The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1920-09-25
MENDENHALL's CHAMPION

j. e. Lewis is, so far as we know,
the only newspaper man in the state
who advocates the pardon of Menden-
hall. He runs the Progress. rather
interesting little paper in our neigh
boring town Of Willistpn. His article
follows. and as he seems to be real
mad with the Star for opposing the
pardon Of Mendenhall we venture to
controvert a few Of his statements:
Pardoning Criminals2
The Ocala Star went into TRADE
q few days ago over what is UNDER
stood to be an effort to pardon John
Mendenhall, the creraator Of women"
according to its sensational statement.
Other papers Of doubtful character
over the state took up the eudgel
against this man who is doing his life
sentence for his crime and their abuse
has been such as to lead the unthink-
ing public into believing that this
man ii a wild beast chained some
where in safe place gnasliing his
teeth and frothing at the mouth and
struggling to get loose and flarrass
the world with trail of crime and
bIoodshed Progress.
THE Star may be of doubtful char
acter, but it will leave it's readers no
room to doubt what it means when 1T
says the Progress lies If it says the
Star has led the unthinking public to
believe that "tllis man il wild
beast etc. The Star has made sew
eral references To Mendenhal and al
WAYS spoken Of him as d model prls-
oner. No paper that we have seen
has spoken of Mendenhall in the way
the Progress says they have. Starr.
As q matter OF fact this same Mem
lenhalI II foreman OF the carpenter
crew 1t the state farm, has under him
some fifteen to twenty men, saves the
state two hundred dollars or more a
month IN the efficient work he is do
ing and does not even sleep ait night
under lock and key, but with several
other trusted prisoners at the farm,
in q separate house from the most OF
the prisoners with no guard near
them. We saw John Mendenhall when
he stepped from the train at Raiford
some four or more years ago and we
have known him ever since. We have
met him under various circumstances,
have sat IN Sunday school class OF
prisoners under his guidance, have
heard from his lips not braggadocio,
not TRADE against the law that put
him where he il today but q plea to
young men to avoid the paths that
lead to crime and Imprisonment. John
Mendenhall has been the greatest
factor for good in the state farm of
any inmate that ever lived there. He
ia an exemplary prisoner and has had
much To do with making success OF
the honor system that prevails there
and that IS not only saving the state
vast sums of money but is getting
fifty per cent more work out Of the
men than could otherwise be done.
Progress
An Issue Of the Star printed over
e year and half ago spoke of Mem
denhall as model prisoner. The
Star has never beIneaned Mendenhall's
work nor sneered at his religion. But
we do not see that either entitIe him
to d pardon from the state. IL he is
sincere in his work and his teaching,
he does not expect any pardon, for he
does not deserve any. His crime has
put him beyond the pardon of man.
If he ii working hard and trying to
teach his below prisoners in hope of
q pardon, then indeed he is great
hypocrite in addition to his other