Norwich bulletin., 1921-12-24

, his prominence and the resultant far reaching effect of his words very prob | | ably might not have received the sen tence he did He Is an old man, not | strong physically. He is man of much personal charm and impressive personal | ity, which qualifications make him dan gerous man, calculated to mislead the 1 minimizing, and affording excuse for i those with criminal intent"
 One Woman in the List.
 f One woman, Mrs Iden Kennedy. con-
 victed at Los Angeles of hindering the ! selective service act by arranging with
 an oculst to furnish national army men
 with eyet asses which distorted their | vision and made them unfit for army
 service, was included in the list, with a ] notation that President Wilson previous 1 ly had reduced her sentence from eleven | to three years on condition that she be plSced in a sanatorium for the insane i Claus Freese, who was convicted at Fl Paso, Tex. In 1918, the summary said, | attempted to sell to a German consul in l Mexico plans of a gun which the Ameri-
 can army was expected to use, although l he contended that the plans were im-
 practicable and that he was trying to play Yankee trick" on the diplomatic
 agent.
 Joseph Schur, formerly a practicing ~at-
 torneY) at Indianapolis, and Maurice l..
 Snitkfn. were two cases coupled together
 in President Hardings communications.
 both men having been involved in a con-
 spiracy to sell exemptions to young men
 who had been summoned for army ser
 vice in New York; each was sentenced
 to six years in prison, but were released
 on parole Aug. 25
 Among the l. w. w prisoners released
 was Charles Asheigh. writer of poetry
 and speaker. who has served two years
 of a ten year term, and will be deported
 to his native country, England. Giovanni
 Baldazzi of Chicago, who was manager of
 'Il Proletario," an Italian paper con
 ducted by the I. w. W, was also released for deportation. although a fine of $30,-
 900 had been added by the court to his ten year sentence. These were the only two members of the organization who had attained any prominence to obatin release. it was said
 .I Wilhelm Schumann a German Luther an minister at Pomeroy, la, was con- [ victed of having preached a sermon dur 1 ing the war urging punishment for all i, enemies of Germany, and his release was
 ordered today.
 . Incidents of Debs' Conviction. Utterances which resulted in Debs' con < viction were contained in a speech a
 Canton. O.. June 16, 1918. MT Debs of fered no evidence in his defense anC made his own address to the jury at tht . trial in Cleveland in September 1918 When Federal Judge Westenhaver pro : nounced sentence. Debs' only statemen n was that "all will work out well in God - own good time"
 , Friends of Debs immediately began T fight to save him from prison. His cas
 was carried to the supreme court of tn
 United States and conviction on on l count affirmed March 10, 1919. A lev e weeks later anothre effort was made an
 re-hearing of the case asked of tn
 highest court. It failed, and on April l; = 1919, he was taken to Moundsville W '. Va. prison, there to begin his sentence v Two months later, however he wa 70 transferred to the federal prison at Al lanta.
 ,s Debs' friends did not despair despit ~ the final legal action. Appeal after ar
 peal was made to President Wilson, bu
 he turned a deaf ear to the petition, U saying as he did so that to release Dch
 would be to impair seriously the moral
 of the people. Attorney General Palme re sent to the president a recommendatlo oy for the pardon of Debs, but MT. Wilso B. V again declined
 10 With the incoming of the Harding at ne ministration renewed efforts were mao H. 10 obtain clemency for the socialist part r. head. MT. Harding gave no definite al
 swer but there were indications that u d. administration was giving serious col st sideration to the appeal. and then a "a r. of hope broke for the followers of Del rs about April 1. Mr Harding ordering r n- view of the case by the department b. justice.
 nd Then it was that Debs came from A oh lsnta prison to Washington unannounc4
 and unattended for a conference wi u- Attorney General Daugherty. He slipp. te into this city quietly, held three ho D. conference with MT. Daugherty and Wi nd aboard train traveling southward aga w. before his presence was announced K Mir DaaSherty to a group of dumfound. or newspaper correspondents
 G;s Former Officer in Austrian Army. le- Mojik Fieron, formerly an officer nd the Austrian army, who was convicted i'd Detroit If obstructing the selective SC to vice act, and sentenced to twenty veal fer was giTen his final release by the Ii
 President Wilson having acted previor si- ly to reduce the sentence to five yea mt Among the miscellaneous cases we nv those of two Oklahoma farmers W De- joined early in the war a general reb lat lion against the selective Service nd- which was quickly, suppressed. Gust iu- H. Jacobsen of Chicago also named f to release, aided a conspiracy during {
 war, to cause native rebellion agair ,at British rule in India, insofar as he Icv lowed his house to be used for a meeti es- place by those concerned, but the sta the ment issued today said he was q of shown 10 have been in reality an enei of of the United States"
 of Jack Law, another member of the na- W. w, convicted at Chicago in 1918, ill summary said, represented one of "t are cases wherein it is earnestly claimed no many persons that there was no evider A at the trial to show that the applics yer was guilty of any disloyal act during 5er war"
 of In making the announcement of till executive action today President Hard. ex- stated at the outset that he had no co
 ment to make on the Debs case and {
 was interpreted as meaning that no
 tion was forthcoming in regard to -te former socialist leader at this til ned Within a few minutes, however. the co
 plete list was made available to ma newspaper correspondents and disclo. ted that Mir Debs' release had been auth act ized.
 to
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 his There are many sick f-home voy