LETTERS FROM THE ROW

Over the last ten years I have been writing a book about an inmate who spent over thirty years in Ohio State Penitentiary and who successfully had a death sentence reduced to whole of life. I am not sure if the book will ever be published but I do want to finish it. I wrote to James over a number of years until he died, and got to know him very well. I kept around two thirds of his letters and have his permission in writing to use our correspondence as I wish. Today I write to another inmate at Louisianna State Pen who has been on the row for 36 years.

From State V. Mills. On 23 May 1985, James Ethan Mills, an African American, murdered 28-year-old Ms. B at the St Bernard branch of the First Ohio Savings Bank in Cincinnati. Ms. B was an innocent bank teller at the bank Mills and his accomplice, Lewis Thomas, were robbing. While Thomas acted as a lookout, Mills forced Ms. B to open the bank’s safe. When Mills saw there was no money, Mills turned to Ms. B, who was trying to hide behind her desk and shot her in the chest. Mills told police that he shot Ms. B because she did not give him what he wanted. The bank’s surveillance camera filmed the entire robbery-murder.

On 2 Sept. 1988, James was sentenced to death for aggravated murder. From this date, a lengthy appeal process started. It would not only show the many complexities involved in being heard, but the almost impossible task the condemned and his or her lawyers had in overturning a verdict, being awarded a new trial, or having a death sentence commuted to life. The due process of law moves at a snail’s pace, and there are many who either give up or run out of time.

So, what makes James special apart from someone I found interesting and a damn good chess player? Why write about him; one of the hundreds of prisoners on death row in America?  

On 20 Jan. 1995, I received a letter from Lifelines, an organization in Cambridge that, on behalf of American prisoners on death row, looked for pen pals. I had spent several months giving this a lot of thought after reading about Lifelines in a newspaper article. For two years, I had suffered very deep depression and had spent much of my time trying to write a thriller novel. My initial letter was an enquiry, and I must say that I was not so much surprised as satisfied with the reply.

Lifelines take care to point out what the organization is not, as well as what it is. Two weeks later, I received a letter from the Lifeline Ohio coordinator at that time, Ms. H, a lady dedicated to helping the death row inmates and a staunch supporter of the abolition of the death sentence. My new friend was James Mills A205-556. I spent a week as I recall, composing a letter that I found incredibly hard to write. To find something to write about without making any enquiry and comment about what James had done and steering the letter away from the death penalty and the prison authority was hard. Unfortunately, although I have around two thirds of the letters that James sent me, I did not keep a copy of any that I sent him.

James was intelligent and had a wicked sense of humor that carried him through many moments of pain, both psychologically and physically during the eight years we wrote to each other. In my first letter that I took so long to compose, I touched a nerve, and his response helped to explain what kind of man he was. (I reproduce his words as written without editing)

He wrote – I do not stand in judgement of anyone, as long as they’re comfortable with themselves, then who am I to judge them? If memory serves me correctly, I think our heavenly Father reserved that right unto himself – correct ??!!

You have a keen insight, Ray, and I think we will become very close friends. You mentioned something that no one else I’ve ever written has ever mentioned, and that’s the periods of “hopelessness” that we here on the row sometimes go through. To that, I would add “helplessness!” Or when one feels absolutely defeated in all their attempts to come to grips with this situation! I find myself in this position at times, and the last thing I need is someone fawning over me!!!

I do not know much about James early life or his family. There was a sister. His relationship with her was fractious, and eventually, it ended after an argument over a typewriter. To some, that would sound like a trivial matter, but to someone on death row, it was the most important part of their lives, a passage of hope and salvation. It was a way to express oneself to the outside world, warts and all as I would find out for myself. James was intelligent and well-spoken, but his inner voice, the voice of the streetwise criminal, overpowered the smart man and was more vocal and typical of his surroundings.

So why write a book about James Mills?

James had a mindset that would not weaken in the years we wrote to each other. He was determined to survive the sentence of death by using the system to his advantage. That meant understanding the law and understanding how a lawyer worked although sometimes James cursed his overworked lawyer for taking months on resolving a particular issue for him. He also realized at an early stage that he needed to educate himself on how to use the prison rules and the strict authority that ruled his life. Around him were prisoners who spent much of their time protesting their innocence or resigning themselves to the inevitable. James would have none of this.

We never spoke about his crime, but a couple of times he did bring the subject of execution up when explaining a prison admin practice that I found particularly brutal and inhumane. Prisoners received a notice asking them if they wanted to be executed by Lethal Injection or by Electric Chair. Ticking the appropriate box and initialing the statement was an admission of guilt and a serious blow to the appeal procedure. James guessed this and wrote ‘Neither’ and handed the information back.

