The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-07-10
CHAPTER

MY name b. Jack Carlson. an'
/ aOmrtlui7a ttiiiiTiik ttlat tine tlngc o
melancholy which IS about me n nj
inheritance from the old gloomy rod
who haunted the long winter night
OF my scandinavian ancestors ~
that as Il may, my history OPEN
with me IN nay most sad and solemn
mood. and with an excuse for Il. BE
cause you find mo IN a prison cell
and. what l. wcrsc you nnd me al
night waiting Tor the morning whicl
viii see me dlc-hangcd for tho XIII
inE OF a man who was not dead
Nay. do not b. inercdulous Thes'
arc batter days, and you, my children
do not know by experience the cruel
ties % men In power, And IN th'
names OF justice and religion hayi
mems worst eruelties been done
There was a minister in Seattle one'
but.
Can you. who live in whit,
mans country. imagine this, the
great. fair state Of Washington own
cd and controlled by tho japanese
by men ostcnsihly American eli.
sens who. nevertheless. looked upou
the emperor Of Japan as their ruler
and who carried out the orders Of
that emporert Yet that Was the
situation.
A great dream had come true. The
Columbia Basin. once sandy and
useless desert. had become para
disc. TIE efforts OF men. aided by
money appropriated by congress. had
converted a desert into an irrigated
frultfulness. hut all this effort and
money. all this energy 81 white men
had benefited the laps only. With
tho exception % two holdings the
laps owned all the Basin.
And not only did they own the
nasin. they also owned nearly all
the state, they outnumhcred tho
white men. and they held every pub.
tic office worth while. Multiplying
rapidly. born In America. a silly law
made every ono Of them 80 horn an
American citizen, Legally there was
no reason Why they should not hold
al the offices morally there was And
tho moral reason was that they were
not Americans az heart. but Jap.
anese. But 10 my own trouble.
pid tell you that my father and
John Hammond were the only white
holders q land loft in tho Columbia
BAsln7 They were; and was en-
gagged 20 marry Mary Hammond.
John Hammond's daughter.
by every meana they could invent.
the Japanese-fo 10 will continue
10 call thcao Oriental american
had tried TO drive my father out Of
thr Basin. and Hammond with him
But 10 vain, Then the laps tried the
last resort.
II happened one morning. Mary
and ! wcrc In town. when. walking
on the sidewalk. w passed Jap
who made remark and icered al
Mary in a disgusting manner. Any
man would have done as ! did. Hero
was Jap insulting a white woman,
the woman ! loved That 10 was
the son Of tho Jap boss Of the district
was known 10 me. hit The Jap 80
the end % his ugly moss. Even In
my agc | am proud ot tina, blow.
Well. the Jap fell down. and i'm
mediatsiy-ls was all arranged. OF
courses crowd of laps fiockod
around; among them n Jap ply
stefan. They made a great fuss. and
arrested me for assault Tho doctor
said that the Jap was dangerously
hurt. As I was locked In my cell
they the Ihp jailers-told mo that
tho Jap had struck had died as
result OF the blow I was too dis
trcssod at the moment 20 think OF
tho absurdity OF tho statement.
So. was held for murder. and
Jap was buried. or course the Jap
hit By me was no more dead than
was This was the scheme 20 force
my father and Hammond out Of tho
country. And u worked.
For WIS tried and convicted OF
murder in the first degree. and. 20.
the night ms story hesina you find
me. as ] said. in my cell. waiting for
the dawn which was 20 scs me
hanged
There can be no worse torture. To
wait for the dawn which win see one
hanged In this more decent age
there do not live men who advocate
capital punishment. but then. while
humane people had tried 70 abolish
1t. certain professed "christians' Ind
fought. against It's abolition. with
Christian" minister In the legislature
as the leader Of the antLabolitionlsts
As waited 10 be hanged, wondered
how long such creatures would be
able 10 call themselves "ChristIans"
and get away with II. Such men
could not have imagined my feelings
the feelings OF an innocent man, be-
cauBe lack Of imagination and cruelty
are twins--the sympathetic man Is
sympathetic because he is able 10
imagine the sufferings OF others.
The dreadful hours passed slowly.
Some miles away my sweetheart and
her father waited. My own father
had died OF heart failure when the
news Of my arrest for murder had
been sent 70 him. In this year 200s
OF our Lord there Is no need to har-
row your feelings by telling OF the
horror OF those hours when I waited.
For now VIC arc civilized, and no
longer are VIC the savages OF those
days OF 1850 and before. We do not
do murder in the name OF the law.
But can you imagine the minds OF
those who IN the year 1850 believed
that 10 hang man was right?
AS I waited the warden came to
me. He was a Jap. 1 thought that
he WIS going to offer me whisky or
n minister--for the Jnps arc usually
a kindly people. But no. lie came
to my cell. TO the cell where / waited
for my death. 10 make a deal where
by the land owned by Hammond and
myself would be traded TO the Jap
anese boss OF the district for my froe-
dom. Funny. wasn't II? Becauso I
was going to be hanged for killing
the son OF that same boss who want.
ed the land, whoss orders from Jnpan