The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-01-13
ASKS TO BE SENT
BACK TO PRISON
OLE ToReRIMsoN, BROKE PA.
ROLE OF MINNESOTA PARDON
BOARD BY COMING TO FARGO
CONSCIENCE soTHERs Him AND
he WENT BACK TO SALTWATER

Because his conscience bothered hin
Ole Torgrimson who has been making
mis- nome In Fargo some time, has gone
| Dack to the Minnesota state nrisop
he broke his parole by coming to Far.
go and thus leaving the state of Min.
nesota and the fear of the law bothered
him so much that he finally decided ~
| END MS worries by surrenderinp hinsel4
TO the Minnesota authorities.
He left few days ago for Minna.
apoils and the Minneapolis Journal
tells about his arrival in that city as
follows:
Ole Torgrimson, who broke his pa-
role from the state prison at Still
water, last night gave himself. up 10
the Minneapolis police. He asked
that he be sent back to Saltwater
Iorgrimson walked UP to Detective
Thomas Russell at the union station.
Lock me up, officer" he said i.
take me back to Saltwater. ]
broke my parole.r
For a moment Russell was too as
tonished to speak 1t Is his duty 70
hunt criminals and arrest them but
never before had he heard a man ask
TO be arrested. He yielded DO the
mans demands and took him to Central
station. Torgrimson spent the night
IN cell and today he told the police
his story.
Convicted of Assault.
According to the mans statements
he was sent to the state penitentiarv
from Beltrami county In November
1907, for an assault. At the trial n
was proven that the assault was of a
brutal nature and a three-year sentence
was imposed.
Torgrtmson served nineteen months
or his sentence and in July, 1909 the
pardon board granted him a parole
immediately afterward orgrimson
went to the town Of Fisher and Sc.
cured employment. He says he told
few of his acquaintance in Fisbe,
about his term in prison and in a short
time he was tainted on every HAND
for being an ex-convict. The perse-
cution became unbearable and three
weeks ago he decided to leave the
town.
Torgrimson says he was ignorant OF
the precise terms of his parole and
went to Fargo, not knowing that he
was violating an agreement in leaving
the state. He told several persons
in Fargo his story and was told he
would be taken back to prison if the
Minnesota authorities knew of his
residence in North Dakota. He be.
gan to worry and started to drink
He did not fear going back to prison
but his conscience told him night and
day that he was doing wrong.
Saves for Ticket.
Then he had chance to go out near
Seattle with railroad gang, where he |
might lose his identity and be safe |
from detection, but he refused the |
offer. He decided to return and give |
himself up. He did not have suffi- |
cient money to buy ticket, and he |
worked on with the sole idea of saw
ing just enough to buy a ticket back |
to the prison which he he'd left less
than six months before.
Last night when he got off the train
he hurried to the gareman in the depot |
and asked him where he could fine
the nearest police officer The gate
man pointed OUT Detective Russell
Captain Michael Mealey called ur
Warden Henry Wolfer of the peniten.
Eiary on the long distance phone to-
day. The warden said that the prison
officials had been looking for Torgrim.
son for some time.
II am happier now than have beer
In a long, long time" said Torgrimsoi
today, land last night slept soundei
than any night since / left the prison
am glad to go book and finish my
sentence. Prison is better than being
haunted by conscience night and day
guess could have got away if
wanted to, but didn't want to-that's
ILL"