It was hard trying to separate James from his heinous crime, but he never knew I had discovered his story and so I was treated to the other James that spoke of life’s ups and downs and what was wrong with the political system and how we should treat one another. He had many views on Russia and communism too. It was a strange position to be in, but one I found very interesting – playing chess with an intelligent man who could have had a useful and fulfilling life. It was a life he chose to end by murdering a bank teller.

I chose to write about James because he was an unusual man who took on a legal system and through education, single-mindedness, and sheer determination to survive, had his sentence reduced from death row to life. A victory after years of legal fighting and self-education. James’s success was not only a victory for him or the many other black prisoners; it was a victory for every prisoner, black and white. A sad reminder that there are many men and women awaiting execution.

James Ethan Mills won his battle and transferred to the Pickaway Correctional Institution in Ohio. On 17 Jun. 2013, he died at the age of 71. His first parole board hearing would have been in February 2051 at the age of 109.

Before I wrote the first letter to James, I decided to read as much as possible about American jails in general and of course, the death row conditions in various States. For example, from 7 Dec. 1982 until 8 Jul. 2020, 570 inmates have been executed in Texas. That is fifteen a year.

There were pages of facts and figures on various facilities and the conditions the men existed by on a day-to-day basis. After a few days of reading, I assimilated enough information, albeit a scratch on the surface, that created the background I needed to put me in the right mood. I had one burning question that I wanted satisfying after receiving his first letter and then discovering his crime, but the answer took a long time in coming.

Why did James, so intelligent and with a life full of opportunities ahead, plan such a stupid crime that ended in tragedy? What did he think when he pulled the trigger in a moment of frustration, forgetting those he loved and the consequences of his action? 

I must point out that this is the story of James Mills and not a form of support for the abolition of capital punishment. Where I note facts and figures, they are purely illustrating and supporting something that James mentions, or I explain in detail for the reader.

I need to reproduce the first letter in its entirety rather than explain why it affected me so much. While reading it, I paused several times, trying to figure James out. I do not know what I expected, but James spent some time composing the letter, discussing several issues and introducing himself. He had read my letter, given it a lot of thought, and then used my information and turned it into a profile. I must admit I was emotional as I read his words, for no other reason than the fact that I could not understand why he murdered someone.

It was the first letter but the most important. A man on death row had not sent a ‘milkman’s note’ saying Hi or a plea for help. He had typed a long letter that, despite some bad language, was worthy of keeping for posterity. The first paragraph hooked me, both as a reader and a writer.

James letters and excerpts from them remain unedited as he wrote them.

James E Mills / A205556

Mansfield, Ohio 44091

USA

4 Jun. 1995

Dear Ray,

I am in receipt of your letter dated: 27/05/1995, and I thank you very much for your thoughtfulness, and kindness.

As a matter of fact I was sorta looking forward to making a new friend, and was just about to contact the Ohio State co-ordinator for LIFELINES, Ms. H, and ask her assistance! Someone, or something,must have felt my need, in any event, I thenk you for writing.

I would very much like to correspond with you Ray, and in doing so, perhaps gain a degree of your friendship. It is with this in mind that I feel compelled to respond to your opening paragraph concerning the conditions being better here at Mansfield, than they were at Lucasville. I will concede that there are significant differences, but in these matters, I suggest that they be veiwed in contex, and understood as being relative, i.e. , “foot removed from the neck and firmly placed on the chest!” That is a bit better, isn’t it? Also, I question the source of the information your ‘contact’ has. If it is from the administrator’s of these “shit pits,” then, if I were you, I would have serious reservations also. On the other hand, if the source is from an inmate, I would question it even more carefully, and with a bit more scepticism. For there is probably a hidden agenda lurking.

Ray, you impress me as being an intelligent person, and I will not disregard your intelligence at any time, but I want you to be absolutely sure that YOU want this correspondence as much as I, and that this is not just the manifestation of some momentary whim or caprice! I thoroughly enjoy writing, and will probably write you more than you me (smile), but that doesn’t matter, as long as you respond at some point, I’ll be content!

