Cathy Henderson # 999148
Mountain View Unit D.R.
Gatesville, TX 76528
"Hello, how have you been
? I'm so sorry I haven't been the best at returning your letters.
I have gone through many
difficult emotions the last several months. Please be assured that
it isn't just you that I
haven't written. Its everyone I know. I haven't written a letter
in so long
that I can't quite remember
when it was that I did write last. Its been an extremely difficult
transition from the move.
As if that wasn't enough to deal with, there has been more stricter
rules imposed on us as well.
The one I am finding most difficult is the in-cell crafting because
this is where I found most
all of my solace. I preferred to be left alone in my cell and just
crochet, knit, needlepoint,
or whatever kind of craft I was doing., This is incredible and so
uncalled for. I believe
the few women who choose to work and abide by all the rules should
at least be allowed to continue
their in-cell crafts. This has got to be the most horrible rule that
has been inflicted on upon
us. Yes, it even beats the strip search, the the handcuffing, the
daily cell searches, the
limited 2 hour recreation time. This is the worst punishment that I
can
think of. Unlike the
men, we women are domestic and tend to cling to our femininity. Doing
all
our crafts in our cells
was our way of expressing this. At least it was for me. I was
also able
to give my daughters Christmas
gifts this way. There is no way on earth that I can continue to
do these things with only
2 hours of crafting in the day room from 6-8 pm. With the TV playing,
I'm not even sure that I
will be able to concentrate. It may not seem like such a big deal to
most people but when you are locked up in a cell almost 23 hours a day, 7
days a week, its
a real big deal. At
least I do work and am able to get out of my cell 6:30 am till 3:00 pm M-F.
That does help some but for that same very reason our in-cell crafts shouldn't
of been taken
away from us. It is
getting more and more difficult to see the privileges one is supposed
to get for working.
I'm devastated but will learn to cope some way. I always do but this
new
punishment is a bit too
much to comprehend nonetheless. Okay, enough of my whining,
I feel better now just knowing
you understand and are sympathetic towards my feelings.
No, it would be unfair to
not explain the so-called reasoning behind the taking of our in-cell
crafts so here it goes :
Several of the other women who choose not to work broke several
different rules. One
was caught traffic and trading. In other words, one woman allowed
another woman to borrow
their crochet book to make a craft. Another woman took it upon
herself to not turn in her
crochet books at the end of the night which we are all required to
do. Both women were
given disciplinary cases and mass punishment was imposed.
Thus, the taking of our
in cell crafts. So, armed with these facts I want to make a request.
I want to encourage you
as well as many others to write a letter of protest to the warden here
or maybe even make a phone
call if you choose to do so. Her name is Warden Baggett , the
address is the same.
If you choose to phone the number is 254-865-7226 ext. 16 or the fax # is
254-865-5594. I have
not given up hope to the possibility of us getting our crafts back until
all remedies have been exhausted.
Lets see, let me try to update you on some of the
happenings. First
off, my attorneys, Gary Taylor and Michael Charlon filed a supplemental
brief to the original State
Write of Habes brief that Karyl Krug (my old attorney) filed.
I received a copy of the
brief from my attorneys and I have to admit it s the best I've ever seen.
I am confident that
I will at least get a new trial. I am very proud of my attorneys for
the hard
work they are doing with
little funding. I ask that you continue to make copies of my brochures
and spread them around to
as many people, churches, universities, etc... to whomever might want to give
to my defense fund. My attorneys have certainly proved themselves to
me and
I want them to be able to
continue their work until I am freed. I'm definitely keeping them
for the long haul.
Thank you all for all your help in spreading my situation around. Without
your help, they would be
penniless and unable to pay for investigations, re-enactments,
doctors, and professionals.
My daughter Jennifer received
another report card full of QA's. I'm very proud of her and I
can at least say that if
I didn't do anything else right in my life that at least I did good staying
at home and raising my baby
girl the first 4 years of her life. She is so special and gifted.
I miss her terribly bad.
Despite my sudden departure she is flourishing and I know that she
will be able to achieve
anything that he sets her mind to.
Even amongst all the horrible
changes that have been imposed, knocking me down each time
I try to get up. I
still have many friends that continue to support and uplift me. There
is no
way I could continue without
them. I know in my heart that I would of given up long ago.
Just knowing that you are
there, that you care and are willing to do anything that you possible
can to make my life more
bearable makes all of this suffering worth the while. I want to say
thanks, your friendship
literally means the difference between life and death. I hope
someday we will be able
to sit together face to face, go out to dinner, laugh and share
stories, to strengthen our
friendship and live each day as it was our last. Until that day
materializes, know that
you are often thought ot, that I value your friendship and support
more than you will ever
know. Take good care of yourself and write when you can.
Much love, hugs, and prayers,
Cathy
Please write Cathy at:
Cathy Henderson # 999148
Mountain View Unit D.R.
Gatesville, TX 76528
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