Show W 0 SAYS C I 1 M DOES nor OT f PAY an overwhelming majority of the citizens of richfield and surrounding communities were astounded and bitterly incensed over the announcement that appeared in the salt lake papers this week to the effect that the state board of pardons had bad granted a parole to alfred J bird to become effective feb 1 1934 bird bird was formerly assistant cashier of the state bank of sevier here and was sentenced by judge N J bates nearly two years ago to serve from one to ten years at hard labor in the state penitentiary following his conviction on a charge of embezzling funds from the bank in which he waa as a trusted employee we believe we speak the general sentiment of this community when we say that alfred bird has not done sufficient for his crime nor could he atone for the rank injustice he did to his trusting friends and neighbors even if lie he remained behind the bars for the rest of his life certainly a scant two years is not enough time to be imprisoned for the crime of stealing from 40 to over a period of eight years by his own admission even if the question of punishment were not being considered it is a poor example to set for the young people when we allow a man to get away with a crime like that and then merely rest up as aa bird defined his recently for a couple of years what justification is there tor for the truth of the oft repeated slogan crime does not pay if a person was waa lacking at all in the matter of conscience what is to prevent him from stealing some knowing that he will bo be imprisoned for only a year or so and then can come out and enjoy his stolen fruits bird and his family lived in fine style for eight years while this contemptible wretch was robbing widows orphans struggling farmers and everyone else of their mite and posing as aa a brother in the church there is no limit to the extent of the crime which he committed against society here savings of a lifetime have been wiped out business has been depressed lives have been saddened and even deaths are attributed more or less directly to the failure of the state bank of sevier and this failure would not have occurred according to the state bank examiner if it had not been for birds embezzlement Is a short two year prison term sufficient punishment for a man like that bird has haa been a sort of a silk stocking prisoner we understand demanding and expecting to be treated in a manner bea befitting abing his misconception of his place in life no doubt as has been said they would bo be very glad to got get rid of him up there however we dont want him down here at least until he has paid the full penalty for his crime so far as the law lav stipulates anyway levs lets see justice done and the proper example made of this man so that other people win will not be tempted to do likewise with the exPect expectation atlon of a very punishment we really did not feel the depression down here until this thi 9 bank failed then things started to tumble and have not returned to normalcy yet we seriously doubt if our other bank would have failed if it had not been for the nervousness resulting from the collapse of the state bank of sevier which alfred bird dragged down let us get busy and use our influence with the board of pardons to see that this man is not again turned loose upon society at least until he has been made to realize th the e full significance ance of what he has done certainly he has not reached that stage yet |