Show CRAZED RAZED WITH LOVE AND WORRy SAYS PlODS PlOD'S I'S IS LETTER LEITER Youth Sentenced to Life V Writes rites Confession to tos s His Father Here The troubles of his son were poured out in a letter received last night by I George H. H Pidd West Fifth South street father of George Pidd the Salt Lake soldier recently sent sentenced to life lire imprisonment for an assault on a Tacoma chauffeur In the letter to his father young Pidd Fidd laid bare every circumstance leading up and subsequent to the tragedy tragedy tragedy trag trag- edy for which he must pass the re remainder remainder remainder re- re of his life life behind prison walls raIls There Is obviously no veiling of facts in the document document- It is the full confession of a condemned man to a grief stricken father written apparently apparently apparently in a mood of intense mental stress yet noticeably devoid of cowardice cowardice cow cow- ardice or fear I I The letter received last nl night ht is the first statement of young young young-Pidd Pidd ever I published his testimony at the court- court martial trial being held by the military military military mili mili- I tary authorities The letter was accompanied nied by a terse note from the sheriff of Pierce county Wash telling tellin of the part played by young YO Pidd in the recent spectacular Jail break at Tacoma The sheriff explains that Tom French one I of the three men who escaped from the Jail after slugging ging the Jailer and robbing a strong box of several hunI hundred bundred hun bun dred dollars in cash and Jewelry was I I shot in an ensuing battle with cers French according to the sheriff sheriff sheriff sher sher- iff is not expected to recover from bin hir wounds wound Young Pidd clearly explains his part partin in the tho prison break Owing to special precautions taken by the military mili- mili tary tarv authorities in m an extra padlock on his cell door he was prevented prevented pre pre- vented it is said from gaining his liberty with the others HERE IS LETTER Following is the Complete text of the young soldiers soldier's letter to his fa father father fa- fa ther Dear Father Father It It is a long time since I last wrote to you I regret that I cannot send you any good news news t jl I am amIn amin amin in Jail waiting to be sent to Leavenworth Leavenworth Leavenworth Leaven- Leaven worth penitentiary to serve a sentence of life at hard labor I 11 did not want to let you k tROW kaow ow anything anything anything any any- thing about It it but Captain Ray W. W Winton Vinton my counsel at my trial and a aver avery avery ver very good friend fiend told me to write home and tell you everything in Dont Don't distrust me father fatherS and think like the people of Tacoma that I 1 am a heartless criminal criminal crimi crimi- nal for I am notI notI not I was crazed with love and worry when I 1 committed the crime which must be paid with my confinement for forthe the rest of my life Since I married I 1 have worried a great deal and I 1 am going to tell you the whole story SHE LOVED HIM HIM When I 1 came to Portland from Yuma I was going to an officers' officers trainIng training training train- train Ing camp and was confined most of my time as I was in school fourteen hours a a tL da day So after school closed I visited Portland quite often and I met the girl who Is now my wife I met her at the Columbia theatre where she was working work worl- t ing The better acquainted I became with her the more I liked her I told her I did not want to marry her at that time but she said that she loved me and wanted me all to herself So Sowe Sowe Sowe we were married in Tacoma on October 13 1917 I was the happiest man on earth I formed a habit of being absent without without without with with- out leave so I could be with my wife I was finally caught and after a summary summary summary sum sum- mary I was sent back to the fourth Forty-fourth h infantry fantry as a private I My iy wife came out to camp on Monday Monday Mon Mon- day December 17 1917 and told me that she was sick She wanted me to togo togo togo go home with her I stayed home until until un un- Un- Un til Friday December 21 On Thursday December 20 she told me she wanted some some money right away so she could get some things from town which she needed I 1 had no money at that time and I asked her If she would not wait waita a few days I had no money at that time I told her if she would not wait walt waita a few days the only way I could get some would be to hit some one in the I head and take it away from them She laughed at me and told me that I would never hit anyone m one because I 1 was too chicken hearted HIT WITH V BARSo BARSo BARSo BAR So I went downstairs we were living livIng living liv- liv liv liv- ing at the Lawrence ce hotel in Murray and got an iron rod and took her to town with me I hired a taxi and the chauffeur drove us to a place just off the county road I was filled with ra rage e and nd I then struck him on the head and knocked him unconscious and took a few dollars I was so to disgusted after I r struck him I only took but a few dollars to get my wife some medicine I l left a about ut flOO and a large diamonO diamond diamond dia dia- mond monO ring on him I knew I 1 would be arrested in a day or two so I went vent back to my quarters and was arrested arrested arrested ar ar- ar- ar rested on Sunday morning December 2 28 23 I was tried by Thursday D December cember 27 21 and s sentenced to confinement for life on Wednesday January 2 1918 DOUBLY SHOCKED I 1 have been confined in Ia a cell with an extra padlock At the county Jail on the night of January 3 1918 I 1 was' was implicated in an attempt to break Jail Being locked in my cell with extra padlocks how could I get away Yo You Yop know how a man on the downhill road roa gets it A Tacoma paper has published published published pub pub- so many reports about me and have put its stories so strong that people think I am a dangerous crimi crimi- nal They have greatly hurt me father It is bad Indeed for me at the very best without being blamed for something I did not doI doI do I was not going to let you know anything about the state I am In but Mr Winter Vinter called on me toda today and told me it would be best and also that as soon a as as' this war war Is over he Is goIng going go- go going Ing to try to to help me He lie surely has been a good friend to me In my trou trou- ble bleI bler I r thought I would get a chance togo to togo togo go to France and make a record for myself but now that chance is far from m me M My wife is being held in the county jail as an accomplice in my case and I am not allowed to see her She Is consulting an attorney but I do donot donot donot not see what he can do with her VeIl Well papa I must close for I 1 think this is enough for one shock But once more imire 1 father ther do not believe that I am ath amas athas amas as the papers say I am I r will try to get those clippings and send them to you ou From ITom your unfortunate son GEORGE j |