The Washington times., 1920-09-26


her, as he said he
did? This was devotion to work, indeed.
81 never heard Of such a thing!" she said
to herself.
But perhaps he would be back soon.
Minute after minute licked slowly by,
washed aways into the irrecoverable past
on the wake of her tears.
Wearily she kept looking at the clock.
and like the famous Mariana OF the
Moated Grange, "He cometh not" she said.
Doubt began to creep into her heart.
After all, what did she actually know of
this bridegroom who had swept her away
from her moorings? Slowly, and even
more slowly, the night wore on. Dawn
came and she was still awake.
And in the meantime, what of the van
ished bridegroom?
The vanished bridegroom was busy at
his work. Shortly after he had left her.
he and two others, one of whom, 1t is
claimed, was Keithley, were speeding in
the racer from edge to edge OF the city,
plundering motorists and oil-illing sta
tions. Toward midnight they had motored
into st. Louis County. At that hour the
wealthy night tourists begin to return to
the city from the roadhouses and various
gay resorts. Certain roads there have for
years been the stamping ground for high
waymen. And part Of the county long bore
the name of "Hell's Half Acre" because OF
the many crimes committed within its
boundaries. In ahe latter part of August
the Clayton night sheriff and the city mar.
shall were murdered there by three bandits.
In Jacksons last hold-up he had been
recognized by one Of his victims, the police
had traced him to a certain hotel, and
there they lay in wait for him. Now IL
Mr.. Jackson had gone back to his bride
when he had finished his financial opera
tions OF the night" he certainly would not
have been arrested quite so promptly. But
he did not. And 10! and behold. when he
entered his room there the police were
waiting for him! This was at 4 o'clock,
and 1t may be that the bridegroom had
simply gone back to remove some Of the
traces of his occupation so that he could
appear to his waiting bride spick and span.
He submitted to arrest without struggle,
although a revolver, strapped at his waist
band, could quickly have been used by him.
All that morning the little bride waited,
weeping. That afternoon Keithley and
another man drove up to the station house
where Jackson was. They tried to arrange
bonds for the prisoner, but while they we're
talking the police searched their cab and
found a revolver concealed beneath the
carpet of the floor Victims Of five hold
ups, the police say, identified both Jack
son and Keithley.
And soon after this the police came to
the sorrowful bride. Woebegone and pale,
she faced them.
"Have you brought me bad news about
my husbands" she asked. HAS he been
hurt?"
The police were gentle. Without telling
her what had happened, they took her to
the station house. And there she met her
husband. All the rest OF that day the two
sat there-the little Sunday school girl and
the burglar, whose life memoirs are writ
ten IN the police blotters from end to end
Of the Middle West. And there her dreams
OF her hero were turned into realization
that he was a criminal.
Not long did she linger in the jail after
that first day of her honeymoon. II was
readily seen how innocent she was OF all
knowledge or completely in Jackson's do
ings There was none who did not feel
sincerely sorry for her.
During the day in the cell Jackson con-
fessed to her. He did not seem to be par
ticularly sorry for what he had done. He
did seem to be sorry for her and tried to
soothe her sorrow. But there was a cal
lousness about him that shocked her.
DIR. Arthur Deppe. OF the Alexian Broth
ers' Hospital; Or. r.. e. Keany. formerly
superintendent OF the Hospital for the In
sane at Pennington. Mo-, and Jackson's
mother were witnesses for the defense.
DIR. Deppe described the bridegroom as
a moron. He asserted that five years ago
he had examined the boy at the request
of his father and found him TO be mentally