The Washington times., 1913-07-22
CONGRESSMAN WILL
AID NAVY DESERTER
Webb Declares He Will Take
Case to President in Inter-
ests of Justice.

1.-THE sentence meted out to Norman
o. Curry goes against my sense of JUS
tice. have taken the case up with
Assistant Secretary of the Navy Roose-
Welt. l will see Secretary Daniels, If he
returns to Washington soon, and II
necessary. 1 will make a personal ap-
peal to President Wilson in this mans
behalf"
Congressman Edwin Y. Webb of
North Carolina so expressed himself
when asked what steps he would take
to interest himself in the case of Curry,
the man who is serving an eighteen
months sentence at Portsmouth, N. H.,
for deserting the navy, while his wife
and two children were only saved from
starvation by charitable neighbors.
Through the efforts of The Times,
Mrs. Curry's temporary needs have
been cared for. Donations of money
and provisions have poured in on the
little home where the pinch Of poverty
has been so harshly felt.
Mrs. Curry Is Grateful.
The people have been so good to me
condition and published the story" Mrs.
gifts of money, more than $50, and
enough baskets Of provisions to fill the
pantry. So many kind people have been
in to see me and they have promised to
see that we shall not want again until
my husband is brought back.
II don't know what would have be-
come of us If The Times had not ap-
pealed in our behalf. had been driven
to despair. l was i'll and one Of my lit
tie girls had suffered for weeks with an
liberated tooth because we were too
poor to get a doctors help. 1t seemed
that there was nothing before us but
starvation.
Then The Times told the story of our
suffering and before the ink on the
papers had dried we had money, pro-
visions, and friends. All our troubles
seemed to be over."s
Needs Husbands Aid.
But the aid received by Mrs. Curry ls
only of a temporary nature. She wants
her husband pardoued so that he can
support her and the babies, as he was
supporting them during the period OF
seven months after he left the navy
and before he was arrested ana SELL
fenced as a deserter.
Congressman Webb was interested IN
the case by a Washington woman who
formerly lived in his district He saw
Assistant Secretary Roosevelt ana
asked him to recommend a PARDON De,
lieving that the department should
make a recommendation before an ap-
peal was made to the President for ex-
ecutive clemency. Assistant Secretary
Roosevelt did not agree to indorse
Curry's plea for pardon.
This was the situation when Ihe
,yaf Nxva NJ
Webb this morning. Mr.. Webb did not
know the full circumstances of the case.
He thought Curry was an ordinary
navy deserter. but even as such he was
willing to interest himself in behalf OF a
man whose services were so badly
needed at home. When Congressman
Webb was told that Curry did not de-
sert from the navy, but was brought
back by the civil authorities on non
support charges, and was arrested as a
deserter while he was under parole IN
the Washington courts, he said a great
wrong had been done
He expressed a desire to have these
facts verified, and when The Times later
asked the Navy Department for copy
of Curry's record in the navy and made
its contents known TO Congressman
Webb, he declared that he would leave
no stone unturned to procure the re-
lease of Curry from the naval prison.
Not An Actual Deserter.
Curry should never have been sent
to prison." said Congressman Webb,
after being shown Curry's naval record.
He may have been a technical desert
er from the navy. but he was not an
actual deserter. 1t Is no wonder that
there is a prejudice against the army
and navy when such extreme steps are
taken in a case like this.
Curry should be promptly released
from prison whether he had any family
or not. The fact that there are a wife
and two children absolutely helpless
without his help. gives an added reason
for his prompt release.
Can the Government make a case
Of willful desertiOn where a marine
was brought back bv the civil authori-
ties to face charges in the courts?
Could the Government demand that a
man return voluntarily to the navy
while under parole in the civil courts
to which he is forced to report and
within its Jurisdiction?
Curry was justified in supposing !
that he was free to remain home and |
support his family, as he did for seven /
after he was brought back !
from the navy, and the Government had |
no moral right to give him such a |
severe sentence.