South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-03-16
FINDS
PRISON A HAVEN
Instead of Eternal Solitude
Joseph Welcome is Given
Life Anew.
lews Service:

0hl0AGO, March lb--SlN years
ago Joseph Welcome confessed muir
derer. stood before Judge Marcus
Kavanaugh, his head bowed under
one of the most remarkable opinions
ever delivered from the criminal
court bench. Judge Marcus Kavan-
agh sentenced Welcome TO life i'm
prisOnment, and that he might feel
the full horror Of his fate. told of
the terrors that awaited him. He
had killed a woman.
The instructive unrea soning hor-
ror of mankind regards death as a
severe punishment" said the judge.
You are now TO receive a sterner
punishment Your victim died but
once. You will die a hundred times.
You will be wiped out of human
knowledge Henceforth you will be
known only by a number. You Will
have no right except only the right
of mere existence
In four or five years the eternal
solitude and silence will begin TO
crush in upon you like an iron
weight. You hear that street car
bell ringing in the street? You Will
remember il in after years as the
most exquisite music There will
be few worse man than you in that
great prison, but the law has taken
its full and ample revenge upon
you"
Then Welcome. an illiterate paper
hanger was taken away BY the
sheriff's men. Joe Welcomes sor-
did hour in public interest passed.
Sues For Divorce.
Today Mrs Sarah Welcome is SUI
ing for divorce from the man in Jol-
let penitentiary The bare notice
recalled Judge Kavanagh's stern de-
cree six years ago. and a reporter
jOurneyed to Joliet to see Welcome
and discover if life in prison had
crushed the man who murdered.
The prison authorities are interested
in Welcome. The reporter was told
20 wait in the office of Father Peter,
the prison priest.
Down the corridor sounded the
cheerful whistle of a man at peace
with the world Then came the light
step on the stone tagging Through
the doorway stepped a man of 80
years, dressed in the homely gray
grab of the prison.
How do you find life i'm prison ?'
asked the reporter. You have been
here almost six years now"
Il understand" he said quietly.
you have in mind the statement
made By Judge Kavanaugh when he
sentenced me"
He paused and reflected moment
Some day L hope to communicate
with Judge Kavanaugh," he went on.
Il would write him without malice
or enmity. And why should L not +?
/ regard him as a spiritual elixir
that aided my barren soul When
he sent me here he forced me to
find myself
judge Was Wrong.
The judge was wrong. He did
not send me to a hell on earth.
When l killed, threw myself on
the mercy of the court and he
proved most merciful.
THE six years have been here
have studied. J. have studied
mathematics. English, history and
literature L confess with pride that
l have achieved what l hitherto re-
garded as unmanly-an understand
ing of the classics
And l do my share for my. fell
low men. You know, / am an in
structor in the prison school, and
they say my instruction is good, be-
foIr To- Of
wise men and put it into the Ian
guage of the day for the men who
understand only that language.
Judge kaXanagh said that. the
memory of 9 changing street car bell
would be exquisite music 10 me. He
said that memory would be my only
( music Well, L can hear the birds
and still can see the spring time
coming
There is music in the hum of
mems voices as they whisper each
to each in their cells. There is mu-
sic in the signing of the winds as
they whip around these bleak build
I ings
Remembers Sentences Words.
"Oh. / remember the words of
the judge. / remember them IS if
they rang out yesterday. They burn
ed and scared through my crusted
mentality. They were branded on
my brain But / have tried to live
that their scars would be healed.
'If 1 have missed the joys of the
world l have other and more lasting
joys-my communion with the great
OF all ages. I was TO die a
hundred times But a hundred
times 1 have taken new life. I will
gladly serve my life here if 1 know
all is well with my wife,
Did you know your wife was
getting a divorce" asked the visit
or
II had not heard that" returned
Joe Welcome But probably she
feels that il is best. ! have only seen
my little daughter once. She is five
years old now. Yes, 1 viii gladly
live and die in prison if [ can be
assured that the world will be kind
10 my wife and baby
Joe Welcome talked on and on
of his dislikes and likes n litera-
ture. He quoted Burns and Tenny-
son side by side with Chaucer and
Confucius. Then Welcome arose 10
say his farewell