Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1919-04-08
MAN IN PRISON
FOR W|FE'S CRIME
WOMAN coHFGcSES TO FORGING
CHECKS WHEN he is RECAP.
TUREO AFTER ESCAPE.
WAS FREE FOR THREE YEARS
Working 70 Support Wife and child
When Found by Prison
Officer


is being made here to obtain pardon
for Earl J. Clark, who was returned
e the State prison 70 complete A sen
/ tence for a crime which his wife saws
/ she committed without his knowledge
Clark was arrested in Spokane.
where lie had lived for more than
{ three years as free man, supporting
his wife and child He has saved $500
for them to live on while he com
pletes his term. Friends in Spokane
who knew OF his life In recent years,
financed a fight for him against ex.
tradition. but lost When CLARK was
taken from Spokane, Mrs Clark first
told the story Of the crime.
Clark was sentenced to prison FOR
from one TO FIVE years on a forgery
charge to which he pleaded guilty
He is y years Old and is a painter
and plaster and most of the time
while at liberty has been earning Sc
day. He fed from prison when in
formed that he had become father,
Clark and his wife, who is 23, were
married and were spending their
honeymoon in New Mexico, when the
Young wife expressed a desire to re.
turn to the northwest to be near her
mother.
when we got to La Grande my
money ran out" Clark said after his
return to prison. Mrs. Clark. without
my knowledge, passed some bad
checks, She took them to stores and
made small purchases. With the
change we had enough money to get
= Seattle. She told me what she had
Cone. and Sheriff was on our trail
| spent 30 days in Seattle, and then
iiey took me back TO La Grande.
The Sheriff knew ] wasn't guilty,
but told me the best way out OF it
vas TO plead guilty. promising to have
me paroled from the bench. When |
entered that plea, the Judge at once
sentenced me to prison for from one
TO five years and ! was taken TO the
pententiary the same day"
Clark says he had been earning 50
day. In the prison they paid him
so cents a week. When he had been
there three months baby was born.
His wife wrote to him that she needed
money, so he decided to try TO escape.
From spoon handle he made a key
10 fit window. which he opened in
daylight and got away. He was not
missed until that night, when the
guards pursued and finally located
him. They fired several shots at him,
but missed him.
AT Candy Clark swan the river and
found the guards waiting for HIM on
the other side They fired again. He
fed through the woods, hiding In a
tree. As the guards came up and fired
at the tree he ran again. taking refuge
under barn, which the pursuers SUI.
rounded dog came up to the barn
and saw him in hiding and ran, bark
ing toward one Of the guards While
they were chasing the dog Clark es
capped.
olot II wa hth iliD way W tIlt Jain
of the Columbia River, just below Port.
land. He used to be in the navy, is r
good swimmer and swan the river,
although it was in February. He threw
away his prison clothes and was
picked up naked on the Washington
shore.
There met my first friend" Clark
said. He was farmer. He thought
was a lumberjack who had fallen
from boat He took me to his house.
stitched cut in my head and fed and
clothed me. | stayed with him four
days and then the chase began to
grow hot, The sheriff in Vancouver
was looking for me.
Il told the farmer who / was and
advised him to tell the Sheriff, prom
Using to stay until he got in sight and
then run. But the farmer would not
tell; instead he gave me SIS, all he
had, and told me to so. Later sent
back the SIS and a big bucket of candy
for the children.
After time Clark got in touch with
his wife and she and the baby Joined
him in Spokane. Mrs. Clark's mother
knew where they were and insisted on
being paid for her silence, Clark says.
The Clarks had been living in Spo.
kane nearly two years. Clark was a
member OF the Painters Union.
IF have TO I'll serve the time out
md then can go wherever | want TO
without having this over my head"
Clark said.
The money Mrs Clark got from La
Grande merchants has been refunded.
None OF them has pushed the case.