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4A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL July 20, 2016 O PINION Offbeat Oregon History Who had the motive to frame an innocent man? Everyone did BY FINN J.D. JOHN For the Sentinel here: They all bungled it badly. First, they didn’t secure the crime scene; the train stopped at several stations, with people freely allowed on and off, be- fore law enforcement people met up with it at Eugene to start the investiga- tion. And when the agencies fi nally did get involved, they did it like a pack of paparazzi at the Oscars. There was the Lane County Sheriff’s Offi ce, the Eu- gene Police Department, the Oregon State Police, the railroad’s own in- house detective bureau, and, once they got to the scene, the Linn County Sher- iff’s Offi ce. Federal investigators from the U.S. Navy and FBI soon weighed in. Witnesses were interviewed and re- interviewed, all in a big room so that they could hear each other; naturally, their stories started to infl uence one another. Evidence was mishandled, stepped in, tracked around, and then cleaned up. Then, to top it all off, the railroad company parked the “murder car” on a spur line right next to the big- gest U.S.O. facility in the region for a week, where it (and any lingering un- compromised evidence) received hun- dreds of visits from curious soldiers and sailors. A day or two later, the story was in the headlines nationwide, and federal law-enforcement offi cials were mak- ing some very nasty remarks about evidence-handling and crime-investi- gating skills out in Oregon. A nation- wide public-relations disaster was in the offi ng. That much we know, as a matter of public record. Here’s the speculative part of the scenario: Oregon authorities can see it’s im- portant to fi nd somebody to pin this on, and fast, so that they can get back to not being a national laughingstock. But the most likely suspect, Wilson, has had a week in which to get his sto- ry straight, and because he’s white and a military man, any jury will choke on the “reasonable doubt” introduced by their failure to secure the crime scene. Prosecuting him will only result in a high-profi le acquittal that will show- case every detail of their incompetence and make them look even dumber. What’s needed is a fall guy to pin it on. And nobody’s more vulnerable to that sort of judicial lynching, in 1943 America, than one of the train’s I n the cold light of history, the con- viction and execution of Robert E. Lee Folkes was almost certainly a rail- road job. And it’s highly likely that the real murderer of the lovely young Mar- tha Brinson James was none other than the prosecution’s star witness, Marine Corps Pvt. Harold Wilson. As outlined in last week’s column, it was Wilson’s confl icting testimony, along with an unsigned confession likely beaten out of Folkes by the Los Angeles Police Department, aided by the hostility of the jury and some rab- ble-rousing references to Folkes as a “zoot-suiter” in local newspapers, that sent the cosmopolitan young black man to the gas chamber. But why? Why would all the author- ity fi gures, from the railroad’s house detective all the way up to Oregon Governor Earl Snell and maybe even higher, have acted in this way, to hang a man they should have at least sus- pected was innocent of the crime? We can’t really know the answer to that question. But if you consider the consequences that might have resulted from Wilson being publicly accused of this crime, it begins to make a lot more sense — especially in the context of an America in its darkest wartime hour. Southern Pacifi c Railroad Let’s start with the Southern Pacifi c Railroad. Geier, in his book, makes an excellent case for the railroad having had a strong incentive to pin this kill- ing on Folkes. To the railroad, Folkes was a somewhat dangerous man – an intelligent, articulate, well connected black man who also happened to be a prominent member of a union that the railroad really wanted to break. Send- ing him up the river in the face of plen- ty of evidence of his innocence would send a powerful message to members of that union that it could not protect them. Oregon law enforcement agencies The various law-enforcement orga- nizations charged with investigating this crime shared a strong incentive to pin it on Folkes rather than trying to in- dict Wilson for it. The reason was sim- ple: to save face. There’s no ambiguity Please see OFFBEAT, Page 10A LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Why no wireless? One simple question with maybe a slightly more complicated answer: Why, in this age of technology and high-speed fi ber optic cable access, does the Cottage Grove Library NOT have free wireless internet access? It seems like a major oversight and travesty for users of a public library, paid for in part by tax dollars, for there not to be a free public wireless virtual on-ramp here in our little town to the information superhighway. Residents should not have to go searching for open wireless networks in bar rooms and coffee shops here and consequent- ly feel compelled to buy something at either for the privilege of using their networks. Cottage Grove should not be a city of the haves (access to infor- mation) versus the have-nots due to income and ability to essentially pay for a seat at businesses with open net- works. Surely there are grant programs for such a thing? Surely a two-time All-America City and the Covered Bridge Capital of The World can do a little better for it’s citizens? Surely it’s a better use of fi nancial resources than repaving Main Street or re-do- ing a city park (All-America Square)? Ok, there were several more rhetorical and not so simply answered questions. As the kids say, “Sorry, not sorry”. I realize there are many aspects and issues to be explored in this topic. Maybe I have not informed myself and they already have been and continue to be discussed and reviewed regularly. But the fact remains that there is not one public place, to my knowledge, in town where there is free and open wireless access to information in an environment conducive to study and quiet research. I would welcome the opportunity to stand corrected and would buy the fi rst person to do so your next coffee. Stacy L. DeHart Cottage Grove To CGPD: There has been so much resentment and retaliation against police depart- ments all across America simply be- cause of a few incidents where some police have acted without justifi cation of their actions. That hasn’t happened in the Cottage Grove Police Department. I have the highest regards and the utmost respect of the Cottage Grove Police Depart- ment. Thank you for being who and what you are. Cottage Grove is so fortunate to have a police department like the one we have. I’ve lived here in Cot- tage