The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1926-08-06
.Schlapsz StOidly Awaits
Doom AT Wolf Point
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in a while to the movies in Ashley.
But Ashley was 10 miles from the
Schlapsz home and these excursions
were not frequent.
But he was a good worker-just as
good as his brothers. There wa
pride IN Christian Schlapsz' eyes
when she made that statement on the
witness stand. At 10, he drove four
horses on the gang plow. He always
liked to work with horses, he told the
reporter. At u, he knew how to do
all kinds of farm work, and there was
plenty of if for him to do, for al
though there were four older brothers,
it was the custom in the Schlapsz
family for the boys to work out"
as soon as they were able to do a
mans work. So the Oldest boys
worked out, and Martin Schlapsz, the
father, received money for their SER
vices until they were q. That was
customary.
Gives Father Pay
So, Fred, as he is called at home,
helped at home until he was II. From
the time he was 10 he had MIXED
cows-four, five or six, night and
morning, fell to his lot of the Is
MIXED by the Schlapsz, and his
father get the $50 a month that he
earned. A fall from a horse a year
ago laid him up for a month, and
then he went threshing, doing mans
work for 81 a day. But the money
went to Martin Schlapsz.
1t was a red letter day in Fred's
life when he learned to run the
Schlapsz Ford. He was IA then. The
year before, when he was cranking
the car for one of his brothers, il
kicked and broke his arm.
Fred started school at z. He was
: in the fourth grade when he quit at
16. But during that time he had at
tended only 81 months. The school
term was eight months, but the
Schlapsz children could only attenC
in the winter when there was nothing
else for them to do.
For the first five years he wen
! about five months a year; after that
three or less. That was a German
speaking community. German wa
! spoken in the homes, at public gather
: ings and by children at school. Eng
lish was the foreign tongue to them
a language to be spoken to teacher
! and to others who couldn't understant
German. Small wonder that Ere,
often finds it difficult to express him
self in English.
The little mother might have like
I to help her children with their les
sons-she is that kiLd of a mother
but what chance had she? Seven chill
! dren in less than nine years. lively
in 10 years. Ferdinand, the fifth o
nine boys. Always baby to be tend
ed, and another one hanging to he
skirts. Mouths to be fed and back
to be clothed. There was no time
think about a new language.
|, Cherishes Testament
r The Schlapsz family are Germa
Lutherans. Christiana Schlapsz wa
d not too busy to teach her childre
= their prayers. Fred began to "rea
for the minister" when he was Il
He was confirmed at Ia. He sti
cherishes the little testament the min
lister gave him at that time. Whe
a he was asked as he sat in the ce
h if he would like some books to rea
his face lighted for an instant an
e, he pointed to his testament saying:
It have a book here that I read"
Y Martin Schlapsz, Freds father, die
Il last winter shortly after the famil
had held farm sale.
Y The boy has much Of good in hin
$ he loves his mother. She has care
ID for him on the few occasions whC
he has been i'll, has ministered
n him when he suffered from seve
J., headaches. She has taught him VIII
l. is right, and he is stung with remor
when he realizes that his crime HI
D. brought sorrow to her.
w And Mrs. Schlapsz is fair minde
n. In her heart she knows that no me
ter what it may cost her to lose h
d boy, the penalty that he must suff
Y, is commensurate with the crime. 5
s. knew Mrs. Geisler, knew that S
r. was to become a mother in a she
Elk time, and she cannot understand h
her boy could kill her. cit is hare
r. she sobbed brokenly when they tC
Az her as gently as they could that t
verdict was the death sentence. Tn
NJ after a bit she added: "But 1t mi
:, have been hard for the other moth
too"
They had a religious ceremony
OF the jail Sunday. Young Schlapsz5
IS ouested it. The mother and brotht
were here and a German speak,
re Great Falls Tribune.