The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-03-19
MAN MINUS LEGS
AN ALIEN ENEMY
CRIPPLE NOW IN CARTER
JAIL TELLS UNIQUE
STORY.

How to get by" with both legs
cut off was a problem that G.. Alfred
Richter was solving, apparently to
his own satisfaction, until the fed
eral authorities grabbed him at Du-
rant two or three weeks ago and
wanted to know if he had regis
tered as an alien enemy, and if not,
why. Since that time he has rested
in the jail of Carter County and
yesterday afternoon was taken be-
fore William Hutchinson, United
States commissioner, and interrO-
gated.
His life story would make d book.
Born in Germany on attaining
mans estate he followed the sea for
y years. firing OF it, in 1902 or
1908 he came in an American bark
from the Hawaiian Islands TO the
Pacific coast and engaged in min
ing in California. Going after sup
plies from a mining camp he was
caught in 4 snowstorm and so badly
frozen that both his legs were am
putated at the knees. He gets about
remarkably well, walking with a
cane about IS inches long. He said
he could not balance himself with
out his cane so as to do much work,
but he did paint house near Hold
enville, ior which he received $lO
lie said he heard the tourists
talking in California and gathered
that all things bad were in the west
and all the good was in the East.
lie determined to see for himself,
and started on Il trip across the
continent Selling shoestrings and
pencils, he made the trip TO New
York and not finding it a gold mine,
started back to California and
reached Omaha, Neb, last fall, hay-
ing made the trip in about three
and one-half years. Winter coming
on. he started South. He reached
Guthrie and stayed only day, as
he found the town was no good.
He went to Chandler Seminole,
Holdenville, and finally wound up
at Caddo. Having no place there
to stay, he went one night TO a re-
igious meeting in church and
when the call for joiners came, he
thought if he would join the church
they might help him find some work.
lie went forward and finding that
TO really Join, it being Christian
church, he would have TO be bap-
tized, he underwent that ceremony.
He said the preacher almost wore
out the telephone trying to find A
lob for him, but nobody wanted 4
cripple. lie then went to Durant
and Immediately on his arrival there
said ne was subjected to some very
rough treatment at the hands OF a
policeman and placed in jail, from
which place he was brought here.
He said he was willing to work at
anything he can do. The question
of his loyalty was never touched
upon during the examination, eth
cr by himself or the commissioner.
lie said his first papers were lost
when his gripsack was stolen from
him in Colorado and that he had
never applied for the second papers.
lie said he was told by postmaster
at one town where he inquired that
having taken out his first papers
it would not be necessary for him
TO register. He said when the COM
missioner told him he would write
to San Francisco today and learn
il he was correct in his statement
about his first papers, he said he
hoped he would speed up the case.
AS he did not want to be deprived OF
his liberty He said civilization
owed him liberty and free air, and
when these were denied him, civih-
zation failed.