The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1920-03-18
Salvation Army Workers Do
A Great, Humanitarian Work

The story of an Oregon family,
brayely fighting adversely to win the
father free from the charge of mur-
der; the story of a daughters su-
preme sacrifice in the family's battle
against odds made overwhelming by
the influenza scourge; the story of a
Salvation Army lassie's work of mer-
cy through the long drear days of fe-
yer when a mother and seven chill
dren fought for life in cramped quar-
ters; has come to light at Eugene,
Oregon.
The death of the girl and the fu-
neral, the gripping pathos of the
stricken, accused father, alone Of all
the family of nine, torn by great sobs
as he stood at the foot Of the little
grave, brought the case to the public
attention. The Salvation Army had
been taking care of tie family for
days, then.
DR.. Charles T. Wheeler, field repre-
sentative of the Salvation Army Home
Service Program for 1920, checked
up on the case and it is in his report
the real story is revealed. 1t is a
chapter in the famous Charles L.
Taylor murder case in which Martin
Clark was convicted on circumstan-
tial evidence, then granted new trial.
The case held the interest of oregon
for weeks. DR.. Wheeler writes from
Eugene:
Ensign J. L. Kelso spent an hour
and half today in cell with man
being tried for murder The Saliva
tion Army officer is his next friend y
Last July two men went hunting
up the mountain side together. They
agreed to separate and meet later.
One man did not show up. The al
arm was given, they searched for
davs and finally found the body of
the missing hunter with deer strap
ned to his back. There was a place
a little distance away where a man
had stood in the bushes and had
dropped two empty shells. Twigs
we're cut where he had shot through
the bushes.
"Suspicion, of course, fell on
Clark, who had gone up the mountain
to hunt with Taylor, He WAS arrest
ed. found guilty on circumstantial ev-
idence, given a new trial and mas
been in Jail all this time since last
July.
"The family. his wife and seven
children, sold their little place, the
auto. the horses. the cattle and fur
niture-everything that would bring
money-and they were in comfor-
table circumstances, to defend the
father, The family made a heroic
struggle to get along. The girl, Eth
el IS. went to work in a telephone
office at $14 a week, The boy, l6
drove a truck. Out of the income OF
these two breadwinners the mother
saved $4,000 during the last two
months. Saved it to defend her hus-
band. But the "Flu' came along last
week and put them all down at the
same time. The girl worked on We'd
nesday, took sick, went back Thurs
day. determined not to loose that
s14 which would help her father
She was stricken at her work, went
home and Sunday made the supreme
sacrifice. Her devotion had caused
her death,
ensign Kelso and Mrs. Kelso, the
sheriff and Clark went from the jai'
to the little home, where the prisoner
conversed with the ,ife who was hot
with fever, through closed window
The father was the only one able tc
go to the cemetery, the others all ly'
ing sick. A big, strong mountaineer
he shook from head to foot, and al
he could say at the grave was "Pool
little girl"
"The Salvation Army is taking
care of the sick family, A salvation
army lassie has been attending their
slightest need night and day since the
sickness struck. For days she did
not have her clothes off.
To-day, in the prison cell, sitting
along side of the stricken father, is
Ensign Kelso, his next friend"