Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-05-13
AWAITING THE
ELECTRIC CHAIR

s. 4. boy of q sat IL the death cell,
gHaiting execution fo1 murder, con-
.ii;ic!e5 or circumstantial' evidence.
Il; 4 iEormer hoodlum and member or
! 2. gang. when caught in the near vi
! ginitx. OF the crime, he was the log
zeal suspect, and failing funds, lacking
friends and money, together with false
evidence, sent him to prison to await
tie electric chair.
One day a section Of women 8
magazine came into his hands There
%Fas 9 department, devoted. Ito" .ths
reeds aud problems of the men in the
'sslrics and their families. The idea
OF The personal service suggested all
through it, appealed strongly to him
ard hcSiwrote to the woman editor
asking, not for help or sympathy. but
,lor ffelliitig matter with which to while
.au'ayEtlfe siA remaining weeks Of life.
5lIs ioll, her-nothing of his trouble,
's fsf Oh ef3fiis one good friend who
fhaii, T1sfted him and was doing every
Thing possible in his behalf.
Being a real woman with boys o.
her own, she sent bundle Of books
and magazines and asked to have his
story. Furthermore she wrote to the
warden Of the prison and to the boys
Salvation Army Friend. From these
two men came the story of the haSty
trial, Its details and conviction. The
two men who had tried to hep the
boy. he lawyer who had volunteered
10 defend him had died before the
r.rial was completed. and his colleague.
sent away to Europe on a: special gov
ernment mission, and was not OH hand
20 put forth the, effort for a new trial
Before any progress toward a new
Il al could, be, made the evidence re
la:ing to the case had to be printed.
The cost of this was SIS. and nowhere
isi this hoy and! friends to PRODUCE
such a sum- \ bed-ridden mother. a
allowed sister with two small chill
dren could hardly keep themselves, let
alone Nelp nm.
When the Editor Woman received
this letter from the Salvation Army
men, she promptly sent the $50 from
lie. -,Sn slender resources. with the
Instruction to get evidence quickly.
They began to struggle to get some.
one OF sufficient Importance 10 move
legal wheels to reopen the case. When
all appeals TO officials. the ministry
and other agencies failed, attended by
the time-worn phrase. Let the law
take its course" this determined
woman resolved to appeal TO another
woman. A telegram was sent to the
wife OF the editor OF one OF the great
est cosmopolitan newspapers in. the
Boys Home city with the plea that
the case be reopened, to establish the
possible innocence Of boy charged
with murder.
This brought results-for the news
paper took up the case. reprinted all
OF the evidence, brought to light sew
eral points in the boys favor over
looked before The case was reopened !
and in very few Mays on the strength
OF the new evidence thFs developed,
the boy was released and the identity
OF the real murderer was discovered. +
Thus through the patient, kindly Wis
itation OF the Salvation Army Prison
Worker, who had exhausted every re-
source within his power to get interest |
aroused in case which he believed |
deserving OF investigation. machinery !
was set in motion which gave back to .
society youth Of p whose two years"
Of confinement under. the death |
shadow 4had made of him q ssrions' |
Christian citizen, and prevented, mis-
Of Justice. Z : L