Mike Golden Walked Out of Jail Into His Mother's Arms
A convicted Anacortes burglar's pardon arrived from Olympia, and the jailhouse reunion undid everyone in the room.
The notification concerning 'Mike' Golden, who was convicted of participating in the Anacortes burglary, was verified yesterday by the arrival of the papers from Olympia. Deputy Sheriff [name illegible] received a telegram that Golden had been pardoned and to turn him loose. Mrs. [name illegible], the worshipful mother of the prisoner, was on hand when the news was received. She caught him in her arms, cried and sobbed until it seemed as if her heart would break for pure joy. Golden was so overcome at being a free man once more that he also cried.
“She caught him in her arms, cried and sobbed until it seemed as if her heart would break for pure joy.”
The jailhouse reunion is a reminder that pardons are not just legal paperwork; they land in families. In an era when incarceration could separate people for years, a governor's signature could undo a sentence in an instant.
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