(seq. 2)

[enclosure 5 November 1931]

COPY

Rockford, Illinois,
November 4, 1931

Miss Julia Lathrop,
Rockford,
Illinois.

Dear Madam:-

As the father of Russell Robert McWilliams, I desire to give you by this statement a history of the life of Russell Robert McWilliams as nearly as such a history can be given by the father of a boy.

Russell Robert McWilliams was born on August 16, 1914 at Jerome, Iowa. I am his father and Maggie McWilliams is his mother. I was born in Adams County, Illinois. My wife was born in the State of Kansas. Russell Robert attended the grade schools at Jerome, Iowa and after we came to Rockford Russell Robert attended the grade schools here in Rockford, first attending the Wight School, one week at Lincoln Junior High School and then the balance of his grade school here at Rock River Consolidated School. He finished the 7th grade and was commencing the 8th grade when family conditions demanded that he be employed. When he was 13 years of age he and several other boys went into a home near where we live and took some articles of personal property out of the home and afterward when this was discovered the articles were returned and all damage paid in cash by me and the fathers of the other boys. Russell Robert went to work when he was 14 1/2 years of age at Chappell Bros. in Rockford. Illinois and he has worked steady there until the very day when the murder occurred.

The last year of his earnings amounted to an average of $20.00 per week and he brought home his pay check each week, delivered it to his mother and his mother would give him a small amount of money each week.

I never knew of Russell Robert having used intoxicating liquors until July 4, 1931. Russell Robert developed rapidly in a physical way and became approximately six feet in height during a period of some two years of rapid growth.