Iron County news. [volume] (Hurley, Wis.) 1913-1950, 1921-10-01
The Convict's
Wife
ID. "a. Wsstsrn Newspaper Union.l
BY WILLIAM FALL

&c, 1921 western Newspaper Cnioh1
The Little Gray Lady had left oul
boarding house,
II was all the more astonishing be
cause she had lived there, so Mrs. Pot
ter said, for fourteen years. She had
occupied that little half bare room Of
hers on the top story nearly all Of
that time When she had come, most
Of us young fellows had been children
playing Indians and making mud pud-
Sings. Nobody had thought that she
would ever leave. She went out every
morning at $50 to her work-she was
cashier In some office dOwntown-and
came back promptly at six; she had
no friends; she never went out in the
evening
We looked at each other In aston
ishment that evening at the dinner Ia
bic when Mrs Potter told US. No. the
Little Gray Lady had given no expla-
nation. She had merely said, very
sweetly, that she was going away, had
packed her trunk and gone, giving
some address in modest uptown
street.
Perhaps she's gone to get mar
ried." suggested Parsons, a shock
haired youth who sat at Mrs Potter's
right.
mfr. Parsons, there isn't any man
worthy of her" said Mrs. Potter Sc
verely, and to that he heartily agreed.
remember that night wildly, for
we were all engrossed by the news
that Governor COwper had pardoned
Melchior Jetley, the murderer. Jetley
had served seventeen years for the
murder of Sam Briggs. Jetley had re-
Gently married a very charming wo-
man, the daughter Of a fashionable
clergyman Of our town Their short
married life was singularly happy.
They had been married about eighteen
MONTHS when Jetley was called West
on business. Somebody busy
body--sent him telegram which
brought him back in a hurry. He went
home Mrs. Jetley was not there. The
scared maid told him she had gone to
Kings restaurant, frequented by a
rather flashy sporty" set Jetley
went there In hanson, entered, saw
his wife seated at a table with Sam
Briggs, drinking a cocktail Jetley
pulled out a revolver and shot Briggs
dead.
He was tried, sentenced to death,
and had his punishment committed to
Imprisonment for life After seventeen
years Governor Cowper pardoned him.
And the Imprisonment. and the par
don, too, divided society into two hot
ly antagonlstic camps.
Look at It this way" said Parsons.
THE man shot a fellow man In cold
blood The law prescribes penalty
for murder. 1t should have been ex-
acted"
maintained that IL was every mans
duty TO defend his home. We were
divided half and half.
81 don't believe the taking of life
is ever justified put in Cranborne,
our Socialist boarder. "Jetley was the
victim Of his environment. How many
OF us would not have done the same?
Besides, did you fellows ever stop to
think that he may have had loved ones
r'ho would suffer more than he by his
death?
You're sentimentalist, sneered
Parsons I'D like to have look at
Jetley when lac arrives at the station
tomorrow. The papers say he'll come
down on the PAS. l guess there'n be
mob OF sightseers."
eyes ready to mob him" said Gran
borne.
Well" l interposed. lets go and
see"
The train came IN half nm hour late.
We were damned into the heart of a
huge throng that blocked the entire
station.
Suddenly a shout went up That's
himw they yelled, that's him - And
they surged forward and about him.
Then through the crowd little wo-
man pushed her way, forcing aside the
strongest men by some super humanity
endowed strength. She went up to the
tired man and put her arms round his
neck and kissed him, and the tired mar
dropped his bag and stared mt her and
said something softly aud then GOV.
cred his face with his hands. and
was near enough to see the tears
trickling between his fingers. And the
woman was the Little Gray Lady!
That's all know. That's an | car
tell. and / don't know her name. which
wasn't that of siis wife, but max hay,
been assumed. I'm only RECORDING
what saw before the police pushed
Us away, and the tired man and IN,
Little Gray Lady disappeared from on,
sight for ever.