| Show IDO DO MANS MAN'S SINS ALWAYS YS FIND HIM OUT lIS IS S MURDER OF TANNER SMITH BANDIT IWHO WHO TURNED TURNE ST STRAIGHT AN ANSWER Mother and Sister of Stevedore Who Was Shot Dead in Clubroom Clubroom Club Club- room Tell of Goodness THI THINKS KS E ENEMY EMY JEALOUS O OHIS' OHIS OF HIS HIS' PROSPERITY By Jane Dixon It is so much easier casler t to remember than it is to forget Mary Iary sister of Thomas Francis Smith looked across across the room at her mother The mother mother head head bleached silver by bythe bythe the th tl tides es of time time moved moved slowly from side to side Bent shoulders rose and fell in long silent sobs From age dim eye tears of ot abject sorrow trickled unceasingly unceasingly un un- to lose themselves themselves' in blanched dryness of wrinkled cheeks Thomas Francis Smith was dead shot four times through the back by bythe bythe bythe the hand of one who did not forget The eyes of Mary Marv were not wet They glowed with a steady inward fire accentuated accentuated accentuated ac ac- ac- ac by the flame of ot her hair Red spots burned high on her cheeks Her voice was steady Only her hands shook as she reached to smooth out an Imaginary imaginary imaginary im im- Im- Im wrinkle in mothers mother's dress Many people came and went through the narrow halls of ot the small apartment apartment apart apart- ment meat No West Fourteenth street New York City where Thomas Francis Francis Francis Fran Fran- cis Smith was sleeping the long sleep Friends there to console to pay the farewell tribute of friendship Acquaintances there to gaze curiously curious curious- ly at the face of the man who turned straight CALLERS WHISPER TOGETHER They rhey whispered together these casual cas cas- ual lIal callers caBers They whispered of ot the time when Thomas Francis Smith w was ws s Tanner Smith a name to be feared and fawned upon They harked back in undertones to Tanner as a a. gangster gangster gangster gang gang- ster a two-gun two man leader of the Irish Paddies Paddles who once terrorized the district around Nineteenth street and Tenth avenue And to think they sibilated sadly that after the Tanner turned straight after he reformed and made madea a good man of himself a home boy a friend of the people down here a atrue atrue atrue true child of his church a factor in clean politics an honest hardworking citizen a successful business man to man to think his enemies should remember What a sham What a sorrow Out in the dining room with its crucifixes and its little touches of ot the true Irish home the mother heart went wenton on breaking The mother heart did not remember hours when the ignominious shadow of prison stripes lay across the threshold I cast there by her wayward boy Tom She had forgotten his feuds with rival gangs his quarrels with policemen his reckless defiance of law He was only a lad of 17 when the tho th first trouble trouble trou trou- trouble ble came There was that stretch in Elmira to reform Tom the law said It did not fulfill its purpose It seemed to embitter the boy He lie came back back- back to the gang crane Seeds of ot hatred had been pla planted ted ted- in his heart hate of the hunted for the hunters A Ashot Ashot shot at a policeman in Tenth avenue I Another year IB in prison FORGOT UGLY PHANTOMS All these theS phantoms of ugliness the mother heart had forgotten That time when the lad stood with her at mornIng morning morn morn- ing mass his thick black curls brushed shining his blue eyes fixed on the sa sacred sacred sa- sa cred altar Mother of ot God An officer officer came up and tapped the lad on the shoulder He lie led him out out out-out out from the church out to the torment of oC iron bars He lie said Tom had stuck up a sailor But they never proved It it the tormentors And the man on Eighth avenue They said it was Tom fired the shot Tom and two of the boys heran he heran ran with Well VeIl the man got well He never blamed Tom If It it was Tom wouldn't the man have said so lIe He was my good one my blessed one murmured the mother heart lIe He took his fathers father's place My little farm farm- er Every Saturday ho sent me my butter and eggs and the like from market Always looking out for his mother What will I do without my little lit littie little lit lit- tle tie farmer V The red spots burned brighter on Sister Sis- Sis ter ten Marys Mary's cheeks He HO was 5 a good man my brother Tom she said Any ono down here will tell you ou Ask Father Smith the priest at St. St Bernards He was one of ot brothers brother's best friends Ask Captain Captain Cap Cap- tam tain Dubois Dubols of the police He lie has been in this district a long time lIe He will tell you that for five years ears Tom has done everything in his power to wi po out the stain of ot his boyhood WAS A WILD LAD My brother was a wild lad I dont don't L know how ho he drifted into it Our father was head keeper at the city prison on Blackwells Blackwell's island for years ears a Brother James is head keeper in the west side prison You see we were on the side of the law not against It Up until the time he was 20 Tom was incorrigible Wo Ve couldn't seem to get a grip on him Maybe like lots lotsof lotsof lotsof of bo boys s 's he ho thought it was smart to defy policemen It was a kind of bravado Ho lie was full of life and the 11 spirit of adventure He lie just happened to hit the tho wrong trail for a while IIi His Itis I r companions had more influence with 11 him than his home But his heart was waH