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The Macon Daily Telegraph SECOND SECTION I EIGHT PACES ? ESTABLISHED IN 1826. - MACON, GA, SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 13, 1908 DAILY, 17.00 A YEAR, AGED SKIPPER IN STATE’S PRISON MAKES HEART-TOUGHING APPEAL TO AUTHORITIES FOR A PARDON 1|'*W lr, Rum, Hell’s Prime Minister, Ruin.’ I drank enorm6ua 'quantities of liquor, never holding 1 tip until the last cent I Sole Cause of Mv had WAS exhausted. I never met a * man upon whom liquor haa the same effect aa upon me, changing .my whole nature. Aa I cannot' command lan- guage which would carry to you any conception of the utterly traneformlng effect liquor haa upon me—how. after being deprived of It at the close of a spree, the burning hell It leaves goads ALL HANDS AGAINST HIM" iwaW-JMSS: nni,uu nwn,llul HHw mg thirst—I simply repeat that rum. hell's prlilie minister, was the sole r .use of my ruin and my being where am today. When “WHEN A MAN FETCHES UP U. W. Hart Waa Bom In 1828 and Haa 8«en Service on Many Seas, Follow fng all the Trades From Plain Sailor Before the Mast to Master of a Clipper Shijr—After Enjoying Confi- dence of some of the Largest Ship Owners, Among Whom Was Com modore Vanderbilt, He Fell Victim to Rum, Which Brought Him Ruin- Convicted in Chatham Court of Bur glary in 1907 and it Now on State Farm—Novel Appeal in Prose and Verse Filled With Pathos and Hu man Interest. • ,* ATLANTA, Dec. 18.—J. W. Hart, a white man. who was born In 1828 and has known, through a service of more than a half century, all tho trades of the sea from that of a plain sailor be fore the mast to that of skipper of a merchantman; who sailed the Pacific before? Japan was opened to modern commerce by Conynodore Perry; who was in the ports of Franco In the days of Louis Phllllpe; who ran blockades In southern ports during tho civil war; who Is now languishing In his 81st year at the state prison farm, has ap pealed to Governor Hoke Smith and the state prison commission for a par don. The unusual history of tho ap plicant Is no more remarkable than the odd nature of the Application, which has been made in verse. A Remarkable Appeal. The documents containing the ap peal for mercy.- as made by the aged Hart, will live as among the foremost human-interest documents In the archives of the state of Georgia. HIs letters to the governor and the com mission evince a literary talent that In one of younger years might he de Veloped Into, genius; they bear a breath of the sea suggestlvo of Rue eell, and a philosophy .that has a hint of Kipling. For one who has “gone the gaits’* to which tho writer con fesses for a period of more than sixty years, they are more than remarkable. Story of Hart’s Crime. J. W. Hart was convicted of bur glary in the superior court of Chat ham county In 1907. He was sent to the penitentiary to serve a term of three years In September of that year. •He was seht to the state farm, where he has been permitted to live In comparative comfort He begs the privilege, however, of being sot free and allowed to go New York and npend the remainder of his itays at the “Sailor’s Snug Harbor” on Staten Island, to which he contributed with liberal hand during his prosperous days and to which tie la entitled to admission. Attributes Crime to Whisky. Nothing.Is known at the offices of the commission here about his crime, but he makes no denial of the offense. His only defense la whisky, to which tie attributes all the misfortunes of his old age. "Whether the quotation, 'An open confession Is good for the soul,' has nr.y foundation In fact or not,” says this aged prisoner In one of the most remarkable human documents ever addressed to tho governor of Georgia, **I hereby openly acknowledge that I am a criminal. But in doing so I would wish to most especially Jmjfres# upon your excellency the fact that If I were ever a professional criminal, or if I* had ever resorted to crime for the purpose of accumulating ill-gotten gains, or had I ever even resorted to crime to obtailn a living, or If l had not been goaded on by acoursed rum to do what haa made me an inmate of the penitentiary—oa far as the east Is from the west so far would X be from asking any consideration or mercy from any of my species of this earth. His Life 8tory. •1 am a sailor by profession, and waa launched upon the tea of life the 28th dey of April, 1828, went to sea In the year 1844. followed a nautical life for over forty years and occasion ally up to the ’90s of the last century. I am now an old wreck. 