The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-07-23
I'm Square With Everybody, y
Declares HiIIsbOrO Sheriff
Delegation Prevented d
From Visiting
Prisoners
By GILBERT ROCKE

HILLSBORO, Ill.-"The sheriff's
down to the jail with the radicals"
mumbled the shirt-sleeved deputy
in answer to our inquiry. With
out looking up he continued a surly
mumbling of directions. AS we left
the sheriff's office and started down
the corridor Of the court house We
we're approached by a friendly
townsman who volunteered to show
us the Jail.
Wherever we turned or stopped,
on a street corner, in a shop, in the
public toilets we were approached.
You're down here to help our
boys?"
We Meet Sheriff Saathoff
WE rang the bell of the red brick
" building, residence of the sheriff
which fronts the local hoosegow.
We waited and not receiving an
answer we rang again and again.
We were tired from our long jour-
ney and it was no hardship to sit
in the comfortable porch swing and
wait. After a while we heard some
one move indoors. Peering through
the screen door into the darkened
interior we found ourselves face to
face with the occupant, Sheriff
Saathoff. He stepped out on the
veranda and seated himself on the
porch swing. His seemed worried
and a nervous twitching of the
right side of his face indicated
mental anxiety and uncertainty.
We introduced ourselves and our
mission in behalf of Jan Wittenber,
whom we knew, and Of course the
other defendants who were being
held on the same charges. We in
formed him that we were delegated
to investigate and bring back a
report substantiating or repudiating
certain details as to causes for ar
rest and treatment of the defend
ants. We wanted permission to
visit the defendants.
Sheriff SaathOff SqulrmS
1T know, I know" said Sheriff
1 Saathoff, "but first I want to
ask you fellows some questions. If
I went to Chicago and acted up
wouldn't you arrest me? Now I'm
square with everybody. I get hun
dreds of threatening letters every
day. Do you think that's right? The
judge, too, he's one of the honestest
men in this country. He gets them,
too. Of course I don't care, I do
what's right. The judge doesn't
care either But that amt no way
to do things. They don't make any
difference to us, they only make us
mad"
ut must be very annoying we
VOLUNTEERED, ito receive all this mail,
but of course, we suppose you don't
read it, just throw it in the waste
basket"
Don't read it! What do
you do with your mail? Of course
l read it. I'm saving it too. Going
TO nave a scrap book"
No doubt you will present these
threatening letters when the de-
PENDANTS are tried" we queried.
who me? No. Sir, not me. amt
that kind of rat. I'm not scared.
I do what's right. 1t doesn't make
no difference to me how many
threatening letters I get" (Threat-
ening letters referred to cards pro-
testing arrest, failing, exhorbitant
bail, etc.
Wittenber Lies and Lies and Lies
ONO, Sir, you can't see Wittenber
~ or any of them. Only families
and lawyers can see them. 1t
wouldn't do any good anyway. Wit
TENDER would only lie to you. They
all lie. He lies to everybody He
lied to the judge. He lied to me.
I heard him lying to his attorneys.
Why if he just told the truth once,
he wouldn't be in there"
What makes Wittenber lie SOP"
we asked, especially to his attor-
neys. Isn't it to his advantage to
be truthful with his attorneys?"
why do you suppose he lies to