The Glenwood post., 1923-02-22
"rhe prisoner viii tell his story in

'"The prisoner Will tell his story in
his own way" his counsel had said.
He glanced indifferently at the jury,
who sat back with bored expressions.
They had already made up their minds.
The judge had made up his. 1t was
to be twenty years.
II sure did kill Stiff Larrigan."
The prisoners counsel elevated his
eyebrows and smiled at the prosecut-
ing attorney. That was not the way
to begin. The prosecuting attorney
smiled back at the other. He didn't
care what sentence the prisoner got;
it was all in the days work to him,
and there was woman charged with
homicide to follow. Much more inter
esting than the affairs of this prison
bird.
II sure did kill him-but listen, yer
honor. He played a d-n low trick"
The judge raped smartly. "Such
language will not be tolerated in
court" he said
The prisoner looked apologetic. "h's
this way, yer honor" he said. "Stiff
Larrigan and me was pards. We pulled
off whole bag Of tricks and the police
never got wise to us. There was five
burglaries in Philadelphia"
Sensation. What was the prisoners
counsel doing, permitting him to give
his case away?
"Then there was that case in Pitts
burg. Stiff, me and Bin Oates framed
1t up. The cops got us and l got tif-
teen years in the pen. / amt kicking.
l served twelve and got out on good
conduct.
'Afore l went up for trial got word
from Stiff. If l wouldn't give certain
things away he'd see that me wife and
the kid didn't come to want. So ! took
me medicine and said nix.
Fifteen years is long time, yer
honor, even when three Of it gifts
docked. But l served me time and
come out. Me wife had stopped com
ing after the first year or two. Fact
Is she died"
He drew his ragged sleeve across his
eye. The judge, emotionally provoked,
wondered whether twenty-five years
wouldn't do better than twenty
"She died of hunger, yer honor. 1t
was the bad year-no work, and Stiff,
he hadn't done what he'd sald he'd do.
When l come out her tombstone had
already begun to topple over
"Confine yourself to the evidence"
snarled the judge.
The prisoner shifted. ~ wanted to
git even with Stiff Larrigan over that
but after while l give up troubling
1t didn't seem to matter when she'd
been dead so lsng, and IL Stiff had
would have.
"Strange thing was about the kid
though. You see, yer honor, the old
woman had been proud. Wouldn't let
the nelghbors know she was starving
but the kid-wen, she'd saved all the
scraps fer him. After she died some
one took him away. l found ut last
thst it was Stiif. Guessed he'd had n
spark of conscience or something
II set off to find him. But Stiff had
got mixed up In some trouble and was
lying low. And then they looked on
me as II stool-plgeun for a long time and
wouldn't let me see hlr2. You git for
gotten after serving twelve year.
But ut last | did lind Stiff. 1t was
by accident more'n anything else. /
was in a scatter and saw three men
talking together, and overheard how
they was planning to pull off n trick.
l knew one of them for Stiff immedl-
ate. The other was Red Rube.
THE third was Dick. Kid of seven
teen, yer honor, and Stiff had brought
! him up to be sneak thief like his
daddy started. listened, and |
thought of his mother, and picked up
an iron bar | seed and laid Stiff out.
That's all, yer honor"
The jury stirred in the box. The
prosecuting attorney woke up too late
to realize that he had thrown away
his chances. The jury consulted with
out. retiring.
| %. agreed upon your verdict?
ave find the prisoner not guilty"
"Prisoner you are discharged
snapped the judge. you've had 9
lucky escape"
The prisoners eyes turned townr.
the court A boy Of seventeen, seatet
among the visitors, came quickly to
ward him. They clnsped hands and
arm In arm, left the court together.
"Call the next case" snapped tn,
judge