80 years old, and am about as useless ns n spare anchor aboard ship. But though I be wrecked physically. I am not suffi ciently wrecked mentally to prevent my telling the truth, and In making this appeal to youi mercy. I purpose to abide by the truth pure and simple. “Rum—Infernal Rum." “Very naturally you will Inquire. •How Is It that you. after filling all the pesltlons aboard ship from deck •weeper to master of a clipper ship; after enjoying tho confidence of some of the largest ship owners in this country (Commodore Vanderbilt being among them)—how was It you have fetched up In state’* prison?’. One word will answer the question—rum. Infernal rum—was the sole cause of my wreck and ruin. How Drink Habit Was Fastened. rtod of the civil war. when I entered the blockade running business, as It requires constant watchfulness and much mental anxiety, caused m.» to resort to liquor as a mental sslaee. From that period I date the beginning eff my downfall. Though I never was a besottadi disgusting drunkard, stag gering amm the streets Vullowfng in tho gutter making a nuisance «f my self as the year* rolled on. I became addicted to spree*. While they lasted. Men’* Down He’s Kicked. “Though It be a fact that when a man fetches up as I have fetched up. on the lee ehbro of adversity, with, excepting a few broadminded and human men, every man's hand, and voice, too, for that matter, is against him; though his word Is no more re^ garded than 4hat of a Baron Mum chausen—were I summoned into the the presence of tho Almighty and the Inquiry made of me. ‘Aro you Innate ly bad; did you resort to crime by choice?’—If I should reply ‘yes’ r would h« a liar after the order of An anias.” In a letter to the prison commission, submitting a copy of the poetic plead ing which he had formerly made to the Governor. Mr. Hart says; Appeal to Prison Board, 'H am venturlnr to approach you as I have, in verse, hut I would wish to especially Impress upon your minds tho fact that I have not done so la boring under the delusion that I am a poet after the order of Homer or Vir gil, or even that I am tho poet-lau- roate of the Georgia penitentiary. iBut I have done so because there are two ways of presenting' my case—prose and verse. And though I have no as surance that my verse Is worth the lead exhausted In writing it. I have. In approaching you gentlemen, chosen the versified form by mason that. If verse has tho least merit. It Is just as much or more liablo to awaken thoughtful consideration ns prose. "As the Scriptural quotations and language employed by me In my ap- pml to your mercy may carry to you gentlemen the Impression that I am striving to pose before you robed In jpure and undented Christianity. I here wish to most especially Impress upon your npnds the fact that however low I may hare-fallen I'have not fallen so far In self-respect and manhood as to attempt to beguile your compassion with a religious cloak. While a crimi nal Is presumed to hose his plea for mercy on reformation, it would be non sense for a fallen man like me to seek In under the cover of Christianity.” Ho favors the-authorities with his opinion on morals, public and prlvuto. The Smitten Criminal. “Regardless of tha fact that tho common crimnal may have redeemng qualities,” he says, “the haqd of every inan, excepting tho compassionate few. Is raised against him—and that re gardless of tho multi-millionaire’s pl- ratlcnlly-gotten wealth, which, like charity seems to cover an ocean of sine, when such criminals as he doles out to charity a morsel of his blood stained plunder, those whose hands, yea, and voices, too, are raised against the like of me, lift up their voices and chant to an eagfer listening world tho pirate’s saintly benevolence(?). And though the low-cast criminal may bo far above the moral plane of the pi ratical millionaire, tho selfsame minds will have Just as much confidence In the former's guilt as they have In the power of tho sacrament to absolve themselves from sin. “The moment the lowcast crlmlnn! attempts to demonstmte that he Is not the chief of sinners, that he Is not to tally depraved, though he may not, like those who cheerfully and uner ringly cast stones at him. dally Invoke the Lord to not lead him into tempta tion, he Is branded as a lineal deacen dant of Ananals. The 8*rmon on ths Mount. 