| OCR Text |
Show yiODERN RIP VAN WINKLE PARDONED FROM A LIFE SENTENCE AF- 1 TER TWENTY YEARS IN PRISON. KILLEN AS HE WAS STEPPING , INTO AN AUTOMOBILE IN FRONT OF THE JAIL IN THE WORLD 1 WHICH HAS CHANGED SO MUCH SINCE HE SAW IT LAST. i ic let ...tit a cry of warning. Then he v shrank hack into the crowd abashed I jv his blunder. I " KlUen was tried and convicted of murder fn the first degree for the kill- I Ing of Mrs. Mary Ruderi, wife of I'aul Rudert, at Tare'ntum, tho evening of December 23, 1SSS, aud sentenced to be hanged. Through tho efforts f Rev. Dr. E. R. Donehoo the sentence was commuted to life Imprisonment Four nun went into the jewelry storo conducted by Rudert and his wife in Tarenlum just as thoy were about lo close for the day They seized two travs of Jewelry and started for the door, when Mrs. Rudert Interfered aud was shot through the head while grappling grap-pling with one of the robbers. After he had seen the wonders or a modern city he was wIVlnsr to talk about the crime of which he was accused. ac-cused. 'R was about C o'clock on the cven-Ins; cven-Ins; of December 23, 1SSS," he said, "that I was sitting In my shanty boat on the bank of the Allegheny river. This was cn the Amsterdam side, about one and a half miles helow Tar-(Mtum. Tar-(Mtum. where the murder occurred. Two men called me from the boat house anil wanted a row boat. I did not know the fellow.? very well One was named Griffith and be lived somewhere some-where In Penn avenue, near the poliot. The other fellow I did not know so well. "I let them have the boat. They said they wanted to cross the river, at least it "was my impression that they wanted to cross the river, but they started, as 1 thought, down the stream. I paid very little attention to them end I learned later that they went up stream. It was quite a while after that when thev returned I don't just know the hour. They had broken one of the oarg and damaged the boat. "I told them the damage would cost me several dollars to repair. They said they had no money but offered me a watch chai and a bracelet. 1 accepted ac-cepted this and gave the matter no nore thought until 1 learned of the robbery and murder. I had little difficulty diffi-culty in connecting the links of the 1 affair and hid the jewelry that had I been given me. "It was later ascertained that my boat had played a part in the cast and I was ariested. I can hardly cxplaiu why. but I did not tell what had occurred oc-curred between me and the two men nor did I give the ofTlcers the name of the men 1 knew. I, however, did tell mem where the jewclrv could be found nid this seemed to clinch the evidence agaiust me. "Yes, I know now that my fate would have been very different had I not withheld a part of my, story until it was too late. Then I had an opportunity oppor-tunity to escape from the Jail before niv trial was held but deliberately refused. re-fused. I had been in the jail here but a short time when I was placed in a cell adjoining that occupied by Fitz-flmmons, Fitz-flmmons, who was held ou the charge or killing Detective Gilklnson. Fitz-simmons Fitz-simmons sawed two bars from the window win-dow and called me to get out with him I refused to go. "The following day when his escape was discovered, the officers declared that he could not have crawled through so small a hole. I Insisted that he could and did go through it. To prove my point. I got through In the presence of the officers an. I I was a large man than Fltzslmmons. I never tried to get away or in any way interfere with the officers until I found that I was go!n to bear the entire brunt. It was then too late, aDd I was couvicted of murder in the llrfit detfi'CP Pittsburg. Pa., May S Is this all a drVnm? Have I been sleeping for 20 ( rears? With this query on his lips lnd wonder in his mind. Alexander Killen stepped from the Western peni-lentlary peni-lentlary Into an automobile, quite inconceivable in-conceivable to his mind. It is impossible impos-sible for a person who has been In touch with the world to realize the stupendous stu-pendous change that has taken place during the last two decades. Marels tr the age when Willen entered the Weftem penitentiary 'nave now been pushed back into the" annals of ancient history. In their stead have come Biich mean; of travel, methods of com-nunlcatlon com-nunlcatlon and structure as to dazzle I his eyes and confuse his brain. Lingering fresh in his memory are pictures of the world as it appeared when he passed through the ponderous Iron doors just 19 years, i month and 2 days ago. Walking along tho streets. Iheso pictures are contrasted with present wonders hard to comprehend. First and probably the most confusing confus-ing Is the comparison of the modern automobile with the antique horse car. Jt was the latter conveyance that carried car-ried him to the penal Institution, his home, as "no thought for the rest of his life. Never did he expect to take another rldo In any conveyance. When he learned of his pardon the old horeo car loomed up beforo him as the convevance that would carry him back to the city. Instead, however, he loft the Institution in a modern auto, which spluttered aud roared and whirled him back In a few minutes. With big tears standing In his cea and dropping from his lashc-s he spoke of the two hours' ride to the penitentiary peniten-tiary and how he had wished it were many hours longer. "But what has happend to tic old Western Union building at Fifth avenue ave-nue and Wood street?" Killen asked. That was the largest building In Pltss-burg Pltss-burg and the largest building he had seen until yesterday morning. He stood and stared straight up at the Farmers Bank building. He became dizzy fiid murmured some words under un-der his breath. "Yes, I have been asleep. No I have been drad to the progress and possibilities possi-bilities of man's miud." he finally said. 'These buildings, these street cars, automobiles, and in fact most everything every-thing about me now were beyond the imagination 20 years ago." "What was your idea of these th'ngs as you read of them or had them explained ex-plained to you in the prison?" "I cannot tell. I, of course, saw some pictures in magazines and other periodicals, but It was impossible for a man to get anything like a clear idea or their appearance." While Killen was talking rn auto went speeding down Fifth avenue and the driver did not check the speed until un-til within a few feet of a car standing at the coiner. It was easy enough to br'ng the machine to a dead stop In ample time for safety, but Killen did not know thaL Throwing up his hands "The death warrant was signed by two governors, but the efforts of my Men.is succeeded in obtaining com mutation of sentence and I was sent to the penitentiary for life. Nvmer-out Nvmer-out attempts have been made to obtain ob-tain my pardon, but to no avail. The last strenuous effort was. prior to the successful one and was made about seven years ago. "1 had about given up hope until I received several letters from friends and people who knew something of the case. Letters from Judge Magee. Rev. Dr. Donehoo and Judge McKenna had much to do with my pavden. Though Dr. Donehoo died several years apo, he wrote a letter before his death that prompted the last and successful movement for my lele-ase. "The failure of the former attempts was due largely to the opposition made by Paul Rudert, husband of the woman who was murdered. He opposed op-posed every movement in my favor from the beginning." Kllleu's pardon was taken up !u earnest when M. F. Hughes and M. J. Connelly called at the penitentiary fr the purpose of instituting stens for the pardon of Former Councilmm William A. Martin. Martin and Killen were close friends an dthe life man expressed express-ed a desire to have a talk with the men. They took up hl3 case and se cured hla pardon. |
