The Twin City star., 1915-09-25
MODERN RIP VAN
WINKLE RETURNS
6aorge ". Gram at Eighty
five MarIB|s atSIghts.
PRISONER TWENTY YEARS.

Electric Cars, Autos and Womsn's
Styles Amaze Pardoned Wife Slayer.
Remembers Seeing Henry Clay Play
Ing Game Of Poksr-Praisss Warden
T. sosborns's Mutual WsifarssLsasus.
New York.-George w. Cram, mod
: ern Rip Van Wrinkle, awoke here after
ALTERNATING over twenty years smear
1 the foothills Of the Catskills. But un.
hke his Legendary predecessor. Grams
) exile was Involuntary. He has been a
. PRISONER I'm Sing Sing and was the
y patriarch cot the grim rprison'sE con-
victs. At eighty-five heswas freed BY
J a pardon from Governor whitman aft
-er escaping death In the electric chair,
! to which he had been sentenced for
killing his wife.
On his return here the aged man,
who, despite his years, was known in
prison az "Kid'' Cram, rode for the
nrst time In an automobile and an
electric train.
A long drawn E"A-h-hw was the only
exclamation he uttered aszhe emerged
from thei Grand Central station and
gazed with bewilderment at the busy
scenes. y
"Gosh, how it's grownr he said as
soon as he got his breath. That's one
Of the electric street cars, eh? They
are big things, all right. Gee, when
went away they had just got cable
cars. and we thought them wonder
full"
Cram had left the prison after bid
ding sgoodby to all his old cronies and
the officers at Sing Sing.
On the train. the old man became
reminiscent. &. -. = ,ll
'The old rum is no good for any
one" he said, "and my advice to boy
: is don't take your first drink. re-
r member my first drink, all right. 1t
was way back in 1s4s, on Mississip-
pi river steamboat. ~.
II was q young lad them and 1 saw
Henry Clay playing game of poker
with some other men. He took me
between his knees and gave me his
hand to play. After 1t was over he
gave me- his glass Of wine to drink. i
don't remember whether I won the
game or not, but know I've played
many games since then.
'Say, boys, he began suddenly,
veering his conversation to Sing Sing
Warden sOsborne's Mutual Welfare
league is the greatest thing that was
ever instituted In prison. When l
first went into the prison It WAS a
hell on earth. Now 1t is a. paradise"
Re~erting to his own case, he said:
when was fighting In the Indian
campaign near the California line In
1S46 / was hit in the nose with an In
dian musket. l. think that old wound
was the direct cause Of my trouble.
You know, served in three wars
thesMexican, Indian and civil wars.
II had been out Of work for some
time and began to worry. After that
don't remember q thing; until woke
up to nnd had been I'm thei death
house at Sing Sing for over week
and was underl sentence ofSdeath for
killing my wife. I never quarreled
with my wife" " s'~
Cram stook q walk along Fifth ave-
nue. before going, to the home Of his
granddaughter.
"Gee," he whispered, how the wo.
men dress nowadaysl In my time
they rwpnld have ibeen 1lockeds'upS If
they went about with as little clothes
: on as that. -. Z. ...-- ..E.-r
II don't think IN 60 down to Coney
IslandSyet.- It's.thirty five years since
I was there. Pm going to California
after q few daysahere. haven't been
there since theFdays Of 40" 49,.
Cram was given SO when he left
Sing Sing. He had earned one and a
half cents per. day. tG
II sent that to my family" he said.
Altogether 4 earned s138 whileI was
there. ! think they ought tospay con-
"a - Rnyy~~ Ao~ Nhoxy oopyS a. -