Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1921-09-16
ROY GARDNER A STUDY.

the federal penitentiary at Nc
Mel Island and up to this writ
ing (Tuesday) has not been ap-
pretended. He was sentenced to
a long prison term for train
robbery. Opinion is divided con-
corning his capture - good cit
liens have been heard express
themselves as wishing he might
be shot, and thus captured dead,
and his career ended. Others
have been heard to express as
earnest a wish that he might
never be captured, and these look
upon him as a bandit hero. The
NEWS RECORD is interested in
the final outcome more as a
study, than a settled conviction
either one way or the other.
Is Roy Gardner a modern Jean
Val Jean? Victor Hugo took
Jean Val Jean, who was a galley
slave and carried yellow pass
port, and made him the hero of
his celebrated novel entitled "Les
Miserables. " Jean Val Jean stole
loaf of bread for the hungry
children Of his sick sister and fol-
lowing this theft spent the bal
ance of his life as a marked
man = enduring all sorts of pri-
vations and undergoing all sorts
of indignities, but never through
out his entire career displaying
the smallest streak of yellow in
his make up. The main lesson Of
the book is tG show up Javert,
the legalist official, as a cruel
hound pursuing the footsteps of
Jean Val Pean, a technical Grim
inal, with a heart and unmeasur-
ed desire to do justice to all.
The story of Gardner may not
run parallel with Val Jean, but
to some extent it does. We are
told that he succeeded in raising
the sum of 5000 to help out a
sister who was i'll, that the money
was sent through the mails and
was lost, that the post office Of
ficials refused to make it good !;
whereupon Gardner swore he
would even up with The govern
ment and started in his career Of
crime. He was sentenced for
theft, escaped, and turned up is
the head Of school near Moline,
Ill. Was apprehended, and es-
Gaping, took up his former career
as a bandit, was again found and
arrested and escaping was finally
landed behind the walls of the
prison at Nc NELL Island-almost
within sight Of Vashon. 1t is
argued by his friends that he has
never taken a life, and that when
he last escaped on Labor Day he
stopped to pick up one of his pals
who was shot down trying to flee
with him.
For eight days all sorts of man
hunters have been ON his trail,
and at this writing have failed
to find him The question now
is, are these manhunters trying
to find him, are some of the res
idents of the island sheltering
him, or has he escaped from the
island and is now many, many,
miles from here? Time will ans
wer these three questions, but
while we are waiting the answer,
one thing is warden Ma
loney is making a monkey of him
self. The daily papers are filled
with interviews from the warden
telling the public that Gardner
was to be captured every night
for the past several nights-but
Gardner hasn't been taken vet.
Is MalOney trying to let the pub
lie down by degrees, or is he a
weakling trying to win by talk
what he can't win by acts, or is
warden Maloney stalling ? We
do not pretend to answer these
interrogations but we do intend
to interpret the answer as soon
as time reveals the answer as to
Gardner.
Warden Maloney should at
least keep still. His talk will not
| hurt Gardner, and if Gardner is
in the hands of friends it will
certainly help him-for he knows
what's going on. The Seattle
Star has printed some pretty
strong stuff concerning Maloney,
land we are biding the answer
time will make to this whole at.
fair, to either have our present
convictions confirmed, or dis
proved, Is Maloney trying to
get Gardner