time he
was one of the most expert safe
blowers that ever worried the police
of civilized community. No safe
or ban. vault had been built which
would keep him from getting at the
golden harvest therein contained.
He was very cautious man, never
drank to excess, and never cracked
a crib" unless he was reasonably
certain tba, a getaway was possible,
and that the sum of money involved
was sufficient to justify the risk he
had to take to get it. To him the
banks owe the loss of thousands of
dollars, more than enough to put a
conservative man in independent
circumstances, and yet he told us
that he had found that crime did
not pay. We recall conversation
we once had with him aud he said:
No. sonny, crime doesn't pay.
Money obtained by dishonesty new
er brings the JOY and satisfaction
that the hard earned dollar brings
to us, and, as the old ada1e says,
easy come, easy GO and am broke
rich hauls that | make. Here | am
just out of stir after ten year bit,
fifty-nine years of age and not one
dollar to show for those long years
of worry and toll. Son, do yon
know that out of my tifty-niue years
have spent nearly twenty-five in
prison, and ] think it about time for
me to settle down and let the young
bloods have all the glory if they
can find any glory in the criminal
life. / am very much afraid that
they will be disappointed in the
glory part. for. after all. the glory is
but an illusion. AS for me, | am
going after job, go to work, and
enjoy the rest of my days at liberty"
Poor old King" did not enjoy
much of life, however, for in com
pany with friend he started for
Oregon, beating the way by riding
the rods, the blinds, or decking the
iiers. and when We met his friend
several months later we were in
formed that he bad been killed in a
railroad reck in Montana. and SO
was brought TO an end the life OF
one who had great experience in all
that apperlalned to crime, and one
who knew that it did not pay.
Then there was young fellow
who was called Pick" partly be-
cause he never could r. sist putting
his hands into the other fellows
pockets. and partly hecansA ha had