Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-08-09
Joseph H. Mack Tells Ogden
Court Who Was RESPONSE
BILE for His Career.
SENT TO PRISON AS A CHILD.
Sentenced TO Four Years When Ten
Years OF Ago He Was Tutored
BY Criminals in Pen.
Especial to the "News.,o


of 10 to the penitentiary to serve four
years instead of being committed to
the reform school was the direct cause
OF a career of crime covering close
upon so years. according to the story
told by Joseph Henry Mack, alias
Charles Johnson, who appeared before
Judge Howell in the district court yes
terday to be sentenced to the peniten-
tary upon the charge of attempting to
commit burglary In the second degree.
The defendant who is so years OF
age. made a most pathetic appeal and
painted picture of his life which
ought to afford food for thought. Ac-
oording to tho story told he never really
had a chance since the day he was 10
years old and was sent to the peni-
tentiary in Canada TO associate with
criminals From them he learned all
he knew and as the result he has been
menace to society for half a century.
In addressing Judge Howell the man
who pleaded guilty to burglary in the
second degree said:
II would like to say few words.
When l arrived In this city last Feb
ruary, | was stranger in the city, I
was broken down. hadn't dollar in
my pocket / came TO the city--for the
first week how / lived I hardly know.
! never ate more than one meal day
and l slept in the cheapest lodging
houses. | went around looking for
work. About the end of the week Sc
cured employment from Mr.. Pearce
had about a dollar or dollar and a
half In my pocket. l met an old time
friend down at one of the restaurants
He was q crooked man. He asked me
what / was doing; / told him / was
working In machine shop, that had
made up my mind to settle down and
4 n
was fixed; | ted him / had no money
and no clothes. He gave me a little
change end with that change l bought
some medicine that l needed. At the
end Of the week i got some wages and
bought some clothes and bought some
more medicine.
WAS A CHURCH GOER.
AT the end of the week I met DR..
Carver and he introduced himself to
me and from that time on TO the day l
was arrested ] used to go TO his church
on Sunday evenings. l told him my
trouble, what my past record was to
great extent and he became interest,"
ed in me.
/ told him all 1 cared for is if you
will make arrangements with some one
that will do something for this rheu-
matism. He made arrangements for
me TO SO TO DR.. Gordon. went to
him, but there was no relief at all
My work-was not steady. 1t was ex-
pert work and they couldn't afford to
pay wages for expert work all the time.
On the average / worked about threa
days week, SO that the money i did
earn was just sufficient to buy me some
clothes and medicine and pay my board.
I wrote DR.. Carver a letter and told
him everything that was In my heart.
] met him n few days afterwards at
the shs, and he told me he had re-
oe!ved the letter and he would meet me
some time and talk the matter over.
ASKED TO MAKE TOOLS.
This old-time friend Of mine kept
asking me and urging me If l would
make some tools for him, burglars
tools. I thought of the obligation I
was under to him. and i considered it,
and ] didn't intend to make them. 1
told him l dint want anything to do
with that business at all.
II went to the Hot Springs and staid
all day and took what treatment they
had, and i came home to the hotel that
night, and 1t was the first night in Is
or 10 months time that ! had de-
cent nights rest. l thought II only
this treatment will do me that much
good, what will month or six weeks
do? Now, / can get this month or
six weeks rest II I will do what this
man wants me TO, for he had promised
,ne hundred dollars Then / met him.
Nov | never sought him. he always
sought me out, and when he came that
evening I said, 1 have got them tools
made. He said, L will give you that
hundred dollars I promised and then
You can go to the Hot Springs
NIGHT OF BURGLARY.
Now we come down to the night
Of the burglary. He asked me that
evening when l came from work to
get the tools and bring them down to
certain place, which was across from
The place that was burglariZed, at IL
O'clock. So / came down there at II
o'clock, and / met him and three other
men, and / showed them the tools
Now, he said, there should be another
man here. He says. don't want you
want you to stand In o. certain corner
OF the alley here and you will get that
hundred dollars. I had gone 30 far
into the matter and ] got thinking
about how much good the Hot Springs
would do me. and yielded. | said I
want to do II. but | have gone so far
and Will do it, So he took me
around the alley way and placed me
In position where I could look up the
alley way east and west, but / couldn't
see where he and the other men went
w. sldlu lNere anu uOill Know
whether dozed OFF or not, but pretty
soon man came up to mo and said,
Hurry up and get away. II Is all off.
Then my friend came up and handed
me them tools. 1 hurriedly put them
N my overcoat and went away. When
they got UP to the middle or the alley
way they ran north and south to Tween
ty-fourth street. they began running
ana they left me. When came around
the corner, thought to myself now
have got into trouble. so threw the
tools away, and then he arrested me.
Now that is a true story OF this bur-
glary, so far as I am concerned In It,
20 far as know anything about II. II
was never plotted or planned at all.
The Idea was that ] should make those
Tools for him and ! yielded to tho
temptation, not because l was hungry
and worn out, but because I was sick
and could get that rheumatism
II expected DR.. Carver down here
with thar letter ana / think II he Will
Produce that letter your honor will
understand better what kind OF man
am. better than you can from out
side rumors. have no long lease on
NE thank you, your honor"
The Court-Does the counsel desire 10
address the court? Do you desire 70
20 heard upon this matter Mr. Hsnder-
son?
Mr.. Henderson---I know nothing about
me facts. may It please your honor.
the court-Hayc You been Q good
prisoner since YOU were Elm jailT'