The Dickinson press., 1912-11-30
JOE REMINGTON IS OUT
SERVED q YEARS m Pen

After serving more than twenty years
of his life in the p%enitentiary for the
murder Of q man, Joe Remington on Nov.
~ walked forth from the penitentiary
at Bismarck a free man. The story has
special local interest because Of the
fact that a son of the man for whose
murder Remington has spent all these
years in prison. graduated from the
university in the class of 1911 and was
for two years a star tackle on the uni
versity football team. Charles Flett,
the son, is one of the two remaining
members of the Flett family. He is
now in the constabulary service in the
Philippines.
Remington spent the afternoon at the
state capitol, where he presented the
judges of the supreme court with canes
made while in prison. Severine COM
pany with the deputy warden, Reming-
tor attended a vaudeville show and
later went back to the ~penitentiary,
where he will spend the night.
Desire to get away from the morbidly
curious. he stated, was the cause for his
return to the pen. He leaves in the
morning over the 500 line for Minneap-
oils, from where he states he 10 Roine
ITO his ''old home," but refuses to state
where that is, and refuses absolutely to
discuss plans for his future life.
George Flett, elevator agent at Ar
thur, Cass county. was Remineton's vic
tim. The, murderer. who had just ar
rived al manhood, was employed on a
farm neal Arthur. He hauled grain to
the elevator where Flett was agent, and
in those days the agents carried large
sums of money. paying cash direct to
many patrons. Remington say that
Flett had a large sum on his person.
A short time afterwards Remington
went to Minneapolis and secured en-
ployment as a hack driver. While there
he met a woman who soon spent what
money he had saved and demanded
more. Remington thought of the large
sum he had seen Flett carry and steal
ing back to North Dakota and to Ar
thur, concealed himself in the hayloft.
When Flett came in to feed the horses.
Remington beat his head into a pulp,
took the money from his pockets and
fled. He was traced to Minneapolis and
later to La Crosse. Wis.,. where he was
arrested and returned to jail in Fargo.
Remington soon began to serve his
life sentence. Last summer the pardon
board granted R%emineton's petition for
communication. An effort to have the
board recind its action failed. Rem
ington's sentence vas committed to
twenty-three years. his term expiring
yesterday.
Remington has been a model prisoner (;
he apparently never lost hope and has
done nothing that would detract from
his chances of being pardoned during
the twenty years ne has been an inmate
of the prison, and today he is given his
liberty with still a long life ahead of
him, he being q comparatively young
man.
While in prison he learned W.
trades, that of q barber and tailor. and
for several years past he has shaved the
warden and his deputy and has had
charge of the. tailor work done by the
other ~convicts. He has also made and
sold a large number of fancy ane
which he sold al large prices. He raised
a large number Of canary birds which
have hung in CAGES about the cell house
for years, and through his ingenuity all
these years it is said he has been able
to save quite a sum of money which
was given him at his departure.
For the past two years he vas taken
by the warden to the state Industrial
exposition, where he al placed in
charge of the p%enitentiary exhibit where
there was q display of manufactured
products of the prison.
On getting out of the penitentiary joe
Remington visited the capitol and at
tended q moving picture show. He re-
turned for the first night saying that
he did not like to have everyone star
ing at him. The following day he left
for the east, but would not tell where
his family resided or where he was 60
ing.
A great many people of the state feel
that the pardon board did wrong in Civ
ing Remington his freedom.