The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-12-26
Girl C0NFESSES PERJURY
She Placed Her Stepfather in Jail for
Ten Years.
SEVENTEEN MONTHS SERVED
Charged Him with Assault That She Might
Be Rid of Ills Interference
With Her FrccdOm-She Now
Seeks Ills Release.

Barbara Aub." moved to repentance
by her own conscience, has told Cover
nor Werts that her stepfather, Charles
Atkinson, who is serving ten years In
the state prison for criminal assault, is
an innocent man and that she falsely
swore away his freedom.
The girl Is Mamie Miller, now in the
State Industrial school. Her case is
even more aggravated than that of her
New York prototype because her step
father has served seventeen months of
his long sentence and has broken down
under his sufferings in the prison.
He has been pleading with the court
of pardonS for u release, claiming that
he was an innocent man,and his several
petitions show that he was. before his
incarceration, man of respectability
and of good repute among his neighbors
In the city of Camden, where he lived.
For an hour yesterday morning Mamie
Miller sat in the big reception room in
the state house, and she not only told
her story to the governor but was
placed under oath. and her testimony
was taken by w. Holt Apgar, Supreme
Court commissioner. The stenographic
notes will go to the court of pardons on
Friday, when 1t IL expected that the
man she has wronged will be set free.
The self-accused perjurer is young
woman, nineteen years old. She has u
heavy face. and. while not pretty, is not
bad looking. She came to the state
house under the guard of Mrs. McFad-
den, matron of the Girls Industrial
school, and was not allowed to make
any statement aside from that she vol
unteered to the governor.
Tho Girls Story.
According to her own statement,
Mamie Miller. when but fourteen years
old. fell in with set of men and women
In Camden who spent most of their time
at the Gloucester race track. She spent
nearly all her time from home. Her
stepfather demonstrated with her, but
this only had the effect of melting her.
and her stepfather had her apprehend-
ed and sent to the state Industrial
school. which Is practically reform
school for wayward and incorrigible
girls.
Making pretense at repentance she
was released from the institution and
again assumed control of her step
fathers home. After few months of
quiet life. she renewed her former as
sociations, and became regular fixture
of the Gloucester grand stand. Her
father tried to curb her, and she re-
sisted. Her companions encouraged
her and when she was threatened with
a return to the school, 1t was then that
her companions devised a scheme for
her permanent freedom.
They induced her to make a charge to
the police that her father had assaulted
her. He was promptly arrested, ana the
girl went on the stand and described
her alleged assault at her own home.
with a minuteness of detail that con-
vinced the jury, and Atkinson was found
guilty. In April, 1894. he was sentenced
to ten years at hard labor, and she was
returned to the Industrial school.
Her father steadily maintained that
he was innocent, and from the state
prison he wrote letter begging her to
tell the truth and save him.
She pondered over this letter for some
time, and finally one Sunday afternoon,
after the chapel service, she took Mrs.
McFadden into her confidence and con-
fessed that her testimony was all false.
and that she had acted out of revenge
because her stepfather was interfering
with her freedom.
T.. X. Cook, Of Trenton, who devotes
much time to the institution, and is one
of its trustees. was told the story. and
he in turn told the Rev. George Mad
dock. who is also trustee and the
chaplain Of the state prison. and the
girl repeated her confession to them.
Wrote to the Court of pardons.
She was induced to write letter to
the Court of Pardons in support Of her
stepfathers petition that he was an in
nocent man, and In this letter she said
that the knowledge that he was suffer-
ing for a crime he never committed had
caused her much worriment, and she
was unable to sleep
Governor Werts and Judge Tallman.
Of Gloucester county, were appointed
by the court of pardons to further in
vestigate her statement, and today was
fixed for the private hearing Of the girl
The hearing was given In secret The
girl left the room looking brighter, and
In passing out said to the matron that
she was glad it was all over.
Charles Atkinson is man of about
forty-eight years. When informed
about his stepdaughter's confession, he
said he was not surprised that she had
made the statement, because she had
promised to do so several weeks ago.
my trial in the Camden county court
was peculiar one" he said. my ar
rest was made without any warning.
and my wife secured John Wartman,
who was recently disbarred, as my
counsel. My trial was called the last
day or the term of court and there
seemed to be desire to conclude the
business Of the term. and my lawyer
let the case go to the jury without
examining any of my witnesses.
He said he had an engagement the
next day. and could not attend court.
So he only examined me, and let the
case go to the jury. I had thirteen wit
nesses In court, but none were called
Mrs. Atkinson. the girls mother. was
there to testify, but she was not allowed
to proceed, and was convicted on the
unsubstantial testimony of Mamie