The Detroit times., 1915-08-11
Georgia Governor Is
Touched BY Appeal
of Child
SENDS LITER HOME
TO HIS FAMILY
w as Suffering for
Crime Committed
Long Years Ago
BY HONOR TANNING.

MlLLEDGEVlLl.E. Ga, Aug. H.
Prison doors that three years ago
closed for life on Thomas Edgar
Stripping have just been fiung open
by the tiny fingers of q little girl
The touch Of baby fingers put in
motion state machinery that neither
political pull nor ofiicial influence
could move; the tears-and the
smiles OF little girl OF six changed
an inferno OF despair to heaven
OF hope. lifted the shadow OF fear
from a hunted. haunted man. who
had lived for Is years In terror of
the laws vengeance.
Stripping, the ''lifer." whose story
so closely parallels the story of
Hugo's Jean Vatican" will soon
take his place again among free
men and he'll owe his freedom to
his little daughter. Bessie Lucille.
who interceded with Gov. Nat E.
Harris for her fathers liberty.
Bessie Lucille, the convict's
daughter. has heard more about
prisons than she has about dolls
and little girls playthings since her
father was arrested three years ago
and sent back to prison for a crime
committed many years before Bees
sic Lucille was born. Like a good
little girl she waited--just as daddy
told her to-for him to come back
and play bear" or tell her stories
She was very lonesome for her
daddy. One day her mother took
her to visit him in the state prison
It was the day that Georgia's new
governor was inspecting the psni-
Tertiary.
The governor was engaged IN
talking to a committee OF ofhcials
in the prison lobby when a sad-eyed
woman and q shabby little girl
passed by. No one noticed the
little girl slip away from her moth.
er and run up to the big. broad
shouldered governor. put her little
fingers In his. lift smiling face
and eyes filed with tears up to him
and lisp: please, Mr.. Governor,
let my daddy come home with me;
I wants him."
"who are you. child" asked the
governor.
I'm just Bessie Stripping. my
daddy's in prison. and ! want him
to come home with me-"
A tense moment passed The
war veteran who governs Georgia
Is observation-disclosures eyes plead
ed tenderly. The governor thought
deeply for a few seconds. Then
came the determined answer: Run
along lassie. III send your daddy
home soon"
Stripling's pardon will be Official.
ly confirmed In about two weeks.
The Georgia prisoner. whose case
has attracted attention the country
over. was sentenced to prison IS
years ago. charged with the killing
of bill" Cornett. The crime was
committed to satisfy the "unwritten
law"
Stripping left wife and two chill.
dren behind him to live on charity
or die without IT. Their destitution
made him desperate After year
In prison he escaped. With HIS fam.
lily he located at Danville, Va, and
under the name OF Morris soon be-
came one OF the most respected citi.
zens In the community. For sew.
eral years he was Danville's chief
Of police. But murder will out"
After Is years OF liberty and right
living Morris" was recognized as
a fugitive and returned to prison to
serve out his life sentence.
The savings OF Is years were
spent on lawyers fees. His family
was again destitute. Influential
friends sought his release. but the
law demanded vengeance Justice
demanded It's pound Of flesh"
stripIing's case had been given up
as hopeless when his baby daughter
twined her fingers into the fingers
Of Georgia's governor and asked him
TO send daddy home"
There were two children In the
Stripping family when "Bill' Cor.
nett was murdered. When he was
sent back TO prison three years ago
Stripping left ~ children behind.
His family Is now In dire poverty,
his own health il broken, but the
spirit OF Georria's Jean Vatican is
brave and unfiinching.
Give me another chance" he
asks. "and I'll square myself with