The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-08
WANTS SOMEONE
| TO TRUST HIM
Roy x. Marsden, Known a. Poor Box
Theft, Who il in Jail in Quincy,
Wants to be
Paroled.
SAID HE WAS IN KEoKUK
Man says That Police Have Hourded
Him and no One Has Given
Him Their Conf
dence.
SAID HE WAS IN KEoKUK

dence.
Asking for someone to trust him
and declaring that ne has been houd-
ed by the police but that he wants TO
start right, Roy K. Marsden, ci-led
/! the poor box thief has addressed
an open letter to the public asking to
be taken out on parole. Marsden adj
mitted being in keokuk but never
confessed to being the man who broke
into the boxes at st. Mary's church.
However, his appeal may be or intel
est here from the human interest side
if from no other. Here is the Wings
story:
| Roy X. Marsden, known as the poor
box thief who is in the county jail
waiting the action of the Crane .~<y
for the robbery of several Quincy
churches, has addressed a public ap.
peal asking that some one take him
| on parole, give him employment and
trust him. He promises to be faithful
| to the trust, to prove himself honest
and to repay to the churches what he
has stolen from them.
In his appeal Narsden tells the std
~ of his life. saying the he passed
his boyhood days in an institution,
when he went out in the world no one
cared for him. no one had faith in him
and later he was sent to prison Tor
something that he had not done. Since
his first Incarceration he has been an
able to maintain employment and mas
been constantly bounded by police
authorities.
Letter TO Wing.
His letter addressed tt. The Wing is
as follows:
Through the columns of the Quin-
cy Wing and through the courtesy OF
The Wing in extending to me the usa
Of its paper, I wish TO make state
ment and an appeal to the people OF
the city OF Quincy / am here in jail
charged with the robbery Of money
from several Catholic churches here in
town admit the charge and plead
guilty TO having done these things But
q DO not plead any extenuating circuul-
stances for my act. / simply wish to
lay before the people the causes which
have brought me ND to these things.
I never had home when / was Young.
and / was brought up in an institution
until / was - years old
Yves Never Trusted.
NO one ever cared for me or was
interested in me. No one ever trusted
me Or put faith in me. I was sent TO
prison at an early age for something
I never did. left prison with hatred
IN my heart and feeling that had
been cruelty wronged and that every
mans hand was against me. This feel
ing only grew in my heart by net be-
ing able to furnish references as TO
my latest place of employment when
I would ask for position or job. Thus
was never able to get any work or
permanent position And the police
never missed a chance to do me harm
or TO arrest me now and then just to
see where i had been and what had
been doing lately.
Asks for Place to Work.
: 81 lost several fairly good jobs just
through the police. Finally despairing
Of ever being able to get job and
being left alone by the police started
In TO be what they wanted me to De
and what they had tried to make me
be. But landed here in Quincy jail
instead Now I want to say to the
people of Quincy that there is nothing
would like so much TO do in all this
world as to have a job where my en-
ployer would keep me after knowing
I had been in trouble If there was
come good employer in Quincy VINO
might read this and then get me pa
rolled TO him at grand jury time in
SEPTEMBER I would never fail him. /
would prove faithful and honest and /
would pay back to the churches what
stole. IL / could but find one man
who would put faith in me and give
me a chance it would do what police
and prisons never will do for me. /
can repair automobiles and have
worked az a machinist for three years,
in one prison. I can also do tailor
work, special on coats. / would BE
glad to talk with any one at the jail
who might be interested in me or this
letter.
Thanks Priests for Kindness.
'T wish to take this means also to
thank publicly the parish priests OF 81
Mary's church and OF st. Boniface
church for the kind treatment they
have accorded me and for their prom
ises to help me this fall through my
trial. I am Catholic by birth and
faith.
"Once more thanking The Quincy
Whig for it's kind courtesy, l am,
"Yours most truly,
Troy X. MARSDEN."
May 40 to Strike Zone.
spRJNf,FIEI,D. Ill, Aug. s.-Upon