The Dickinson press., 1917-04-07
Son OPPOSES EFFORT
TO RELEASE FATHER
FROM PENITENTIARY

caring Tor his young sister. Inc
young mans letter follows:
My brother has forwarded to me
the Reporter of March 9th, containing
the first installment of our fathers
plea to the people of Taylor and
naturally I have been so incensed
that my sense of justice compels me
to write you what I can to refute his
preposterous statements, most of
which are absolutely without founda-
tion.
In the newspaper articles at the
time of his arrest you probably read
that the sheriff, when he sent his
deputy out, told him to be careful to
not listen to his talk because he had
such slippery tongue. It is because
I know this only too we'll that I am
doing what can to prevent his
passionate appeal from working on
the sympathy of those who are not
aware Of his hypocritical nature.
His plea first sets forth that we
children are in need of him. That
is one of the most patent errors in
the plea. We are better provided for
and we have a feeling of safety, Sc
curity and hope, which we never had
enjoyed before he was imprisoned.
My sister, since she has been with me,
has not wanted for anything that
money could buy and she never will
as long as she is in my care. From
what I hear from my brothers am
sure that they have not suffered
from his absence either. He tries to
infuse the idea that we are being
punished. It is not to be compared
with what we would have to contend
with if he were free. Ever since we
have been old enough to think we
have hated and feared him because of
his cruelty, deceit, immortality and
hypocrisy.
He states that he gave me $50 at
Dickinson to help sister. This was
not given to me but to the juvenile
officer and was used for her expenses
while in Dickinson before the trial
and to purchase her transportation to
Helena and some necessary clothes.
She had $18 left on her arrival at
Helena. He swore on his word of
honor, lit sounded like mockery), be-
fore two witnesses, a deputy sheriff
and the jailer at Dickinson, that when
he received his mothers estate he
would divide it equally between we
four children and that he would de-
liver it to US as soon as he received
it. He has written to me recently, in
timating that we need not expect
any help from that source unless we
show him forgiveness and kindness
and try to help him get paroled. He
also demands that I allow him to
write to sister, which of course, is
out of the question. I will not have
him weeping repentance on her
shoulder and keeping her misfortune
ever uppermost in her mind. We
never discuss the matter and I am
hoping that if nothing more is ever
said about it her memory of it will be
dulled even though she can never for
get it. He pleads that he wants to
send US help. His attitude regarding
his mothers estate puts the stamp of
hypocrisy on this. Any money other
than this I regard as tainted when
coming from him and last December
I returned, uncashed, a warden's check
for $5, which he proffered.
If he had a chance to help his wife's
mother and daughter regain their
health in the same way he helped
my mother; then may God have pity
for them. Our mother died with a
cancer but she died because of a brok-
en- heart. She would have been alive
today but for my fathers cruelty and
harsh treatment, especially during her
worst illness. Even she, the most
patient and quiet-suffering woman I
ever knew, admitted that it was not
so much the cancer that was killing
her as his curses and his cruelty. He
did no more for her than was ,neces-
sary to keep up appearances and the
people of Elk River, Minnesota, where
she died, threatened to tar and feath-
er him.
Speaking of remorse, sorrow and
shame; what else is there left to a
man in the penitentiary? The most
graceful thing he can do is to profess
repentence. I have heard him repent
a hundred times. His sole idea is to
get out and he depends on his clever
tongue, which has never failed him
to do the trick. His repentance would
last about a day. Just before start
ing out on his last trip as "the great
orator, organizer, white slave detec-
tive and lecturer against drink and
the social evil" he left sister in Rev.
Roe's home and with his bosom full
of repentance came to Montana,
where almost Immediately he was
apprehended by the police for ac-
costing young girls on the streets
According to. the newspapers this
happened just before his arrest at
Columbus. ,.
The balance of the article, under
stand, was to have been published in
the Reporter Of March 18th. I hope
receive a copy.
Anything that you can do to help
us by hindering his parole will GER
tainlyi be rememberd and highly ap.
preciated by us all.
.:. Il VINCENT GOOD
| Mrs. Miller and daughter, Hazel, o1
Sentinel Butte were in the city shop.
ping on Wednesday.
Il ,