The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-07-24
SUCKER" TOWN

Editor Star: While, as you are
probably aware. your humble servant
does not always agree with you, yet /
cannot help but admire your efforts
in many instances to bring about the
triumph of decency and of. law and
order in this city and the county.
For many years Ocala has proudly
proclaimed herself the "Brick City"
of Florida, but to some she is justly
entitled to a change of name. for
apprehend there is not another town
in the state of equal population which
cali boast p of such Sucker" list.
Give man about equal parts egotisRa
and avarice as prominent factors IN
his makeup and he is ready for the
'fharpoon." But to those we now have
another class pushing themselves to
the front as menace to right and
good government, and these might be
termed the "softies"-the ones who
fail to the sob stuff" as you call it,
as has recently been seen in the case
of the fuckers. But, it is probable you
are over hard in your criticisms of
the parding board of the state. 1t has
always been my understanding this
| body does not act unless at the in
| stigation of some person or persons
| other than the convicted one and his
kin, therefore it occurs to me it would
not be bad plan on your part, as
you are evidently DESTROYS of adyis-
/ ing the people of the truth upon which
to base their actions when the proper
time comes, to ascertain from the
board what Influence" it was which
brought about the pardon of Tucker.
and let US know the true facts.
In my lowly judgment there never
! has been in this county two thieves
who received fairer trial than did
/ Duff and Tucker, but-justice has at
last been totally outgeneraled in the
| Tucker case, while Duff is probably
not living without hope. Both had as
able counsel as was to be found in
their defensive or our best Grim
inal lawyers supplied them with a
peg upon which to hang any sort of a
i defense, or proposition which might
be of any value to avoid verdict of
guilty or temper the severity of the
blast to these shorn lambs in event of
conviction. Doubtless they realized
there was little danger to the @ladies"
involved, therefore these two doves
sought to assume the full burdens of
everything, while the "males"-I will
not honor them with the appellation
of "men"-did their best to aid in this
theory of the case," as the lawyers
say. And all this was done notwith-
standing, in the Tucker case at least,
there was presumption of the law
that the husband was the only guilty
one of the pair, upon which the wife
might have based an attempt to make
her escape and secure an acquittal
had she seen fit to go to trial instead
of entering plea of guilty.
The fact is, as saw it. Tucker was
the one principally involved in every
event which took place in Ocala, for
il was Mr.. and Mrs. Tucker. if you
please, who seemed to have had I,
hand in no less than four shoplight-
ings, while Duff and his "lady," as 1
but one-Duff had been convicted OF
the affair at Zuber, the 'ladies" had
both pied guilty, while Tucker had
not been convicted of anything, no1
had any of them been indicted for
anything in Ocala, other than the
incident" at Rheinauer's; therefore
Tucker was to go free unless convict
ed of this last mentioned affair-and
this does not seem to have had suf-
ficient influence on the powers that
be as to keep him from going free to
boast of persecution rather than hang
his head in shame because of prosecu-
ton.
To my mind there has been some
excellent generalship displayed on be-
half of both the fuckers Had Mrs
Duff shown the same good, judgment
and poise as Mrs. T. she would un-
doubtedly be at large and in a posi-
ton to do something of value toward
securing the release of her husband
but her expressions of desire to re-
main with him and by him through
thick and thin" as it were, as we'll as
her failure TO tell the truth as the
court thought, at the most critical
stage in the proceedings, has enabled
justice to claim something for the
cause of law and order-for the time
being. L. N. Green.