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TI: Well, I'm curious, too, you were in jail for nine months, sort of cooped up. What were you thinking or feeling, sort of realizing you were now going to be released?

GH: Well, I'm, I'm like anybody else, looking forward to being out. But I didn't know what the circumstances would be. So whatever circumstances there were, I was expecting it to be cramped, and I was expecting to be sleeping, sitting up sleeping on...

TI: I mean...

GH: ...coach seat.

TI: Right. More than just the train ride, I mean, the anticipation of going to Spokane and being released into the general population.

GH: Yeah. Well, I didn't have too many opportunities. Once, when it was well along, the planning was well along, it takes a while to get this set up, get the government -- and actually, government did some of the initial inquiry. They said, "Your fellow's been in there for over nine months. We ought to get him out, and during the appeal." And he says, "Yeah, but Your Honor, you, you said that he couldn't get bail and be treated like other persons who post bail." So, "...and he refused to go to the camp, even, even though that's more freedom and it's more of a normal type community in terms of sex and age distribution than the jail tank." But he, on principle, said he couldn't accept that. So...

TI: And that's where Floyd Schmoe came in and...

GH: Yeah.

TI: ...made these arrangements for you to get, essentially a job in, to open a branch in Spokane...

GH: Yeah.

TI: ...to, to be released to.

GH: Yeah. The lawyer was asked first, and the lawyer says, "I'll inquire." And he inquired with the committee. And the committee on which Floyd was a member said, "Well, we've got different kinds of programs that might be established in terms of Eastern Washington, which is unrestricted as far as Japanese were concerned. So maybe we could have a special office set up there and he could work out of that office." So discussion went on, and eventually it was set up with Philadelphia having enough money to do this. I was given a monthly salary, primarily to survive, survive salary.

<End Segment 2> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.