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.
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