The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-01-09
MOTHER LOVE REFORMS SON
PRISONS COULDN'T HOLD
SOciety's POnderOus Machin-
cry Goes TO Defeat Before
Her Caress
SCALED PRISON WALLS
WhAe-H Haired Woman as His
Guard, ex.PrisOner Enjoys
Freedom
(By NEA Service.)

Kansas City, Mo. Jan. 9.-Soc.
iety's ponderous machinery Of law
its walled prisons and grated cells
have gone down to defeat under the
subtle influence Of mother love.
Affection of little white haired
woman here has done more for the
genuine regeneration of Bill La
Trasse-"her boy"--than all the
combined attempts at an artifc.ally
imposed morality which shuttled him
from one penal institution to an.
other as a reputed bad man, train
robbcr and desperate jailbreaker.
The story does not bear the pulling
brand of sympathetic pathos.
Instead it centers about spon.
taneousl element as quick and earn
est as the wellsbrings of devotion
in the mothers heart.
In Again, Out Again
Jails, seemingly, were never made
for La Trasse. With astounding i'm
punity he scaled their walls and went
abroad with a gun.
In Kansas they tried and convicted
him but he fled the penitentiary bar
riers and in his dash, led several
others to freedom.
The same episode was a repetition
of similar breaks from bondage
among them being his successful
self-liberation from lookup at
Kansas City, Kas., where he was
temporarily being detained following
single robbery of fast cx-
press in which 20 passengers were
politely relieved of their effects and
valuables.
Bold and daring, La Trasse, by
authorities, was regarded as in
'durated--"with hide which neither
fear nor God could touch"
Such was his status when local
authorities brought him back from
the Illinois state penitentiary, where
he had been serving sentence for
robbery under different name.
The folks back in Illinois, through
some unknown manner, had been
able to keep "Bill" successfully
locked up.
But once back in Kansas follow
ing his trial and conviction for an
offense which started him to the
'pen" once more with 10 long years
ahead, he broke from custody and
once more "hit the wide and open
spaces with gun"
Subsequently he was captured
Jail doors yawned.
And "Bill" became just "num-
her" again as so otter before in his
life.
Love Makes Him Whole
But the "big thing" as he calls it,
was yet to happen.
One day his aged mother, 70, came
to see him.
She took him in her arms. Here
was one person who believed in him
who loved him despite it all.
Would Bill respond? That was
the>question prison authorities asked.
Before a priest he swore never to
knowingly break the law again.
Thus came his answer.
lieves in him and has confidence that
he will keep his word, Gov. Jonathan
NJ. Davis has accepted the ex-
bandits pledge to 60 straight.
Unguarded except by the little
white e-haired woman--the same one
who brought him back" Bill is out
of the Kansas penitentiary enjoying
Today leave of absence.
This vacation away from the walls
and grated cells is being spent with
the white-haired one-his mother
who loved him so much that she
made a man out of Bill.
Made a man out of him to such
extent that as he twines his AIMS
about her neck, conscience, or what
ever the inner man is that affection
stirred to life within him, prompted
the ex-bandid to say:
IF reckless young fellows knew
the other end of the lane, as l do,
they would go home to their mother,
stay at home nights and stick to a
job.''