Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1919-01-01
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Reco 11lpense
b Al BERT GALE RUSSELL
1919. Western Newspaper union.y

A0Se0 SOAElCI, ana. no longer NUMBER
07O2. he passed beyond the iron-guard-
cd portals, 81. :. III =. -
Twenty years." he groaned out
yengefully, "gone, lost And this.
He tore the letter to pieces and a
stern settled calm baf1ed the momen-
tary spasm Of emotion. "I-have other
work before me, all cut out" he
snarled, his tones Kissing. his eyes
flaming. Il have waited for 1t, have.
nursed It, and n0w-let Robert Price
beware r. :. = - -
. He walked on in the dull, dreamy
daze of man getting accustomed to
new existence. He had planned out
every step he would take when his
freedom was secured. Under new and
unusual conditions, however, he could
notsreason clearly, calmly all at once.
In the course Of an hour he had
reached a quiet spot. He sat down,
his eyes fixed on vacancy, his mind
drifting back over his past life.
Always its crisis stood out in bold
relief. Wildly he recalled an episode
twenty years agone which had torn
him from home, friends, liberty. Since
then his wife had died, his little child,
Eulalie, babe at the time, he had
never seen. His closest friend had
been Robert Price, also married and
the father Of promising lad Of FIVE
years. Dwight and Price had been like
brothers, had worked In the same mer-
camille establishment, and, catching
fever Of speculation. had gone west.
At that time Alaskan territory was
q field just opening up to prospector
and exploiter. Vast mining and tim
Der tracts were available. Hungry
promoters seized upon what they could
in the way Of preemption, to develop
later. In order to do this 1t was nee
essary that legal occupation of each
tract should be accomplished. Dwight
and Price pooled their little capital
to hire dummies to settle on various
tracts Of land, later acquired title and.
had their scheme gone through, would
have become holders Of an enormous
bulk Of valuable property.
So fragrant was the action of the
land grabbers that the government be-
gan an investigation. Glaring fraud
was unearthed, dozen persons were
arrested, among them Dwight. His
friend and partner escaped and hur-
ried back East. The government de-
termined to make an example. ALI
the schemers had acquired was for
,feited and John Dwight was returned
to the states under a sentence Of
twenty years Imprisonment.
Beginning his long jail ordeal
Dwight felt all the bitterness of a
wrong, betrayed man. In a cowardly
way Price had left him to bear all the
brunt Of their mutual evil doings. He
did not 60 near his Imprisoned, part
ner, fearing to be dragged into the
case. Only once. and then two years
after entering upon his long term Of
Imprisonment, did Dwight hear from
Price. It was through the medium Of
an unsigned note, which read:
'There was only one thing to do
to run for safety and did it. Better
one free than both shut away from our
helpless ones. Your wife has died,
your little girl am caring for. She
will be brought up to think her father
dead. Better SO. II have acted the
coward and traitor, let my efforts to
care for your little one and q haunt
ing remorse for leaving you bear
the burden alone"
After that, day and night, John
Dwight cursed the false friend. In
the newspapers he read of 1.-The sue
cessful merchant, Robert Price,
prominent in this and that public
movement. The contrast of wealth,
position, prominence with his own
wretched environment fairly mad
dened the lonely prisoner. One mo-
live now guided his life: to await the
day of freedom, to forge the neglect
ed links of evidence connecting
Dwight with the land frauds, to pub
ncly drag him from his high place
among the mighty and down to the
level of the. common criminal.
1t was few days after his release
from prison that Dwight crouched
amid the shrubbery surrounding q
| beautiful mansion. There was no
fierce vengeance and hatred In his
face now. Tears were rolling down
his cheeks. j His hands were clasped
in an ecstacy Of emotion. His glance
was riveted on a lighted room within
which a stalwart, handsome young
man, little golden-haireu child In
his arms, stood enrapt, listening to q
happy-faced woman at the piano.
| 3 Man and wife, he was the son OF
dead Robert Price, she the daughter
Of the convict martyr the little smil-
ing cherub his granddaughter.
Eyes, better that / suffered, :" sobbed
Dwight. teDead Robert Price has done
his share to work out our fatal enigma
Of life"
lss Two days later John Dwight ap:
peared at the doors of the peniten
Diary. Il am friendless, alone In the
world" he told the warden. ..Take
me IN. Let me end my days In the
only home I know" ::
They humored him far enough to
employ him as a guard. One MORNING
they found him dead at his post, .
happy smile on his face, telling tina,
he was at peace with all the world. q
Cafarrial Deafness Cannot Be Cured
q ioc.l applications g they cannot reach
/ only 0ne way to cure catarrhal deafness,
Istarfsssi Deafnsss { n eaased 81 "a In