'But while I am as void of Chris tlanlty ai I am of friends, I have the greatest respect for the Christian pure and simple, one who practices what he preache* «nd professes Mo believe. According to my light the Christian church is founded on the Sermon on the Mount. If thoro Is any portion of the New Testament I have respect for It is tho Sermon on the Mount. And Its charity towards fallen men, Ita brotherly love and tender solici tude for fallen men like me. makes It a defender of mercy. And.perchance the author of that sermon had this Idea In iplnd when he exclaimed In tones that echoed down the ages and whose echo will not cease till tho eiyd of time: “'Blessed are the merciful for they shall Inherit the earth.’” Mr. Hart atates that while on tramp stumer plying between New York andJaeksonvlllc, he went Ashore with some friends, heoame drunk and lost both money and passage. The spree was continued and he drifted to Savannah, where he committed the crime for which he was sentenced. Longs for Sailor's Home. He sayp that his sea-service entitles him to admission Into the home for salolors on Staten Island, besides the fact that for fifteen years of his pros perous day he was a liberal contribu tor to the support of that Institutlqn. He begs leave to retnm there and spend the last days of his life among old fellow tollers of the sea. The poem, which constitutes his di rect appeal to the authorities Is as follows; By jTwThART. “The days of our years are three •core years and ten; and If by rea son of strength they be four score! years, yet Is there strength, labor and sorrow.’’—Psalms. iBendlng ’neeth a burden of life’s re- And the crashing weight of eighty years. In thlnrulsejl Frail mortals seek when stem death E9 i THE DIXIE CO.’S Grand Introductory Sale! TO EMBRACE ENTIRE STOCK AND CONTINUE FOR 15 DA VS ONLY AT 454 THIRD STREET Having moved our Millinery business to the second floor and converted the entire ground floor into a store for the sale of Men’s and Boys’ Clothing, Furnishings, Hats, Shoes, etc., we are desirous of quickly acquainting the public with the excel lent quality'of the merchandise we are handling ,and the more than moderate prices which prevail on the entire line. liberal Reductions on Entire Stock to All who Call During Next 15 Days We Guarantee You a Clean Saving of $2.50 to $7.50 on Every Suit SUITS that you pay for elsewhere $12.50 we sell you just as ' good for only SUITS priced you at $35 for $27.50 and $27.50 and $25 suits for $22.50and*P"" SUITS priced all over town $20 and $16 we easily duplicate | _ | t here for $15 and Overcoats and Odd Pants at Like Reductions and EveryGarmentGuar- anteed Strictly New—All Received in Stock Within the Last 30' Days “ROYAL” BRAND CLOTHES FOR BOYS—Guaranteed Absolutely the Best Values at the Prices Asked Ever in Macon. Mothers, Bring Your Boy and See How Cheaply You Can Clothe Him Here. Hats and Caps FOR (* Men and Boys All this Seasons Styles, both Soft and Stiff. Our regular prices lower than same grades have ever been sold in p Macon. During this sale SPECIAL j ! REDUCTIONS will be made on the entire line. Trunks, Bags, Suit Cases We have a particularly well selected stock of these, bought with the view to convenient arrangement and durability,’ combined with unusually reasonable prices. During this Sale Special Reductions. Gent's Furnishing Goods Our Stock is all New and of the very latest designs. Everything sold on CLOSER MARGINS than any other store. ' , Shoes for Men and Women O UR Stock is strictly NEW, bought direct from Factories; made to our order with special view of combining Style with Wearing Qualities. PRICES uniformly lower than at any other store supplying GUARANTEED SHOES.' Special Values in Children’s and Infants’ Shoes. During this Sale Extra Dis count throughout this Department. t pleading for those f\ 9aMd n/mavfmawit Is now located on the SECOND FLOOR*— Our Millinery Department Elevator right at front door-and is supplied with the largest and most varied assortment of Ladies’ Hats to be found in this City and at PRICES UNIFORMLY THE LOWEST,* Ukc my f.llnwmwi «!n« th« rrrtlkm— (Cont<nu.d ,n Pag. Tw«) 454 Third THE DIXIE COMPANY Street Macon, Ga. PHB aw