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Show RATE STICKS TO INNOCENCE I BUT IS HANGED . Idaho Falls Boy Writes to1 ! Mother Denying Murder Charge IHAaHO PALLS, July 12. Johnj RaMile. who was hanged at the Oregon State penitentiary nt Salem, Friday.; maintained to the last In letters to his mother that he was innocent of the crime of murdfr, for which he; was executed letters" received by his; mother Mrs Ixula Rathio Leffle-1 bein from her son and George M Howard follow Sfalem. Ore. July 5, 1922 'Dear Mother. "I received your letter the other day and wai glad to hear from you, and to hear that you were all well Thls leaves me In good h alth. ' Hear Moth'1), the warden was just I down here and he told me that he' i didn't think that there was a chance for us. Thesp people here sure feel bad about It, If they could stop it 'thry sure would but they can't do a Itbtng Cor us. Weil, C'ear Mother, if we go. pray for us. and be good to Otto: Von know If father was alive' In' wo. I.i have It ;o, nnd I am .-.tie: ! thai you will be good to Otto. I am jawfull) sorry ihat I didn't stay at 'home maybe I wouldn't be here: now ' Well Mother, I wish 1 could have I seen you before I wen: up I wanted' i to tell you something, but 1 guess 1 L won't sec you again on this earth ; Hut we Will meet again on the next ; We haven't seen our lawyer yet, and I don t l.now whether he will be down hO)'B or not. don't know why he! did not file our case when he was up ;.i Washington, He .lid not go up; there soon enough, or maybe there was something else the matter thatf he did not Hie t hi m CLAIMS INNOd ATI-;. "Dear Mother you know tht J am I not guilty of killing anybody, and, Ood will make it all come o'jt alright' .In the end Maybe God has some-! (thing like that in store for the men ! Who send us to this nnrt maybe they on I like it so well either. Godj works In a wonderful manner. 1 pray an : hop that God will have mercy on j them. ''Air George Kochler was here to tr.'k to me. and he gave me the let- . ter you wrote him. I don't know wiKihei will be abb; to read it or! ; not ; I haven' I read any German for quite a while. But I'll have Mr. Wfedell r.a.l it this afternoon when he comes down here 1 heard he was coniim.-! down. "Hear Mother. George Howard is going to wr.tp you a note, and vou can write to him; that Is, If we go up Von know there might something . "owe no to stop the execution. 'S . Hear Mothe,. f have to go. 1 f want v i i to live for otto and the otb : children. Von know that God knows besl what to do. and if we go it will be God's will and nothing can stop it. MESSAGE FROM DOCTOR. "Dear M?othor. if I go I will write you another letter just before I go up Dr. Brumileld told me to tell yOU hello. I believe his -wife will write you a letter. I don't know for run', but I think she will. Jim to'd me to tell you 'hello.' He will write you a little note in the next letter I write to you. "Well, Mother, I will close now I'm sorry Hannah did not write to me, and Otto, too. I'll write them a letter let-ter tomorrow I was hoping to hear from Olga. but I gues she has too ; much work to do. taking care of her babies I'll write to her today "Wei!. Mother. I will now say goodbye good-bye and God hlew you and keep you. .'i. all the kids B kiss for me and j bless then). God bless you "Tour son. J 'UN L RATHIE. "Salem, ore., July 5, 1 922. j ' Dear Sit- Lilliun: I will write you a few lines and tell you that 1 love you, and that 1 I ini glad that vou are at borne and can hp mamma. You know, mamma lis geMIng ..id. no you want to help her .all v ou can. Vou want to read Uiis to Fred and Johnny and the t wo babies. Alex and Freide Tell them that John loves them, nnd tell them to pray for me and tell them to be awfully "good to mamrnn te i them thnt t;...l OU love I hem If thej are good to mamma Say. lJllian. when you go to school n "s v.-intor you want to learn all you Can: It will help vou when vou get older Tell the kids to learn all th-M can too. will you ? ' I sure wish I could BOO vou all, but I won t on this earth, so tell them all I .to le good so that we will meet In 'heaven. And J am sun they can and Will be good, and that I belipve In (them. Well Lillian, little girl. be I good to yhurseli and help others to be good "Well, Lillie. will have to close now hoping this vil find you all well B n un; 0U all lots of love and kisses for jon all. Cheer mamma up and tell her not to worrj too much, and Itha1 ! will meet her In heaven, where then arc many mansions, where w will be one hig family, and where ihen ij nothing but love and peace. Well, good-bye, sister, and Ood bless yoU and keep ou forever. four loving brother, JOHN L RATHIE." 'Salem, Ore.. July 5. 1922,1 M i i.nisia Lefflebein, Dear friend: j "John Is writing today so I wilH wrlta .vou a tew short lines in an- swci to your ever-welcoine letter received re-ceived a tew days ago. I am glad' you enjoyed my letter, and that you; are all well I -have not heard anything any-thing definite of what is to come. But I don't believe wo need worry as I do not believe the boy's time hasj come Really, there are very few peo-. pie in the state who wish to see any-' thing of the sort come to pass. 1 havci known John hero for several months and I cannot believe him as bad as -ome people would like to make hinn out to be I feel pretty bad about ltl all but 1 nll have hopes that some-' thins may be done to save Jack and Jim I will .lose now, hoping this' letter may cheer you up and keep your courage strong. May God bless i you. I am, Your friend, 'GEO. M HOWARD" nn |