I don’t know how much information was provided you about me, but I will nevertheless give a thumbnail sketch of myself to you. I am 53 years of age now, and if the sky doesn’t fall before 3 Nov., I will be 54! I am 5’ 7” and weigh around 150lbs. I, like yourself, love to read – anything by anyone, as long as it’s about something interesting! Also, like yourself, I am a diabetic, so I exercise a lot, as per doctor’s instructions. Thus far I have avoided the nacessity of having to use the needle, and am on “GLUCOTROL” tablets  (5mg) twice daily. Aside from that little inconvenience, I am in relatively good health, (knock on wood !!) If we are ever permitted, I will have a photo of myself taken and send you one, meanwhile, I look forward to receiving one from you!! In a manner of speaking, I already have a mental picture of you already, as I sometimes tend to read into a person’s handwriting, what that person looks like. I admit that I am seldom right, still I persist! (smile) I see you as a person who has been through a lot of turmoil in your life, but that has dealt with it, and now have a real solid veiw of the real world! I also get the impression that you have a secret (nothing bad, I might add), and that you take a delight in not sharing it with certain people – “let themsleep,” I can almost hear you saying! Believe me Ray, I’ve got some “silly secret’s also!!” Perhaps once we become familiar with eachother, we will share them together?? By the way, if you weren’t told, I am an African-american, so if you have any problems with this, now is the time to tell me. I have no absolute prejudices, and I let the person decide for themselves how they want to be treated!!

That’s about it, as far as a thumbnail sketch is concerned, of course there’s much more to me than I’ve gone into in these few lines, but why don’t we get to know eachother a bit better before any further explorations? As far as “subject matter,” is concerned, I will discuss anything, as I am liberal minded, and believe in a person’s right to exsist in whatever facet of life they choose! I do not stand in judgement of anyone, as long as they’re comfortable with themselves, then who am I to judge them? If memory serves me correctly, I think our heavenly Father reserved that right for Himself – correct??!!

You have a keen insight, Ray, and I think we will become very close friends. You mentioned something that no one else I’ve ever written has ever mentioned, and that’s the periods of “hopelessness,” that we here on the row sometimes go through. To that I would add “helplessness!” Or when one feels absolutely defeated in all their attempts to come to grips with this situation!  I find myself in this position at times, and the last thingI need is someone fawning over me!!! If, during the course of our correspondence, this should occur, I will tell you, not in an effort to extract sympathy, but to let you know that I may not be in touch for a brief period, okay?

No opologies are necessary regarding your handwriting! Believe me, unless you are adapt at deciphering hieroglyphics, you will appreciate my borrowing this typewriter whenever I write to you!! (smile)

Yes, I have access to a library, but I don’t make to much use of it, as it doesn’t offer to much in the way of enlightenment – if you get my drift!

Unfortunately, I’m not much of a baseball fan, although I do have a superficial understanding of the game, I do not like it very much. I will explain it to you as best I can, but my sports love is BASKET – BALL!! Don’t get me wrong now, I don’t dislike baseball, I just don’t follow it as I do basketball. So whatever question you may have, feel free to ask. If I don’t have the answer, I assure you there are some baseball fanatics in here that will!!! Oddly enough, I come from the city where the first professional baseball team was founded, Cincinnati, Ohio!!! My favourite player is Ken Griffie of the Seattle Mariner’s, and my favourite coach is Sparky Anderson of the Detroit Tigers.

At the present time I do not have a TV, but the one I had lasted an awful long time, given that I got it used in 1988, and it just failed this year, unfortunately for me, right at the beginning of the NBA playoffs!!! I am now in the process of trying to save up enough to buy myself another one, but at the rate of pay we receive for the few jobs we’re allowed to perform, it’s going to be an uphill struggle all the way! Speaking of jobs, you said that your “source/ contact,” said that we were allowed to work – yeah, right! I’ll deal with this one more fully in my next letter, along with other things, that is if you choose to continue this correspondence! Having said that, I’ll bring this to a close for now, and hope that you will write me back. Give my best regards to your friend, John, and ask him if he’s interested in writing to a friend of mine? If so, I’ll send his name in my next letter. Until then, take care of yourself, and be well.

Sincerely, Your New Friend

(Hopefully)

This was an interesting letter and so well composed that it pulled me in. As I recall, I opened it around ten one morning, and it was past noon when I put it down. James was a talker but chose his words with care, and behind those words, you could sense his battle plan to win you over. I decided that I would not rush into a reply but leave things for a couple of weeks so that the letters arrive back and forth once a month. It was also with careful thought that I decided that the last thing I wanted was for him to look like a ‘nice guy’ through his words and win me over. I needed to let him know I could spot bullshit a mile off. As it turned out, I need not have worried. He saw me coming.

After James died, I wanted to write again to someone on death row. I cannot imagine a more unforgiving, dark environment to exist in than a cell that speaks of death and smells of hopelessness. If I can pass on something from James’s experience and understanding of life on the row to other inmates, then he would have taught them a lesson – if they are willing to listen and learn and fight to stay alive. Now I am writing to an inmate on death row in Louisianna. He has been on the row for 34 years and has successfully written two books that I published and at present he is writing a third.

As mentioned, my own thoughts on the subject of the death penalty remain a closed subject.