New-York tribune., 1918-03-11
Mother Begins Fight to Save
To- Year-Old Son From Chair
Pau Chapman Not the Hardened Gangster Prosecution
Pictured Him, Says Mrs Louise Barenburg-Reveals
Afectionate Letters Boy Wrote Her

Mrs. Louise Barenburg, mother of
year-old Paul Chapman, the
youngest prisoner ever convicted on a
first degree murder charge in this
state. yesterday began the fight to
save her boy from the electric chair
which now awaits him outside the
Sing Sing death house.
First Of ALL" said Mrs. Darenburg
Il want the people Of this state, before
they demand the life Of my son, to
know, the real Paul Chapman. The
impression seems to have gone out
that he is a calloused boy, hardened
and blase. l do not know where that
impression came from, but | do know
that it is an absolutely untrue impress
sion. Paul Chapman is not en- angel
no healthy, normal boy is; but Paul
Chapman is healthy normal boy, with
one Of the tenderest hearts, one of the
sweetest. cheericst natures that ever
frightened what has been, am afraid
rather dreary home"
Shows Her Sons Letters
In proof of which Mrs. Darenburg
does not ask that the world take sim
ply her mothers word. What she does
ask is that it read the record of his own
heart as the boy himself set it down
in little notes and letters to herself,
written spontaneously and unstudiedly
from here and there during that year
of his wanderings when, it has been
represented. he was undergoing the
transition from choirboy to tough
street-corner loafer.
Scrawled in big. boyish, uniformed
hand, they are not very much as lit
erary compositions, these letters. They
are the suffering Odyssey of growing
youth. quite average. and longing in a
quite average way for life, action, nd-
venture.
"le was always that way said his
mother yesterday "Always eager to
be up and doing. But that is not bad
ness, and it is malicious kind of dis
tortion, now that this s,nair has arisen,
to try and make out that it is. When
that dreadful and utterly unjust SEN
tence was passed on him, you will re-
member the papers reported he said !:
What the hell! You've got to die
sometlme!, That is an evidence of the
way people throughout have twisted
d
actually did say was: We'll, cheer up,
mother; try to make the best of it..
It's terrible, | know but | didn't do
this thing, and we've all got to die
sometime.'
Quivered With Fear
"Thcy said he sat through the trial
absolutely unmoved, like a hardened
criminal. Poor boy, he was frightened
stiff! But if you~placcd your hand on
him anywhere during those days you
could feel him quvering with nervous
ness in every muscle. And they said
he never thought of his mother or his
home. Read these and see for your
self. See if you can believe this boy
could have changed into what they
have represented Paul to be now" She
held out the packet of letters, more
than fifty OF them.
On top was one from philadelphia,
dated December 16, 1915. 1t was on
that day that Paul Chapman. nearly
six feet tall, despite his youtli-he was
only fifteen then-left home for the
first time in his life to. seek fortune
and his living. lie had headed for
Bridgeport, intending to work in
munitions factory; but he left almost
at once
dearest mother" he wrote in cx-
planation, 81 didn't stay at Bridgeport
because it was too tough. I went to
Philadelphia on the 8 o'clock train.
arrived at 1890 p. m. l have fine