Jasper County Democrat, Volume 10, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 August 1907 — MAY BE PAROLED. [ARTICLE]

MAY BE PAROLED.

Toni McCoy’s Application Was Not Dismissed, e ' MATTER STILL BEIN6 CONSIDERED And Favorable Action May Be Taken Unleas a Strong. Protest Is Hade. —How the Matter Stands. The Democrat has information regarding the matter of granting of a parole to Tom McCoy, the former Rensselaer banker and republican political boss, of this congressional district now serving a sentence of from one to three years in the Michigan City penitentiary for embezzling funds of the bank, that is not generally known. It has been the enetom it seems, where a convict's prison record is good, to grant a parole at the end of the minimum period for which he is sentenced, which in Tom’s case would be at the end of one year, or abont J uly 1 last. The prison reoords regarding the behavior of a convict came before the board of parole or pardons at the end of this minimum sentence and are reviewed by said board. Tom’s papers came before the board recently and the matter of acting on them has been continned, bat no other action taken. The board meets each month, we understand, and a majority of tbe board, in view of the custom of granting paroles where prison record is perfect akihe end of the minumum senteflce is inclined to act favorably in his case. Tom haß been a model prisoner, it is said, but he is anxious to get out. Borne members of the board are personally acquainted with him and it is thought really want to let him out—the Starke county member who, it has been reported here, had said that he would not vote to parole him at all, is really believed to favor a parole for him and were it not for the fact that there are two indictments still hanging over him in Newton county, where they were sent on change es venue from this court, it is possible he would have been released ere this. It is feared if he were turned loose now that some of the hundreds of depositors who lost their hard-earned money in the rotten bank conducted by Tom. and his father, would insist on these cases being pushed to trial, whioh would probably mean another prison sentence. If .these two cases should be dismissed, or if the indictments should be faulty, no further prosecution could be had. Now, The Democrat has nothing personal against Tom McCoy. He never did the writer by word or deed, so far as we know, any harm whatever. We have never felt that he started oat deliberately to rob the bank’s depositors—tbe money was there and be simply helyed himself to it, believeng believing that alt would come out right in the end. As a gentleman recently put it in our hearing, he “felt Borry for Tom for having such a father and for “old Mac’’ for having suoh a son," and we felt that Tom was not so much to blame as hie sire for tbe way he brought him up and the gang of bloodsucking politicians and blamed fools who hung onto his coattails and made him believe he was “it" as long as the depositors money lasted. Bat, sentiment ought not to oat any figure in this oase nor had a sometimes bad preoedent ought to rule. Here was of a million dollars stolon from the trusting depositors of a rotten bank. The severest penalty that oould be inflicted was not equal to that frequently meted to some poor devil who steals a little food, or.olothing to keep his family from starving or going half olothed. There is a belief among a large percentage of the people that the “big thief” goes scott free, or practically so, while the “little thief” always gets the hot end of justice, and the people es Rensselaer and Jasper county who lost the savings of a lifetime in this rottenest of rotten political banks generally think that the fall extent of the sentence imposed is altogether too little for tbe crime. And who can blame them? If these people do not want Tom

MoCoy paroled and turned loose after serving only a little over a year in prison they should get bnsy and either oiroulate a remonstrance against his being paroled and forward a oopy of the same to each member of the parole board, or write personal letters to each of said members, protesting against his release, or both. Also, they should write or see the prosecuting attorney, R. O. Graves of Morooco, or bis deputy, Mose Leopold of Rensselaer, and urge that the oases over iu Newton county be not dismissed. Now to use a slang pbraze, The Democrat has put you next to what is likely to happen shortly, and if you do not want it done and believe that such action is against public policy, get busy!