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Carl John Alfred Hammerberg. Case No. 5148. Letters Written for Information.
Type of event: Incarcerations
Location: St. Cloud; Stearns County; Minnesota; United States
Document date:
Document type: Gov't Record(s)
Document subtype: Letters Written for Information
Documents: Carl John Alfred Hammerberg. Case No. 5148. Letters Written for Information.
Citation:
Minnesota State Reformatory for Men [St. Cloud State Reformatory}.
Carl John Alfred Hammerberg: Case No. 5148
Inmate History and Record.
Volume 16, July 1920-April 1921.
Case no. 5148, 1921-1924 (entries)
Letters Written for Information.
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No. 5148 The Court: The condition of the defendant both physically and
mentally is good except that the young man is evidently somewhat
unsophisticated
and perhaps easily led. He is not lacking in ordinary mental qualities. His
disposition is good so far as we know; he has no bad habits.
Letters written for information as
follows:
Date: 3-11-21 Name
of Addressee: O. J. Larson, Esq. Address:
Duluth, Minn. Answered:
3-25-21
To following effect: Am unable to learn
anything derogatory about his character. Was obliged to go to work at an early
age to support his widowed mother. His Sunday school teacher says that he is a
boy of good moral character. Hundreds of others took an active part in the
lynching. His release would meet with the approval of the people of Duluth
generally.
Date: 3-11-21 Name
of Addressee: Longfellow School Address:
Duluth, Minn. Answered:
3-29-21
To following effect: Is in our register
for 1916 & 1917. Attended school 62 days without absence or tardiness. (For
percentage of work and conduct see letter in
files).
Date: 3-11-21 Name of
Addressee: Mrs. Betsy Hammerberg Address:
Duluth, Minn. Answered: 3-20-21
To following effect: (By Rev. A. E. Smedberg, Pastor,
Salem SW. Mission Church, West Duluth, Minn.) Always resided at home. Began
smoking cigarettes about 3 yrs. ago. Abstained from alcohol and drugs. Always
kind and obedient to his mother. Brought his pay checks home to his mother.
Disposition at home was always the best. Associates were the schoolmates of his
district. Mother says he did occasionally accompany other boys to the pool
halls. Was a member of good standing of the Good Templer Lodge. (Signed by
mother and sister)
Date: 3-11-21
Name of Addressee: Mrs. M. Isaacson
Address: Duluth, Minn.
Answered:
To following
effect:
Date: 3-11-21
Name of Addressee: Chas. Dennison
Address: Saxe, Minn.
Answered:
To following
effect:
Date: 3-11-21
Name of Addressee: Miss Esther Larson (sweetheart)
Address: Duluth, Minn.
Answered: 3-?-21 To following
effect: Has always conducted himself in a perfectly gentlemanly manner,
when with me. Was not at all erratic. Had a peaceable disposition.
Letters written for information as
follows:
Date: 3-11-21 Name
of Addressee: McDougal Ship Yards Address:
Duluth, Minn. Answered: 3-21-21
To following effect: Was employed by us as Rivet Passer on
two occasions – from 7-23-19 to 10-25-19 and from 4-15-20 to 6-19-20.
Resigned 10-25-19 and was dropped from payroll 6-19-20 because of continued
absence. Consider him a fairly good employee and would rehire him if we needed
passers. Nothing in our files or to our knowledge is detrimental to
Hammerberg.
Date: 3-11-21
Name of Addressee: Union Match Factory
Address: Duluth, Minn.
Answered: 3-21-21
To following
effect: Find that he was in our employ from Apr. 25th, 1919 to
May 19, 1919 and from Feb. 23, 1920 to Apr. 5, 1920. Services were satisfactory
and conduct beyond complaint.
Date: 3-11-21
Name of Addressee: Radford & Wright
Address: Duluth, Minn.
Answered: 3-21-21
To following
effect: Worked for me as helper on machine work in 1916-1917, and while
here was a fairly good boy and seemed to be attending to his business and
behaving himself and was always on time for work. Was always willing to execute
orders.
Date: 3-11-21 Name of
Addressee: Zenith Lmbr. & Box Co.
Address: Duluth, Minn.
Answered: 3-28-21 To following
effect: Was in our employ in capacity as ripper and cut off man, and we
find that he was a good worker, punctual and good natured and a first class
employee. Mr. Baker would not hesitate in hiring Hammerberg at anytime that he
was free to accept a position. I don’t think Hammerberg had any bad
habits, but is easily let, he was inclined to follow along with the
crowd.
