Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1915-07-09
APhjlanttlropiist
Spoiled
By SADIE OLCOTT

Miss Margaret Lawrence was an ell
DERBY maiden lady who, having pined
for mission, finally decided to take
one upon herself. She selected the
amelioration Of the criminal classes.
She visited them in prison, and many
OF them talked with her SO persuasive
ly about the unfortunate circumstances
that had led them to become criminals
that she came to believe they were all
victims of their surroundings. This led
her to advocate mercy toward them.
Miss Lawrence, who was wealthy,
founded society for helping criminals
to lead better life. Her society was
really corps of young women who
were proud to be her assistants. They
worked with her in the cause and
though during term of years they
succeeded In lifting only a very few
criminals up into better sphere per-
manently, they persevered.
One Of Miss Lawrence's objects was
to induce persons against whom crimes
had been committed to refrain from
prosecution and to take the offender
under their protection with view to
accomplishing his reformation. She
found this difficult matter. When
one had been victimized by a conf
dence man he was usually bent rather
On punishment than sympathy. When
woman lost her jewelry at the hands
Of dishonest servant she considered
1t her duty to the state to prosecute
the thief. Miss Lawrence spent much
Of her time In endeavoring to induce
such persons to forego revenge and
help bring about new birth in those
who had injured them.
Whenever Miss Lawrence saw an ac-
count in newspaper of theft or
robbery she would go or send one of
her assistants to the injured person to
induce him or her to be merciful. One
day, hearing that an elderly butler had
been caught purloining his employers
valuables she went to the Jail, saw the
thief, who had been arrested, and
found him to be a man Of fifty, Of
good appearance and, according to his
account, the victim Of unfortunate cir
cumstances. His name was Homer
Hawkins. When asked how he came
by the name of Homer he said that his
father had been a pedagogue and an
admirer of the great poet. Homer
Hawkins wept bitter tears over the
condition in which he found himself
and so worked on Miss Lawrence's
feelings that she went to his late mas
ter, secured promise that he would
not prosecute the case and took Mr.
Hawkins under her own especial care
for the purpose of giving him an op-
portunity to show how cruel fate had
been to him. "a
Hawkins was made major domo Of
Miss Lawrences household. He seem
ed too respectable to be called butler
or to perform the mental services of a
of anything. because Miss Lawrence
had nothing for so respectable person
to do. He attended to the purchase
Of household supplies, and since his
mistress paid cash for everything
she bought her major domo was in
trusted with the funds used for the
purpose.
Never was man more particular In
rendering his accounts. If from the
multitude of payments at any one time
he was at loss to account for q
dime or a nickel he was so much trou-
bled that his mistress sometimes ex-
pected that he would burst into tears.
On such occasions she assured him
that so trifling an amount was Of nc
consequence, but In vain. He would
: mourn over the fact that after the un-
fortunate condition in which she had
: found him she would surely think him
: dishonest. He refused to be com
forted.
One day Hawkins went out to do thu
7 mornings marketing. He did not re
turn at the usual time and In thu
meanwhile lady called on Miss Law
renee and she sought her kind offices II
2 the matter Of a criminal who had rob
t bed her. The lady was willing to for
r give the culprit, but asked Miss Law
t renee to undertake his reform. TIL,
: ladies' car was at the door, and sh'
D begged Miss Lawrence to go with he
!. to a police station to see the prisoner
4 Miss Lawrence consented and on tn
way the lady told her that the Grim
8 inal had called on one Of her maid
e the evening before and had gone ava.
j with some valuable silver. He ha'
b been arrested In the morning.
:. When Miss Lawrence reached tn
Y jail, and the culprit was marched GU
of his cell the good lady was aston
ished. He was Homer Hawkins. Hi
benefactress was at loss what t
do In the matter. but, turning to tn
lady who had suffered, was about t
= plead for the prisoner, when an In
spector showed her number OF al
= ticles belonging to her that had bee
found in Hawkins possession.
There was a difference In Miss Law
rence's neighbors losing valuables an
/ losing them herself. She turned upo
J. Hawkins, called him an ungratefu
L man, and then, after promising the In
spector that she would appear agains
+ the prisoner, walked out of the ofhc
I the picture of Indignation.
e This ended Miss Lawrence's Ind
yidual work In the reformation OF GRIN
Vt inals. She disbanded her society. bu
o a., t,mo ioined one I'm which the wor