OCR Text |
Show PI'S FATHER WILL IPPEITOPREeill Parent of Salt Lake Soldier to Seek Mitigation of Son's Sentence. , , r Special to The Tribune. CAMP LEWIS, Wash.. Jan. 3. George H. Pidd, 920 West Fifth South street. Salt Lake, who writes that he is the father of George Pidd, former private pri-vate of B company. Forty-fourth infantry, in-fantry, who lias been sentenced to life imprisonment for a murderous assault on Lawrence Burquist, Tacoma chauffeur, has asked the military authorities requesting- full information of the case. He says that his son had been away from home for a considerable period and that neither himself 01 or Mrs. Pidd, the mother, knew anything concerning their son's actions. The elder r'idd is understood under-stood as about to appeal to 1 'resident Wilson for a review of the court martial sentence. The son has not as yet left Camp Lewis and is under heavy guard. His wife has returned to live with her mother in Seattle. Burquist, Field's victim, returned to his home in Tacoma today from the base hospital here. He talked rationally for the first time since lie was struck over the head with a heavy iron bar wielded by Pidd. He said he was driving- slowly when Pidd suddenly struck him from behind without any warning-. After that, and until his mind cleared today, he remembers remem-bers nothing:. When seen' at an early hour this morp-iny. morp-iny. Georg-e H. Pidd said: "Yes, George Pidd, who was sentenced to life imprisonment imprison-ment at Camp Lewis, is my son. I have been out to soe the commanding officer at Fort Douglas and he advised me that the less sa.id about my son's trouble tiie better. I shall do everything in my power to help my son out of his rl Ifflculties, and I propose to appeal to President Wilson, and shall ask the L"tah delegation in congress con-gress to bring- pressure to bear in my boy's interest. "I have another son in the army, stationed sta-tioned at Fort Douglas, and my third son tried to enlist in the service of his country coun-try some time ago, but failed to pass the physical examination. "George enlisted as a volunteer on the 4th of January, 1916. as a private. lie wrote to me and his mother from time to time, and told us how he "was promoted pro-moted through all the grades from corporal cor-poral to fireL sergeant. La.t July he wrote us t hat lie had passed the cxandna 1 ion for second lieutenant, but be was ne'v rr appointed to that position. T am anidinsr myself as far an possible in accordance with the suggestions of the commander at Fort Douglas, and will give out nothing noth-ing more for publication." The elder Pidd is a carpenter, rcBidinx with ids wife at the West Fifth South street address. He also is ongaprd ju contract con-tract ing on ft small scale. While he fels his son's trouhle keenly, be i.s hopeful that President Wilson, at the inipn-esslon of the Utah representatives, will commute the sentence nf his son fo 'fmetijng less severe," as he expressed it. |