Jasper County Democrat, Volume 15, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 August 1912 — Newspapers and Dispatches Were In Error. [ARTICLE]

Newspapers and Dispatches Were In Error.

The Democrat received another letter from Harry B. Darling, member of the Indiana .prison parole board. Saturday, regarding the date of the release of C. L. Bader, the Winamac bridge grafter, in which Mr. Darling shows that the Mflinamac Democrat Francesville Tribune and other papers and news dispatches were in error as to Messers Darling and Daily having telephoned Gov. Marshall from Wiugmac to release Bader on Thursday, August 1, before coming to Rensselaer. Mr. Darling,s letter, published below shows conclusively that Bader was nor released from prison until the Friday morning following their visit to Rensselaer. Following Is Mr, Darling’s letter: Editor Democrat:—i note what you say in the last issue of The Democrat relative to the release of Clinton L. Bader from the Mishigan City prison. There is error, I admi i. but the error was in the information received by the Winamac Democrat. Mr. Bader could not have been released Friday night for the report which we submitted to Governor Marshall was transmitted by telephone Friday morn-? ing as the records bf the Laporte telephone office will show, and Bader did not leave the prison until an hour or more later. The only telephone communication had while we were in Winamac or 1 Rensselaer was in receiving a message in your city, transmitted from Chicago, stating the condition of Mrs. Bader. We desired information which would clearly indicate her condition. This was obtained from the hospital in Chicago. The records of the offices in your city and Winamac will fail to disclose any communication with the governor's office in Indianapolis and It was not until my return from that trip that conditions were telephoned as we found them. Warden Fogarty of the prison at Michigan City, and the governor's office at Indianapolis will confirm the truth of these statements relative to our recommendation for his parole and hla release from prison. I appreciate the feeling of fair play which prompted the printing of my first communication and I will appreciate publicity of the •statements herein embodied. Fraternally, HARRY B. DARLING. We note in Mr. Darling’s writeup of the release of Bader, which appeared in the Friday, August 2, issue of his paper, the Laporte Ar-gus-Bulletin, that just as the members of the board were ready to leave the city (presumably Winamac) word came that Mrs. Bader had had another stroke of paralysis in the hospital in Chicago,’* and in communication with the writer in Rensselaer Mr. Darling stated that he and Mr. Daily had gotten into communication with the hospital authorities where she is said to have been and that they were told the same, and that she had burgted a blood vessel In her head and had but a few hours to live, there being absolutely no hope at all for her.

Now one naturally would feel very sympathetic under such conditions, but there has been so many falsehoods told to enlist sympathy in this case by interested persons that one may be pardoned for having a little doubt in the matter of Mrs. Bader’s actual condition. Bader went to Chicago immediately on his release, Friday, August 2, and from that motqent, according to dispatchse, his wife began to improve rapidly; Bader returned to Winamac early last week according to the Winamac Republican, while a Chicago dispatch dated August 8, said Mrs. Bader would be able to return to her home in Winamac in a day or two., f Is it possible’ that Mr. Bader would have left his wife so soon had she been in so critical a condition at the time of the ‘"investigation,” or that she could possibly have recovered so rapidly or so soon? In fact, could she have recovered at all? ' Only recently, it will be recalled. President Taft pardotipd banker Morse of New York who was serving a sentence in a federal prison, because he had but a few days to live. In fact his condition was absolutely hopeless, so the president was led to believe. Yet Mr. Morse recovered in a very few days and is now touring Europe with his wife. ■ I .' , ; President Taft was imposed upon. Possibly our parole board has also keen imposed upon.