good He was always generous to a fault He lIe gave his mother everything Ib His sisters could couk have his last cent V It was just before he ho reached his Ib twenty-first twenty birthday that a change for forthe forthe forthe the better began Mother never lost her faith in his goodness I believe bellevo it Ib was her belief in him her tenderness ff a and d sympathy and love that won him over I did all I could I was his fa favorite favorite fa- fa falb lb sister lie Ho would listen to me c sometimes In all his waywardness the Ib boy nev never r lost track of ot his church He lie ru went vent to mass no matter what happen hap hap- pen cd When he stood on the threshold of ot manhood the Influence of his mother his sisters and his church turned him straight Our prayers were answered Tom became as straightforward as re reliable reliable re- re liable as alii he h had d been wayward TURN ABOUT FACE Jt It was turn about face a complete I turn Ho lie tila lid la not move away from front those he had known He stayed right here among amon them thesa and fought it out like I a manThe roan man The war came along I persuaded I my brother to get a job on the docks where strong young men were needed badly He lie became a longshoreman J Never a day did he miss and my how JU I he did work world Next thing we knew ho he I was a stevedore an and proud as anything anything anything any any- thing of ot his promotion Then rhen one day he came home with the glad tidings he was to bo be a boss stev stevedore dore and go goin goin goIn in business for himself Our black sheep had turned out to be a white lamb Who Vho says prayers are are arnot not answered From Irom this page on the history of ot the former gangster no longer reads Tanner Tanner Tan ner ncr Smith of ot the Irish Paddies Paddles but Mr Thomas Francis Smith offices No West Vest Fourteenth street Fortune smiled It was not unusual for Mr Smith to carry as high as in his pockets on the day he paid off his men Dangerous business The police de department department de- de department issued a permit Tanner Smith many a time frisked for his gun gunby gunby by br an angry poll policeman was policeman mal V was stricken from the blotter Smith re received cc- cc permission to carry a gun for purposes of maintaining law law and order By and by Tom Smith conceived the notion of ot opening a club where the boys he ho knew and had known could get to to- to gether Many of his old companions of ot filibustering days sought his advice lie He never failed to conic come through Plenty of them had been staked to jobs through his influence Quite a few worked for Tom himself The Marginal Margi Margi- nal club No Eighth avenue was formed It was the meeting place of the new clan of Smith ALL KNEW HE WAS STRAIGHT All the world at least all of his world knew Tanner Smith had gone straight Night of July 26 Around the Marginal Marginal Mar Mar- ginal club table a crowd of the boys whiled away the warm Hours liours at a a. friendly game of ot poker Outside the heavens were crackling with electric flames Big Berthas of the skies boomed their ceaseless ceaseless- thunders My ly brother was sitting with his face toward the door said Sister Mary There were six at the table They were interested in the game when four tour or five boys entered the room My brother was looking closely at his hand band and he be did not even glance up Would he have been so calm if it he was expecting trouble The visitors walked around back of ot othis his chair not all alt of them but perhaps two Still brother did not suspect lIe He probably tho thought it was was' some of ot the members who had drom dropped ed In in One of ot the men looked over his shoulder and said What are you holding Smith meaning what cards have you ou Before I b brother rother could move either one or two I g guns uns were pressed against his back I a and nd he was shot through four tour times They T hey left him there there to to die I IMADE MADE NO MOVE TO DEFEND SELF We Wo do not believe brother made a m move ove to defend himself though he had hada had hada a gun on his person by special p permit ermit He had been straight so long h had ad done so much to atone for tor the mistakes mistakes mis mis- t takes akes of ot his youth he never expected t to o be called on to pay the price in such sucha a cold-blooded cold manner And you have no idea who might h have ave murdered him No motive was a asked i We Ve know nothing came the an- an an an- s Tom had hosts of friends He Head h had ad one bad enemy My brother was s successful I think some one may have I b been een jealous of his prosperity his in In- In fluence luence f We are not thinking of venI ven yen I g The law is fair tair The law will I b bring ring about what i ii best the fact It seems a a. pity though though the t that hat it is easier to remember than it Isto is iso isto t to o forget Do a mans man's sins always find him o out ut Over by the window the mother- mother h head ead moved slowly from side to side Bent B ent shoulders rose and fell in long s silent ilent sobs Tears of abject sorrow c continued losin losing themselves in blanched d ryness of wrinkled cheeks heeks Such a n. good bo boy my Tommy murmured mur mur- m the mother What will I do without my little farmer He took his fathers father's place Our good deeds Written in water Our wild deeds Carved in stone If Tanner Smith could come back from that far shore he could 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