(seq. 79)

October 1, 1954

Miriam Van Waters
Superintendent
Reformatory for Women
Framingham

Dear Dr. Van Waters:

I have received your letter of Oct. 1 and wish to express my sincere
appreciation for the manner if which you have responded to my problem.

The treatment that I recieved at the hands of the Somerville police at
the time of my arrest in Dec. 1949 and the manner in which my trial was conducted
in Middlesex Superior Court in Dec. 1950 prompted me to bring the matter to your
attention when last you visited Charlestown in the hope that I could gain assist-
ance in bringing a grave and vicious wrong to the attention of an unbiased court
and thereby gain some measure of justice.

I went to trial on Dec. 12, 1950 in Middlesex Superior Court on indictments
charging larceny of an auto, carrying a gun and conspiracy to rob. These charges
stemmed from my arrest on Dec, 15. 1949 in Somerville. I was also tried at the same
time on an additional indictment charging armed robbery which came about as a result
of my escape on Feb. 1 1950 from the Metropolitan State Hospital at Waltham where
two sets of keys were taken from two attendants.

I was convicted of all four charges and sentenced to 15-20 years for armed robbery,
5-7 years. for larceny of auto and 2 1/2 - 3 yrs. for carrying pistol, these sentences to
run concurrently. The charge of conspiracy was placed on file.

A State Police Lieutenant shot and killed an innocent young man who happened to
walk into the police trap set up to capture the man who helped me flee the hospital.
The Lieutenant was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 2 1/2 years in the House
of Correction. The flood of publicity brought about by this tragic mistake made it
virtually impossible for me to receive a fair trial in Middlesex county for the crimes
that I was charged with.

I was not represented by counsel at my trial because I was financially unable to
retain, and the court refused to appoint anyone to defend me.

When I requested that my medical record at East Cambridge and pictures taken at
Som. police station be produced to show that a "confession" introduced by police as
evidence was obtained by force and violence, I was told to sit down and be quiet.

I attempted to point out to the court that I was ignorant of court procedure to
the extent that I could be harmed by my ignorance, but I was harshly refused advice
or instructions.

Presiding Justice Dowd made it more apparent that he was biased when he frequently
interrupted my questioning of state witnesses when I attempted to show that neither of
the hospital attendants, by their own admissions, had actually seen or could describe
in any way the gun that was supposedly used in freeing me from the hospital, yet perm-
itted the prosecuting attorney to bully and intimidate the few defense witnesses who
testified.