Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1921-10-13
The Pardon Boards
Decision
BY DOROTHY WHITCoMB.
&c. 1921. Western Newspaper Union)

The pardon board was divided,
three against three, In the case of
James Jones, and the casting vote
rested with Henry Alton. The mat
Ger was perplexing one. Jones was
now five and thirty years of age and
had spent nine years in the state
penitentinry for killing fellow man
in drunken brawl His sentence
had II years more to run. The prison
er's sweetheart, Mary Lemax, had pc
utioned successive governors and
boards in vain
Henry Alton was good man In
the eyes of the world but what is
more, he was actually good. He
lived up TO his convictions. A deacon
In the church, he passed as shrewd,
hard conscientious type of citizen.
He went to Lake hotel, FaNview,
and after three days he had come
to no decision. On the fourth day he
resolved to vote against the pardon.
As he got into the train on his home
ward journey young woman fol
lowed him and took the vacant half
of his seat, although the coach was
nearly empty. When Alton looked at
her in mild surprise he saw that her
eyes were red from weeping.
MY dear madam !" he said rather
shocked lis anything the matter2 Can
/ help you in any wayF
Eyes, Mr.. Alton" she answered. MY
name is Mary Lomax."
81 may as well tell YOU he said,
that l have decided to vote against
pardoning Jones / have looked into
the case very thoroughly. A man
who takes the life of fellow ms L."
"Clapp was trying to murder him"
said the girl with u low sob. ut was
his life or the other mans"
Murder of a fellow man under any
circumstances, deserves condign pun
ishment,' continued Alton There
may have been some slight extenua-
ton. But Jones has been amply con-
sidered in escaping the death penalty.
My decision is fnal."
'I'm going to tell you his story"
said the young woman. Don't be
afraid that | shall create a scene-just
listen, Mr.. Alton Jones, of course, Is
not his proper name that he has re-
fused to reveal even to me, until he
can assume it as a free man. James
was brought up in the family of one
of those good men we all know about
one of those hard, unyielding
churchly men was his father. You
know them Justice infexible justice
but never pity. For every childish
misdeed he was logged. When he was
sixteen James got into some trivial
scrape. 1t was about money. 1t was
not honest, but he should have had
pity and sympathy. But his father
only thought of justice. He turned
him out of his home. The son fell
among bad companions. He was weak
he sank lower and lower until | met
him. 1t WINS In mission, and he had
gone there to listen and deride. In
stead of that the spirit Of love entered
into his heart We worked together
for three months. | was engaged TO
marry him.
"Then-wel he fell in with some
old friends. They laughed at him
when he told them Of his changed
life In mockery they tempted him
with liquor. He could not resist. He
fell once more. For two weeks he
was gone-where, | do not know. On
the fifteenth day he stood In the magis-
trate's court, charged with murder.
A. hts fath urhn chnnld
have saved him and the guilt is on
his soul, not on the boys"
For the first time she glanced up
at Henry Alton. The man was Wis
IDLY shaken.
"And you intend to marry him when
he is freed?" he asked.
81 have waited nine years, she an
swered. II can wait eleven more. But,
Mr.. Alton will you not set him free2
Oh, what good will it do to keep In
prison one who has long repented,
whose crime was the result of life
of evil already atoned for? Make him
happyw
She might have said Make me
happy" thought Alton.
The train rushed on but he did not
answer her.
She snapped open locket and
showed Alton "A photograph within.
That was taken nine years ago, she
said. "He has changed greatly but
not for the worse. YOU
She stopped suddenly, for Henry
ATOMS eyes we're filed with tears
and he was staring at the photograph
with an expression that no man had
ever seen upon his face before He
was looking at the photograph of his
son.