Grove for 74 years. Thank you for making me feel safe and secure at a time when the world and the USA has so much insecurity. Please keep doing what you have been doing. This is an original Bricker saying “you can never assume that a person is guilty of anything just because of their color" but only if they have bro- ken the law. Glen Bricker Cottage Grove Just do it: Both short and long workouts reap big results BY JOEL FUHRMAN, MD For the Sentinel Exercise is crucial for health and lon- gevity. A huge study recently published in JAMA Internal Medicine, on 1.44 million Americans and Europeans, has linked a high level of physical activity to a reduction in the risk of 13 different cancers, includ- ing breast, colon, lung and liver. A low level of fi tness is known to be a risk factor for cardiovas- cular and all-cause mortality. So there is no question that exercise is a key factor in the health and fi tness of your body. Yet, for many people the ques- tion is how much time and abil- ity is necessary for exercise to be benefi cial? The good news is even short sessions of exercise bring big results. The bad news is Americans are not getting enough exercise. How much ex- ercise is enough to be valuable? $ PUUBHF ( SPWF 4 FOUJOFM 116 N. Sixth Street · P.O. 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The current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans call for adults to do a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate inten- sity aerobic activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, and they recommend doubling that amount of activ- ity for additional substantial benefi ts to health. In addition, the guidelines call for moderate to high intensity strength train- ing at least two days per week. The percentage of Americans who meet these guidelines has improved from 15.1 percent in 2000 to 21.5 percent in 2014, but that still leaves the vast majority getting inadequate activity. Even a small, regular dose of exercise makes a difference. In a pooled analysis of six studies, people who got regular exercise but a smaller amount than the federal recommendations still had a 20 percent decrease in mortality risk compared to those who were sedentary. Those who met the recommendations had a 31 percent decrease in risk; the risk reduction reached a plateau at 39 percent for 3-5 times the recommended minimum of ac- tivity. Studies on runners have found similar results. Large reductions in all-cause mortal- ity risk are commonly found in groups that run moderate amounts compared to those that are sedentary: running or jog- ging about 2-3 times per week, a total of 1-3 hours per week, at six miles per hour or slower. These results suggest that there are signifi cant longevity benefi ts to be gained with even a small amount of moderate exer- cise. That being said, exercising more vigorously (for example, running rather than walking briskly) provides a greater ben- efi t. Comparing exercise of dif- ferent intensities but the same total calorie expenditure, more intense exercise has more po- tent effects on cardiorespiratory fi tness. Also, vigorous exercise is associated with greater re- ductions in cardiovascular risk compared to moderate exercise. Exercise is powerful preven- tive medicine, but many people think they can’t fi t adequate ex- ercise into their busy schedules. Could we use the high intensity exercise strategy to reduce the amount of time we need to spend on exercise for good health (ex- ercise very vigorously for just a few minutes)? This is what pro- ponents of high-intensity inter- val training (HIIT) claim. High-intensity interval train- ing (HIIT) generally includes a short burst (usually 20-60 seconds) of maximum or near maximum effort followed by a recovery period, repeated sever- al times. HIIT is used as a time- effi cient strategy for improving cardiorespiratory fi tness and athletic performance. A notable study on HIIT pub- lished in April sparked head- lines claiming that one minute of very intense exercise could produce the same health and fi t- ness benefi ts as 45 minutes of moderate exercise. The study compared traditional endurance exercise to HIIT by assigning previously inactive men to three different groups for 12 weeks: A sedentary control group; an endurance exercise group (three days per week: 45 minutes on a stationary bike at a moder- ate pace, including a 2-minute warm-up and 3-minute cool down); and an interval training group (three days per week: 2- minute warm-up, 20 second all- out sprint, slow two minutes, 20-second sprint, slow two min- utes, 20-second sprint, 3-minute cool down; a total of one minute of high intensity activity). Before and after, the research- ers took muscle biopsies and blood to measure indicators of cardiorespiratory fi tness and in- sulin sensitivity; they also mea- sured body composition. Both groups saw improvements in their body fat percentage, car- diorespiratory fi tness, insulin sensitivity, and skeletal muscle markers of fi tness and glucose metabolism. The striking fi nd- ing was that the improvements were similar in the two exercise groups. This study is notable because of the small time commitment they studied – 10 minutes, three days per week. At the end of the 12-week study, the total time spent on stationary bikes was 27 hours in the moderate intensity group and six hours in the HIIT group, but the benefi ts were similar. One of the most common rea- sons people choose not to exer- cise is because they think they don’t have enough time. This re- search suggests you don’t need much time at all. Dr. Fuhrman is a #1 New York Times best-selling author and a board certifi ed family physician specializing in lifestyle and nu- tritional medicine. His newest book, The End of Heart Disease, offers a detailed plan to prevent and reverse heart disease using a nutrient-dense, plant-rich eat- ing style. Visit his informative website at DrFuhrman.com. Letters to the Editor policy The Cottage Grove Sentinel receives many letters to the editor. In order to ensure that your letter will be printed, letters must be under 300 words and submitted by Friday at 5 p.m. Letters must be signed and must include an address, city and phone number or e-mail address for verifi cation purposes. No anonymous letters will be printed. Letters must be of interest to local readers. Personal attacks and name calling in response to letters are uncalled for and unnecessary. If you would like to submit an opinion piece, Another View must be no longer than 600 words. To avoid transcription errors, the Sentinel would prefer editorial and news content be sent electronically via email or electronic media. Hand written submissions will be accepted, but we may need to call to verify spelling, which could delay the publishing of the submission.