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| Marvin Dickson, 1925 |
Two
years ago (April 15, 2013), I sat comfortably sipping my hot chocolate of an
early Monday morning while perusing “The Lewiston Tribune.” I casually took in
the headline of an article reprinted from May 15, 1930: “Kendrick School
Teacher Car Thief on Side; Nabbed at Classroom Door.” I might have passed over
it altogether had not the name in the first line riveted my attention. “Marvin
Dickson.”
Marvin
was my dad’s cousin, the only son of Ben and Ida Dickson, Grandma Ina’s brother. Born
in 1910, he grew up at Gilbert on the homestead to the north of ours in the house
that his father built. (The charming house was sometimes the subject of our posts
until it was torn down in 2013.)
Now,
I knew Marvin had been to the “pen,” not because my parents told me – they
didn’t. Marvin died years before I was born. When I inquired about him, I was
told that he was a flight instructor during WWII and died in a plane crash. He
was married to Lillian and they had no children. And that’s all either of my
parents told me.
No,
I knew Marvin had been in the penitentiary because Ina mentioned it in her letter
to my dad dated January 1, 1933. At that time, Marvin had been released, and
Ina was indignant that he was ignoring her. She felt that she had been supportive
of him through his trouble -- had even sent him a Christmas card while he was
incarcerated -- and now he couldn’t give her the time of day. Marvin’s visits
to her sister Bertha only served to hurt Ina more.
Why hadn't my parents told me about all this? Perhaps they felt Marvin had paid his
debt to society and it wasn’t right to bring it up. Perhaps they felt it was
old history and didn’t need to be rehashed. Undoubtedly a bit of humiliation
lingered that a member of the family should commit a crime. They probably hoped
it would never come up again and I didn’t need to know.
And
you know, when I first read that article, I felt some of that humiliation. “How
can The Trib dredge up this old, hurtful story?” I asked myself. But then I
realized that it was 83 years ago and a matter of public record. Besides,
they did me a favor. Now I know why Marvin went to the pen.
Nevertheless,
I’ve mulled over whether to post this article for two years and not just
because of Marvin. His “partners in crime” were also long-time Orofino people
who, as far as I know, went on to quietly live decent lives and raise families.
Is it really true that some 80+ years later the details no longer hurt anyone? I decided to post the article but remove their
names “in order to protect the innocent.” Come back tomorrow and read about “Marvin
the car thief.” KW
3 comments:
Oh my. Delving into family history can have some strange results. I also know that things can get started and passed around that aren't true. I look forward to your tasteful tale of the event(s).
Here's what sister Harriet had to say:
I knew Marvin Dickson had served time in the “pen”. Grandma Portfors told me. I don’t remember if she told me why he was there only that he stole something. She felt he had paid his debt to society and was not to be shunned. Grandpa Portfors was always quick to give someone a second chance and hired people who had made “mistakes.”
I've pondered the question about whether it's hurtful to republish mistakes of the past. In some instances, the answer is yes. However, we trust the discretion of our author/editor and I believe this circumstance is fairly safe.
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