I am a worm and not a man

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The original Jean Valjean was the hero of Victor Hugo's great work, "Les Miserables." A prisoner in the galleys, he escaped, assumed the name of M. Madeleine, and became an honored and successful citizen. In real life the West has had a "Jean Valjean" case as dramatic as that of Hugo's story. William January of Kansas City had been sentenced to a five-year term for a burglary. He had served three years when, with his cellmate, he found a loose window in the skylight and escaped. After wandering for months picking up odd jobs and always in fear of recapture, he went into the business of selling tea and coffee through the country, taking the name of Charles W. Anderson. The money he made in this way he invested in a restaurant. His business prospered. He married and settled down in a pleasant little home. For nine years he kept his wife and little daughter in prosperous circumstances. Then, for the sake of the reward, he was betrayed by an old convict pal. Charles W. Anderson went back as William January to serve his term out. But hundreds of business friends in Kansas City circulated a great petition and succeeded in having his sentence commuted to three months, which he served.

True Republican, 12 April 1899

THE BEGUILING HARMONIST delivers her last lecture at Dashaway Hall this evening, and in her own queenly manner will read a graphic sketch from Les Miserables; Miss Hardinge is by no means played out as the saying is, she is a card that you might safely bet on in San Francisco for some time to come. Cora V. Hatch a trance medium of singular power, according to rumor, is expected by the next steamer, when, of course, her trances will be all the rage of the sensaition seeking public. She has been the recipient of much applause in the eastern states and even her tarnished reputation will not present, but absolutely aid her in becoming the observed of all observers. We would not put the two parties on a par by any means, we may deem spiritualism a wretched imposture and yet confess that it receives dignity at the hands of Miss Hardinge, an immoral teacher would almost damn the truth itself.

A startling parallel to the famous episode in Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" of Jean Valjean's rescue from starvation by the bishop and his subsequent robbery of his benefactor, is afforded by the experience on Wednesday night, of the Rev. George Szaba, pastor of St. Stephen's Hungarian Roman Catholic Church in Bridgeport, Ct. In the present instance Father Szaba sat alone on Wednesday in his bedroom counting the money he intended to put in bank on the following day. The room was on the ground floor, and seeing what seemed to be a shadow flitting across the window, he glanced up, and his eyes met those of two men who were peering into the room. Hastily placing the money in a drawer of his desk, the priest arose, and, going to the window opened it and asked the men what they wanted. They replied that they meant no harm, but were weak and hungry. He then bade them enter, and placed food before them. After they had eaten he gave them money sufficient for a night's lodging and a meal, and, escorted them to the door, dismissed them with his blessing. It was then about 11 o'clock, and shortly afterward the priest went to bed. A few minutes after midnight he was aroused by a faint noise in the room. He lay perfectly still until two men reached the bedside and learned over him, listening intently to make sure that he was fast asleep. "He's all right," he heard one of the men whisper behind his mask, and the two men drew back as if to go to the desk where the money lay. At that moment the priest sat bolt upright and said: "My friends, what do you want here?" An exclamation of surprise and alarm was the response, and the two robbers dashed through the window by which they had entered and disappeared. Father Szaba rose, closed the window, satisfied himself that his money had not been touched, and then went back to bed. Pittsburgh Dispatch. 

What scene from Les Mis would you (misre)present for an Americanization class?

Humboldt Times, 14 June 1925

The Topeka state journal, February 8, 1911

Denver, Colo. —Victor Hugo’s story of Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables” is duplicated in many of the circumstances surrounding an eighteen-year-old Colorado boy who three years ago ran away from the industrial school at Golden, worked himself into a good position and then, a year after he had been married to a Des Moines, lowa, girl, found his past rising behind him, relentless as Hugo's Inspector Javert. Six years ago Rosie E. Sheldon’s father died at Glenwood Springs. A year later the boy was sent to the industrial school for boys at Golden as incorrigible. The intervening year the mother had lost all control over him and it was at her request that he was taken in charge by the state. The state made a poor job of reforming Sheldon. Its method of curing high spirits did not succeed, and Sheldon ran away. The first few times he ran away he was caught and brought back. Early in 1910 he managed to slip away and stay lost. The officers looked for him a few weeks and then gave up the search, although they did not forget. Sheldon went to Des Moines, lowa and there started out to do what the big state of Colorado had not been able to do. He started out to reform himself. He got a job in the big Cownie glove factory at $10 a week, commenced to save his money and to go to night school. Before long his salary was raised, and then pretty soon it was raised again, and he was given a responsible position. A little more than a year ago he met and fell in love with the daughter of a Des Moines business man. The two were married and started housekeeping. Sheldon was so happy that he wrote to his mother in Denver to tell her about his wife and the baby had just come. He told her the new name he had taken when he ran away from the reform school. The mother told some of her friends, Sheldon’s younger brother, now in the school, heard where his brother was, and through some of these sources Superintendent Fred L. Paddleford of the industrial school board heard where his runaway had gone. It was not long thereafter that Chief of Detectives Johnson of Des Moines arrested Sheldon and took him to jail. Sheldon told the story to the detective and begged to be released. Dispatches that carried the story did not state whether the detective had ever heard of Jean Valjean and the good bishop, but it is in the role of the bishop that Detective Johnson figures from now on. He promised the boy that although he couldn’t let him go he would take an appeal direct to the governor of Colorado and ask him to grant a pardon to the runaway boy who had made good. Governor Shaforth said that he would act in the case as soon as it was officially called to his attention and would take whatever action the facts might warrant. Superintendent Fred L. Paddleford of the school declared that the boy must be returned to the school “for the sake of discipline.” “The fact that Sheldon is married and apparently doing all right now can’t be taken as any excuse," the superintendent said. “The only way we have to preserve order here and to prevent the boys running away whenever they get tired of staying is to make severe example of them when they are caught. “If Sheldon were made an exception the chances are that all the boys would plan to run away and get married.”