The Washington herald., 1922-10-27
Jarroman Il Freed.

man. as. sentenced to death, Cen
tral Criminal Court. November 1.
1900. for the murder of Charles
Eddis. computed to penal servi-
tude for life, to be released by
routine order c. 72. Received here
for discharge. third ultimo. Ad-
vance. Jarroman..
As the police clerk finished his
routine statement with the sharp
demand. a man stepped out of the
line of some half dozen convicts
who. brought up from Dartmoor
the night before. were awaiting
their discharge from this London
police court.
The superintendent in charge
looked up with something that
might almost have been interest
A man who had served twenty
years penal servitude was q rarity.
That a man should have sprung
from the educated classes, that he
should have forfeited his automatic
reduction of sentence. and made
no fewer than three abortive at
tempts to break prison, was an
other unusual feature. Moreover. a
whisper of the gossip of the guard
who had brought him from Dart
moor had reached the superin-
tendent's ears-whispers of
strange turn of fortunes wheel.
He glanced at the mans face and
nodded to himself. 1t was not the
face of the regular convict, nor
yet the face of the gentleman
crook. The man had availed him
self of the privilege now granted.
in the later months OF a long con-
finement to grow beard. A
trimmed tuft of hon-gray con-
cealed the lower part of his face
and threw into sharp relief the
high, ascetic cheekbones. The wide
set. heavily lidded eyes ignored his
surroundings and Unexpectedly
made the superintendent feel small.
1t was as If twenty years in prison
had not robbed the man of a sense
OF intellectual superiority to those
about him.
There was something else in the
eyes. too. They showed no trace
Of the emotion that would be ex-
pected in a man from whom the
fetters of twenty years were being
unlocked. That would have been
understandable enough-men were
often crushed beyond the power of
acute feeling; but then their eyes
always showed listlessness. The
eyes of 1913. Henry Jarroman.
showed fxity of purpose. His ex-
preston was that of a man who is
submitting to a momentary inter-
To-
Sign here. Jarroman." said the
superintendent, handing him a
paper. This is your discharge"
The ex-convict took the pen and
signed without the faintest trace of
unsteadiness. To the questions
asked him before his discharge
was handed to him, the man an
swered laconically. At last all
formalities were completed.
All right You're a free man
now. You can 60"
With the leisured. unhurried step
that came of long years of march
ing. Jarroman left the room. In
the corridor outside the man on
duty stopped him.
There's a gentleman come to
fetch yer a Mr. Theed. You'd
better come along O. me and I'll
take yer to I'M
Down the corridor the couple
passed and stopped at a door
labeled Waiting Room"
You'll find your pal in there.
No need to knock on the door.
you're a free man now"
Jarroman opened the door. There
was a single occupant of the room.
a man of about his own age. He
was hezny and too we'll fed. de
had watery eyes that seemed per-
petualIy to be on the verge of
weeping for the sorrows of hu-
mInity. 'rhe other features of his
face. in spite of their fieshiness,
save an odd suggestion of piety,
and his voice as he spoke was
UHctuouSly sentimental
"Jarroman. my poor. dear friend.
vt last, At last"
Jarroman was taken aback as he
felt his hand being pressed. He
had the Impression that the man
who was greeting him was about to
weep Moreover. in spite of his
iron self-control, he was un-
deniably startled and momentarily
impressed by the others silk hat.
frock coat. and dove waistcoat. He
had to tell himself that this was
Theed. the struggling young So
licitor who had prepared his de-
fense-and bungled it-twenty
years ago
You are Theed. aren't you I
should not have known you,'' he
said with n curtness that might
have Jared the others feelings.
"Of course. not! OF course notr"
said Theed. The hand of time
has been laid upon us both. my dear
Jarroman. But I should have known
you at once. You will never. never
persuade me that you are not your
real self in spite of the suffering
which L dare not even think about
Eut we must have a long. long
talk, my dear Jarroman" His voice
took on a panied look as he added:
Il wOnder-ah-er-th is-may
] ask whether the authorities have
given you to understand that the
er-ah-proceedings are at an end?3
Jarroman nearly missed his
meaning. He had not heard that
Kind of conversation for twenty
years.
Yes" he said abruptly, Il am
free"
Theed opened the door of the
waiting room. and, linking his arm
in that of the eX-convict, led him
prouuIy past the men on duty at
the xate.
y s\art tourist car was waiting
by the pavement. The chauffeur
saluted rs Theed and his companion