The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-11-14
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The Brand of |
a Criminal
1t Was Assumed Voluntarily
by a Society Girl
By F. A. Mitchell

She was especially given to helping
persons who had been convicted of
crime. served their term in prison and
been discharged, Her niece. Madge
Ellison, gay girl of twenty one, made
light Of her aunt's efforts, having theo-
ries of her own on the subject. Madge
had been to college; but, though very
bright scholar, her course was cut short
by her being discovered in some prank
which resulted in her expulsion.
Her own case illustrated her theory
with regard to discharged prisoners.
Il was born,' she said, with the Old
Nick in me and must work out my own
career in his service
Nonsense" replied her aunt. you
We're born to ease and comfort. Your
silly prank, for which you were ex-
PEELED from college, was the result of
exuberance of youthful spirits Crimi-
nails are usually driven into crime and
once in it, cannot get out of it. ASdis-
charged prisoner bears brand that
time cannot efface. No one will en-
ploy him, and he is driven to commit
i more crime to obtain the necessaries Of
life"
II wonder" said Madge thoughtfully,
were discharged criminal II |
could get on"
TRY it and see"
The words made an impression on
Madge. TRY it and seer' The idea
would not depart. She was really a
girl of great depth. Had she not also
! been a girl of feeling she might have
taken hold of some one Of the women's
| questions of the day and made a hob
| by of 1t. She was rather fitted for n
wife and mother, and the strength in
her Of this instinct prevented her from
embracing any cause that would hold
her undivided attention.
| But try it and see" would not down.
Week after week passed, and desire
to test her ability to get on with the
brand Of criminal upon her grew
apace. Meanwhile she was devoting
herself to society, finding it hollow
hearted and the duties It involved
tedious. Born for something more in
Keeping with an active brain and a
sympathetic nature, she tired of PEG
pie whose only object was to climb So
cially and maintain their position when
they reached the top Of the ladder.
Aunt Isabel" she said one morning
"I've made up my mind"
ITO what?"
"Im going to try it and see.'"
TRY what and seer"
I'm going to take on myself the
brand Of Cain, renounce for a season
home, income-in short, everything ex
cept such belongings as are given q
discharged prisoner-and see If I can
make a living without committing
more crime
You'll find it next to impossible
Even to make your living as you have
been brought up would be difficult; to
do so with a blight on you would be
many times more So"
| Nevertheless Pm resolved"
VERY well; III help you to carry out
your design"
Miss Wetmore took her niece to a
prison where the aunt was well known
to the warden and told him of Madge
plan. When Madge left the prison she
was dressed as woman of low de.
gree and given the amount of funds
usually granted discharged prisoners
At the prison gate she left her aunt
with the words, II shall try the ex-
| pertinent to the bitter end"
Miss Wetmore embraced her, spoke
a few words of commentator and en-
| couragement, and Madge found herself
| alone on street in great city with
the voluntary brand of criminal upon
her
In order to come as nearly as pos
sible to the conditions of the test it
had been arranged that if inquiries
were made at the prison concerning
her it should he said that she had
been sent up for theft aud no more
information should be given. One adj
vantage that real discharged pris,
oner would have in possible passing
of time without her record being dis
covered Madge found it eXpedient to
take upon herself. She was to confess
that she had been in Jail, but declare
that she was innocent of the crime of
which she had been convicted This
advantage and disadvantage Madge
considered would offset each other.
She had not been taught anything by
which to make a living. unless her ed
ucation would serve that purpose. But
for a confessed criminal to secure a
position as teacher was hopeless. Even
with clear record Madge was with
out a degree She knew nothing of
the culinary art and could not ill the
position Of cook. To be a housemaid
required no great instruction, and this
seemed to be the only field open to her.
Madge stood on the sidewalk before
the prison till her aunt, with a thrown
kiss, turned a corner. Then all of
sudden the voluntary jailbird felt a
sinking of the heart that we'll nigh
caused her to forego her experiment
"Great heavensr' she said to herself.
Suppose | really were a discharged
prisoner"
For the first time in her life she re-
allied the very great difference In the