Salt Lake Telegram | 1941-01-07 | Page 1 | Convict Who Began Life Prison Sentence at 12 Leaves Washington Cell on Parole at 21

Convict Who Began Life Prison Sentence at 12 Leaves Washington Cell on Parole at 21 SEATTLE, Wash., Jan. 7 (UP) Herbert Niccolls, 21, who started serving a life sentence for murder when he was 12 years old, Tuesday went to work as an apprentice In a Seattle Se-attle machine shop, freed by executive parole. Governor Clarence D. Martin Mar-tin signed the parole In Olym-pia Olym-pia Monday night, and Niccolls, who grew up in the state peni tentiary, walked out into the strange, new world of free men. "I'll do everything I can to make good with the help of my friends," Niccolls said. The Niccolls rase, which attracted at-tracted nation-wide attention, began In 1031, when the boy was 12 years old. He tried to rob a store in the town of Asotin, Aso-tin, In the southeastern corner of Washington. Sheriff John Wormcll of Asotin county surprised sur-prised him, and the boy killed the sheriff. Niccolls was sentenced to spend the rest of his life In the state penitentiary at Walla Wnlln. Isolated from regular prison routine, he quickly adapted himself to prison life and was a good student, completing com-pleting his high school curriculum curric-ulum and getting a diploma.