Date: 3-11-21 Name of
Addressee: John A. Forsman Address:
Duluth, Minn. Answered: 3-26-21
To following effect: Have never heard of his
connection with any robbery, riot or ill-behavior before the time of the
lynching. Has no bad habits. Is not a bad boy. Never associated with the bad
boys of the community. Not one of those who carry a grudge against society.
Character is about the average young man of his age. He is his mother’s
only support. Has a sister who is married to a man of little or no
value.
Date: 3-11-21 Name of
Addressee: Mr. Peterson Address: French
River, Minn. Answered: 3-28-21
To following effect: Have known him for six years. Was
honest and upright up to the time of his present trouble.
No. 5148
Letters written for information as
follows:
Date: 3-11-21 Name
of Addressee: Mr. Holmes Address: French
River, Minn. Answered:
To
following effect:
Date:
Name of Addressee:
Address: Answered:
To following effect:
C. D. Durgin,
Sec’y. Associated Charities of Duluth wrote 1-24-21: Mother of Carl
Hammerberg has secured a position at the Klearflax Rug Co. and is now earning
$18.00 a week. Last Saturday we took Mrs. Isaacson to a doctor and made partial
arrangements for her confinement. She swore out a warrant charging her husband
with desertion and non-support. Mrs. Hammerberg feels that it will be possible
for her to get along under the present arrangement providing Mrs. Isaacson
(sister of 5148) is cared for during
confinement.
Date: Name of
Addressee: Address:
Answered: To following
effect:
C. D. Durgin, Sec’y. Associated Charities of
Duluth wrote 1-17-21: Alfred, the father of Carl Hammerberg, was convicted of
murder and sentenced to life in Stillwater. Was pardoned after serving 15 years
and returned to Sweden. Mrs. Hammerberg has been virtually a widow for the past
eighteen years. She has been forced to care for herself and her two children. Is
a practical nurse, but her work is not at all steady. Home is neat, but poorly
furnished. Carl’s sister states that Carl has been very good to his mother
and contributed to her support when necessary. Mandus Isaacson (Carl’s
brother-in-law did not support his first wife properly and their children were
made wards of the State and then given out for
adoption.
Date: Name of
Addressee: Address:
Answered: To following
effect:
Rev. A. E. Smedberg, Salem SW. Mission Church, West
Duluth, Minn. wrote 3-?-21: Members of the Good Templer lodge and neighbors have
advised that he is a respected, kind-hearted boy and is a maintenance of the
family of which he is part. His mother is in real need of him. She appears to be
a kind, faithful, loving woman. Her daughter has been recently deserted by her
husband. The daughter has now given birth to twins and expenses are largely
increased.
Date: Name of
Addressee: Address:
Answered: To following
effect:
C. J. Johnson, Saxe, Minn. wrote 4-16-21: He always
seemed satisfied to associate with our family and remained right with us. Was
very much of a coward. The last couple of yrs. he has helped his mother for she
is a widow. He has always associated with boys who were much younger that
himself and nice boys at that.
Date:
Name of Addressee:
Address: Answered:
To following effect:
*COPY OF AFFADAVIT SENT BY FREDRIC C. HANSON ATTY DULUTH MINN AND SWORN TO
BEFORE HIM:
Betsy Hammerberg being first duly sworn, deposes and says that
she is a resident of Duluth, Minnesota, and has resided at 421 N.
60th avenue west for a period of nine years; that she is the mother
of Carl Hammerberg, now an inmate of the St. Cloud Reformatory. Deponent further
states that her husband left her eighteen years ago, and that the said Carl
Hammerberg, her son, has been for the past five years, her principal source of
support; that he contributes the sum of $30 per month toward affiants support
during this period of time. A further affiant sayeth not, save and except that
this affidavit is made for the purpose of informing the State Board of Control
of the conditions surrounding the home life of the said Carl
Hammerberg.
Date: Name of
Addressee: Address:
Answered: To following
effect:
*C. G. DURGIN SECT. OF THE ASSOCIATED CHARITIES
DULUTH, MINN WRITES MARCH 8, 1922:
We visited Mrs. Hammerberg, mother of
Charles Hammerberg and apparently she is getting along very well. She is working
at the Klear Flax Lines Rug Co., and earns $18.00 per week. She has only herself
to support as Mrs. Isaacson, the married daughter, is working at the Bethany
Children’s home and lives there all the time. As far as we are able to
learn, there is no cause for Charles Hammerberg to work in regard to his
mother.
Date: Name of
Addressee: Address:
Answered: To following
effect:
Date:
Name of Addressee:
Address: Answered:
To following effect:
Date:
Name of Addressee:
Address: Answered:
To following effect:
Date:
Name of Addressee:
Address: Answered:
To following effect:
Date:
Name of Addressee:
Address: Answered:
To following effect: