Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-04-25
IDA GROVE YOUTH WHOSE CASE
STIRRED POLITICAL MESS
LEARNING TAILORING.
HE Is SOME pssvgo
At ATTORNEY HAvNER
Rathbun Now No. s7I1 and Nothing
More Inside Prison Walls-Says He
Signed Waiver 70 Pardon Under Du.
rsss and to Save His Father From
Prison Term - Charges Lawyers
With Being After Money.


about prisoner n the Anamosa refor-
matory today is known as No. sal.
He's lifer ana he's learning to be u
tailor. He wo:ks hard. laughs a little,
LOOKS you straight in the eye and say
sonnet hing mean about Attorney GEN
eral Havner, State Agent James Ris-
den and some other folSs who are re-
sponsible for his present plight.
Convict NJ. Ssll is Ernest RathDun,
OF lua Grove. # he is conscious OF this
mess ne stirred ~ IN the state he gives
no evidence OF H. and If the other
prisoners with - nom he comes in daily
cuii.avt appreciate his distinction they
do not snow it-but prisoners are 4
queer lot-and they are u cold lot.
When "a newspaper man visited the
prison a few days ago and sought out
Rathbun among the number III the
tailor shop, one vf the convIcts was
asked which wa the man. Think
that's him over there" he replied, in
Glcating by a jerk OF the head a man
sitting few yards away. 1t was.
Amused by Long Term.
Rathbun iu@es rather !, happy view
Of the IuiurG. The TACT that ne ~ in
to serve lite aad ten years amusos
him. Guess tney viii put me in co4d
storage forster years after l die, Is
what he said White discussing the
sentence. Ii ne ever expects TO oDtaIn
{. pardon or parole he says notninS
apou, il lie seems 20 be more inter-
ested in learning how 10 sew tuSerhcr
prison cut garments than he is III ms
future. He says he realizes he - III
for quite "a spell ana he's going to
make the best of il. Speaking oi ms
new jop h said: ''F'arnlin is Il Cinch
compared TO his, and il ever J get out
am going Oh d farm ana hide ms
self-that IS, if ever | get out without
being carried out feet first Rathbun
works hard AMI attends strictly to his
own business. He's working hard for
a red star for when that is placed on
the lapel of his coat, i; denotes mat
he is Il trusty.
To-day, however, Rathoun Is just
plain No. S1ll. He is treated lie a."
the other prisoners; gets the same pri-
yileges. the same food, works the same
hours, plays The same hours, but II ne
makes good and oDeys the rules ana
obtains the rel star life VIII DC OIL
easier for him.
Havner After Governor.
"Havner told p4c that II 1 dldn sign
the paper that took away my pardo"
he'd send my father and my brother TO
the penitentiary He worked a Sood
bn;ff on me, He told me he was after
Harding and that to get the governor
he'd have to get me. 1t certainly Mas
been hard on me. II | had this thinS
to go thru with again | wouidh sis"
a thing.
The first laper signed at SIOUX
CITY was a frame-up just Ike the last
one.
Il am not guilty of rape, ana Bert
Johnson. the Ida Grove lawyer VINO
started the trouble, knows way down
in his heart that l am not. Johnson
made a threat that he would get some
money out of my father ana tllat IS
WHY he started this thing. Johnson
and Jim Risden had my father UP III
Sioux CITY for two or three days ana
thev bounded him all the time lie
didn.t have any time to sleep. Finally
they got him to call me up ana ASK me
IN 90 there. and when l arrived III
sioux CITY l found my father Just
about crazy
Signed Under Duress, He Says.
johnson dictated to the steuo
pranher and | heard what he SAID
When the notes were written out ne
asked me to read it. ! told MIN
know what WAS in the paper. lie theh
a sked me 10 sign it and told him 10
go TO hell. johnson and Risden went
ont of the .oom after threatening 10
c.use me a lot of trouble. My father
was crying and | finally signed the
paper ,
He was ASKED about the $4,000 sup
poscd TO have been used as n orioe.
Rathbun declared that was all posh'
He said it was understood that Az
+orney CLARK was to get the money as
a fee and that the family did not con-
slider it high.
Rathbun probably is not enJosins
nrison life. few do, but mis- troun,es 90
NOT seem to worry him. He eats Well
and sleeps well, and laughs a NIUE
works hard and obeys the rules.
The newspaper man is the hrst WIS
itor Rathbun has had since cell Gll
closed on him.