His Other Wife: A Novel — page 363: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SENTENCED AND RECLAIMED. 355 sign of life that his face or form emitted. This silence was now broken by the sound of a strange voice, that rang loud and clear through the hall of justice: ‘‘May it please the court, I, Mathew Olden, a police official of the State of Pennsylvania, am here with official orders to arrest one James Cochrane, a/zas William Jones, ahas Mathew Croft, an escaped convict from the State Prison in the year 18—, under sentence /or /ife, for the crime of burglary and homicide. The said James Coch- rane, alias William Jones, alas Mathew Croft, will be found to have a brand upon his right shoulder, inflicted according to law upon all convicts sentenced for life.” The judge alone of all present seemed prepared for this denouement to the dismal drama. Ina quiet tone, he said : ‘Mr. Sheriff, let your prisoner be delivered into the hands of the State official of Pennsylvania. Under the law, the greater punishment includes the less, and the former sentence takes precedence over the latter.” A low, deep sound, like a groan wrenched from the depths of some mortal agony, escaped from the breast of the prisoner as the hand of the chief of police closed upon his branded shoulder. Eomicbooks: (E(o)