GROUP HOPES 'JOURNEY OF HOPE' OFFERS ALTERNATIVES TO DEATH PENALTY

On May 16, Bill Pelke will be on hand for the execution of Timothy McVeigh, arguably the most famous man now residing on federal death row in Terre Haute, Ind.

He'll be standing in opposition to the terrorist's death.

"It's difficult to believe this man is not remorseful," said Pelke, a native of Indiana. "And, I certainly feel for the families of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing."

McVeigh, in the book, "American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing" admitted the bombing that killed 168 people, 19 of them children, but showed no remorse. He told authors of the book he was disappointed that part of the building remained standing when the bomb went off.

Pelke does not condone McVeigh's actions, either in bombing the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, or the book.

But, neither does Pelke condone the execution.

Pelke, a co-founder of the Journey of Hope...From Violence to Healing, a group against the death penalty, was in Cape Girardeau this weekend to discuss his organization.

Pelke, and George W. White, another Journey of Hope co-founder, are among the Journey of Hope touring Missouri at this time. The tour will continue into Florida, New Jersey and North Carolina.

The tour features talks by more than a dozen individuals who have lost a loved one to murder, but who remain opposed to the death penalty.

Pelke, White and others share their accounts of moving from pain, anger and sometimes a desire for revenge, toward reconciliation and healing. They appear before school, college and religion groups. They appear on radio and television talk shows and attend rallies.

"We call for alternatives to the death penalty," said Pelke.

Pelke's battle against capital punishment is the result of a "change of heart."

Pelke's 78-year-old grandmother, Ruth, was stabbed 33 times by four teen-age girls on May 14, 1985, in Gary, Ind.

Ruth died and the girls ended up with $10 and a 10-year-old car.

At first, Pelke supported the death sentence for Paula Cooper, one of the four ninth-grade students involved in the murder.

"My father was for the death penalty," Pelke said.

Three of the girls involved received prison sentences ranging from 25 to 60 years. One has since been released.

Cooper was sentenced to die. And, at 16, was the youngest female on death row.

"I did a lot of thinking," said Pelke. "I thought a lot about my grandmother's faith and what the Bible had taught about forgiveness. I eventually realized that Nana would not have wanted Paula Cooper put to death."

Pelke contacted the Cooper family and wrote Cooper in prison, saying he forgave her. Then he initiated a campaign to get the girl off death row.

She was later re-sentenced to 60 years in prison, said Pelke. Cooper will be eligible for parole when she is 48.

Pelke retired recently after more than 30 years of service with Bethlehem Steel, and is devoting his life to abolishing the death penalty.

He has purchased a tour bus to travel across the country and spread the message of forgiveness and hope.

Wrongly convicted

George White, Journey of Hope's co-founder, had a different experience. He was charged with murdering his wife, and spent 103 days in an Alabama prison before his conviction was overturned in 1989.

It was on Feb. 27, 1985, that White started experiencing first-hand the insanity and horror of murder.

The Whites, parents of two children, 12 and 5, responded to a telephone call requesting they come to the family business.

George and his wife, Charlene, drove there, en route to a movie, to meet the caller and offer their help.

Instead they encountered a gunman who robbed them and repeatedly shot George and Charlene.

"I was shot three times, but survived," he said. "Charlene died."

Sixteen months later, George was charged with his wife's murder. Following a capital murder trial that he describes as "a mockery and a sham," George was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Although his conviction was overturned in 1989 and he was released from prison, George remained in legal limbo until 1992, when proof of his innocence was finally brought forward and all charges were dropped.

Understanding fully how easy it is to become advocates for revenge, the White family -- George and his two children -- reject the death penalty as a solution and as way of healing the wounds of their loss.

Too many times, prisoners have been proven innocent too late, White said. At least 90 people have been proven innocent after they were executed.