Judd -- WInnie Ruth - Montgomery InGenWeb Project

Ruth Judd's Parents in Statements To Their Daughter Oh! My darling, precious Ruthie, you know mother has always loved you with a perfect love, ever ready to forgive you, no matter what you did, and our blessed Savior is more willing to forgive and give good gifts to them that ask Him, than parents are to give good gifts to their children…. Praise God…He bore our sins on the rugged cross of Calvary, O Ruthie, dear, precious child, believe and received Him this moment into thy heart. I love you unto death, but my death could not save you, but His death can save you by believing He is the One who is ready and willing to call upon Him, O God, bring the whole world to repentance and salvation. "Mother." To Any and All Concerned This night that marks the close of an awful week of our dear child's time of being a fugitive from justice, to the beginning of the dawn of day when once again, in a radical sense, the law becomes her friend instead of her enemy, shall ever to us, be observed like Israel's of old, one of the beginning of God's mercies in answer to prayer. HJ McKinnell.

Darlington Oct 24  -- An equity in a very modest cottage in this strictly rural town of Darlington is for sale today, to enable Dr. and Mrs. JR McKinnell to get to Los Angeles where their daughter, Mrs. Winnie Ruth JUDD, is under arrest for the murder of two young women. All the money the retired Free Methodist Minister and his wife have is invested in the home "at the end of the street" as the townsfolk describe the house. "We will get to Ruth somehow, some way," Dr. McKinnell said today. "We have no money other than is in this house and we owe $600 on it. We hope to get to Ruth before the beginning of her trial." The countryside, however, may come to the assistance of the elderly couple for the Darlington Herald and Crawfordsville Journal & Review newspapers today started campaigning for funds to finance the trip. Sitting in an old automobile seat which had been made into a porch swing, Dr. McKinnell mused over the past when his daughter was a lively, vivacious girl. He said in recent years however, her letters had told of her being overworked and being too exhausted to write at any length. "I am writing to Ruth, through the police, and giving her encouragement," the 71-year-old father said. "Had I been her age I probably would have disappeared, too, following the fight and what happened." Dr. McKinnell continued. "Of course, it would have been better for her to have surrendered immediately, but youth does not always think things out clearly. We feel, and we want her to feel, that the law is her friend, rather than enemy." Lack of money had forced Mrs. Judd to work beyond her strength and endurance in recent years according to Rev. JR McKinnell. He said Dr. WC Judd, her husband had been seriously ill while living in Pheonix, AZ and had been confined to a sanitarium for five months. Ruth had to work and work hard, though that period and after," he continued. "She became very nervous and her letters home were short. She was too tired to write much at a time. We heard from her last about 3 weeks ago. I am glad she surrendered last night. It was a relief to her mother and to me. We know little of the particulars that led to the tragedy of the young women in her letters but I cannot remember which one." At that moment the postmaster delivered a sheaf of letters personally at the home. Two of the letters bore Los Angeles postmarks. "They are all letters of sympathy and there is none from Ruth or Dr. Judd. Dr. McKinnell said. He added that sympathetic letters had been received from many parts of the country. The. Rev. a soft spoken man looked hard for a moment when he recalled that newspapers had carried an article telling of Mrs. Judd's alleged kidnapping from Olney, Illinois several years ago. "That report from Olney is as crooked as a barrel of fish hooks." Rev. said. "There was little ground for it. Ruth was kidnapped but she was away from home but a few hours. She was not returned in a partial nude condition and she had not been debauched." The article the father referred to was to the effect that the girl had been found attired only in a sack in a barn lot two days after her disappearance. The same article alleged that Ruth had said she had been assaulted.

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--- Darlington, Oct 23 "I'm so glad it is a wonderful event to us," were the first words of Rev. HJ McKinnell, 72-year-old-father of Mrs. Ruth Judd, when he was informed that his daughter had sought on the west coast since surrendered to the police at Los Angeles. Mrs. Judd had been Monday, accused of the slaying of Mrs. Agnes Ann Lerol and Miss Hedvig Samuelson. The retired Free Methodist Minister, bent under the mass of troubles that had been heaped on his head during the past 4 days, appeared grateful that his daughter had been found alive, evidently fearing like other members of the family that she might end her own life. Mrs. RP Niswonger, a sister-in-law of the minister and aunt to Mrs. Judd exclaimed, "Thank the Lord, she is safe." Assured that his daughter was safe, the Rev. immediately began making preparation to go west to lend his aid to his "Ruthie." "As soon as we can make the necessary financial arrangements, we shall leave Darlington to be at our daughter's side," he said. "We would live in a log hut the rest of our lives, in order to be near Ruth, even to talk to her through the prison bars." Rev. McKinnell was not informed last night that his daughter had confessed to the double slaying of her former friends for fear that the shock might further enfeeble him. News of the surrender of Mrs. Judd was broken to the superannuated minister by Charles A. Marshall, editor of the Darlington Herald. Mr. Marshall went to the humble home shortly after 9 p.m. On arriving there he found the house in darkness and it was only after repeated calling that his summons were answered by Richard Niswonger, nephew of the minister and cousin of the confessed slayer. The youth then called Rev. McKinnell, who had retired. "I come to tell you that Ruth has surrendered." ….there is MUCH more on this case throughout the papers for the upcoming weeks.

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Thanks to Ginny for these two  ---- and thanks to wikipedia for her photograph