Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1915-04-01
SYNOPSIS


SYNOPSIS
James Montgomery. an innocent country
nd. In arrested for killing . bank watch
nan. HIS finger prints are taken by the
New York police.
His old mother pleads In vain for him
With Detective Michael Kearney. Mont
gcmery Ia placed on trial for his life.
charged with murder.
Convicted OF murder In the second de-
gree. he IL sent to Sing Sing as a life
prisoner and enters the machine shop.
His cellmate, Bill Hawkins, q burglar,
SLAMS to aid Montgomery In escaping
from the prison.
Bill makes Montgomery a suit Of
Clothes but IL IL seized. Montgomery
GAwls into a box OF machinery that is TO
hoavs the prison
Escaping he hides In the New Jersey
marshes and changes his clothing for that
Of q drowned man.
Hawkins concerning Montgomery's where
abouts. Montgomery becomes a tinker
and travels nights
Az "John Nelson" koLtSoeaA<y sEne- :
cotton mill and invents very valuable ma
shinery. He meets Molly Bryan. a beau
ttful girl
They fall In love with each other. Mel
son" learns that Detective Kearney 10 still
hunting for him. He notifies Bill Of his
whereabouts
Bnl In released from Sing Sing 30 that
Kearney can shadow him and find Mont
gomery. Hawkins cleverly gives Kearney
the slip.
Hawkins finds his wife and decides TO
start again in life as an honest man after
he finds Montgomery.
Continued from last week
They smiled at him in gratitude for
his kindness.
"The party breaking up?"
Yes; you get Jennie home safe for
me. gotta slope out OF town." said
Bill.
Husband and wife embraced and the
old probationer slipped from the room,
made his way through the gestculat-
ing deaf and dumb patrons of the
saloon and disappeared into the night.
In his mountain refuge there were
hours of loneliness which beset John
Nelson. He realized that the more he
achieved in life and the greater grew
his love for Molly Bryan the more ter
rible would be the reckoning for him
should the police ever corner him.
The oppressiveness Of these hours be
came such that he looked about for a
mental occupation that would serve
to drive from his thoughts the fear
that seemed to fasten on him with
tighter grip as the weeks passed.
In the Dark Corner he was the only
man with money and sufficient warmth
and food and shelter sound enough to
make actual physical existence bear
able in winter The poverty OF the
mountain families was but little short
Of the poverty OF despair Many Of
them lived through the seasons with
never the possession of money, getting
their food from their patches OF open
ground and their clothes by trading.
The majority Of the people about him
could not read. Some Of them had
never heard OF Christ As he had turn
cd to the poor In the mill section OF
Greenville he turned to the mountain
GERS OF the Dark Corner With one OF
his negro servants he made excur-
sions from his castle, going from
cabin to cabin, finding out what was
needed most and giving freely. On
these Samaritan trips he carried
pocket Bible, and when he could find
IN excuse for so doing he would read
to them the message that packs the
book from Genesis TO Revelation that
the mercy OF God shall endure forever
On the edge Of his estate he built
pine church with a tiny spire tipping
the tree line. Here he provided pull
pit for the mission priests and circuit
riders who Travelled the mountain
paths. Here he made place for the
word of God and not for the word OF
a diet or a conference.
The snow Of the first winter in his
mountain home began to fly, and Mel
son made trip into the city to secure
the copies OF the Herald he had COM
missioned newsdealer to save for
him That night. before a log fire in |
his study he spread the copies of the |
Herald on a large table and arranged |
them in order of their issue He dis |
covered the reply of Hawkins:
KIDD. K. DecemLer.-Bn.
The old convict had managed in !!
some way to get his release from pris-
on. He was coming to him. he Of all |
the men who could help him, the only |
man he could trust with his secret. |
Into Bills hands he would give the
wealth he had acquired give it freely.
gladly, that he might spend il in the
hunt for the man whose arrest and
conviction would take from him the
disgrace put upon him by the law that
had worked abortively.
Hope that had practical reason back
Of it filled him. Molly was nearer to
him than she had ever been since the
day he first saw her sweet face and
heard her lovely voice. He felt as IL
be could go TO her even then, for he
was filled with confidence newly born.