Amish Gather for Last Time Before Prison


    [Bare feet and work boots shuffle on the wooden floor of the Amish schoolhouse as the children settle into tight rows of scuffed metal desks across the room from their parents – the men on one set of benches, women on another, some cradling younger children. They have gathered to celebrate the end of school, but no one claps or cheers. The ceremony is typically in late April, but this school year was cut short to allow some youngsters a few more days of family time before their parents leave for federal prison.

    [It's a happy day on the outside, but not on the inside. On the inside, a lot of times we're crying, but we have to keep our spirits up for the children's sake], said Martha Mullet. Her husband, Sam Mullet Sr., is the group's leader and is among nine men already behind bars on hate crime convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. He was sentenced to 15 years, the longest term of the 16 defendants.

    Seven aren't yet in prison. Come Friday, five of them – four women and one more man – from this tight-knit group in rural eastern Ohio will enter the prison system in various states. That timing made Tuesday's event the last big gathering before the five depart, and the participants gave The Associated Press a rare glimpse into their largely insular community]. – Kantele Franko via Associated Press


    Members of the Amish leave the U.S. Federal Courthouse Tuesday, August 28, 2012, in Cleveland. A breakaway religious group spent months planning hair-cutting attacks against followers of their Amish faith, U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday as they laid out their case against 16 people charged with hate crimes. Such hair-cuttings are considered deeply offensive in the traditional Amish culture. (Photo by Tony Dejak/AP Photo)


    Members of the Amish leave the U.S. Federal Courthouse Tuesday, August 28, 2012, in Cleveland. A breakaway religious group spent months planning hair-cutting attacks against followers of their Amish faith, U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday as they laid out their case against 16 people charged with hate crimes. Such hair-cuttings are considered deeply offensive in the traditional Amish culture. (Photo by Tony Dejak/AP Photo)




    Emma Miller pushes her son in a stroller outside the schoolhouse in Bergholz, Ohio, Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller, along with three other women and a man from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio, will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Emma Miller pushes her son in a stroller outside the schoolhouse in Bergholz, Ohio, Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller, along with three other women and a man from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio, will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Amish boys walk to the school house for their final day of class in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Amish boys walk to the school house for their final day of class in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Freeman Burkholder waits for his at bat during a game of baseball at the farewell picnic in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The picnic was for Burkholder and other Amish people leaving for prison this week for their part in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Freeman Burkholder waits for his at bat during a game of baseball at the farewell picnic in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The picnic was for Burkholder and other Amish people leaving for prison this week for their part in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Amish boys watch a game of baseball outside the school house in Bergholz, Ohio, on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Many Amish families gathered following the final day of school for a celebration and farewell picnic. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Amish boys watch a game of baseball outside the school house in Bergholz, Ohio, on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Many Amish families gathered following the final day of school for a celebration and farewell picnic. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Amish girls play softball after class during an end of the school year celebration on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. The celebration was also part of a farewell picnic for four women and one man from this tight-knit group in rural eastern Ohio who will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Amish girls play softball after class during an end of the school year celebration on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. The celebration was also part of a farewell picnic for four women and one man from this tight-knit group in rural eastern Ohio who will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Emma Miller answers questions during an interview in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller was convicted and sentenced to prions for her role in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Emma Miller answers questions during an interview in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller was convicted and sentenced to prions for her role in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Lovina Miller responds to questions during an interview in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller was sentenced to prison for her part in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Lovina Miller responds to questions during an interview in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller was sentenced to prison for her part in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Amish women fill-up the school house to listen to their children sing during the final day of class on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Amish women fill-up the school house to listen to their children sing during the final day of class on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Amish men and children listen to children sing in a school house during the final day of class on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. The end-of-school celebration Tuesday served as the last big community gathering before four women and one man from this tight-knit group in rural eastern Ohio enter prison on Friday, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Amish men and children listen to children sing in a school house during the final day of class on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. The end-of-school celebration Tuesday served as the last big community gathering before four women and one man from this tight-knit group in rural eastern Ohio enter prison on Friday, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Amish children, first through eighth grade, sing songs in German and English during the final day of class while their families listen on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Amish children, first through eighth grade, sing songs in German and English during the final day of class while their families listen on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Freeman Burkholder carries his son to the school house for a ceremony to mark the end of the school year Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. Burkholder and four women from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Freeman Burkholder carries his son to the school house for a ceremony to mark the end of the school year Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. Burkholder and four women from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




    Freeman Burkholder carries his son to the school house for a ceremony to mark the end of the school year Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. Burkholder and four women from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


    Freeman Burkholder carries his son to the school house for a ceremony to mark the end of the school year Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. Burkholder and four women from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


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Amish Gather for Last Time Before Prison


[Bare feet and work boots shuffle on the wooden floor of the Amish schoolhouse as the children settle into tight rows of scuffed metal desks across the room from their parents – the men on one set of benches, women on another, some cradling younger children. They have gathered to celebrate the end of school, but no one claps or cheers. The ceremony is typically in late April, but this school year was cut short to allow some youngsters a few more days of family time before their parents leave for federal prison.

[It's a happy day on the outside, but not on the inside. On the inside, a lot of times we're crying, but we have to keep our spirits up for the children's sake], said Martha Mullet. Her husband, Sam Mullet Sr., is the group's leader and is among nine men already behind bars on hate crime convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. He was sentenced to 15 years, the longest term of the 16 defendants.

Seven aren't yet in prison. Come Friday, five of them – four women and one more man – from this tight-knit group in rural eastern Ohio will enter the prison system in various states. That timing made Tuesday's event the last big gathering before the five depart, and the participants gave The Associated Press a rare glimpse into their largely insular community]. – Kantele Franko via Associated Press


Members of the Amish leave the U.S. Federal Courthouse Tuesday, August 28, 2012, in Cleveland. A breakaway religious group spent months planning hair-cutting attacks against followers of their Amish faith, U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday as they laid out their case against 16 people charged with hate crimes. Such hair-cuttings are considered deeply offensive in the traditional Amish culture. (Photo by Tony Dejak/AP Photo)


Members of the Amish leave the U.S. Federal Courthouse Tuesday, August 28, 2012, in Cleveland. A breakaway religious group spent months planning hair-cutting attacks against followers of their Amish faith, U.S. prosecutors said Tuesday as they laid out their case against 16 people charged with hate crimes. Such hair-cuttings are considered deeply offensive in the traditional Amish culture. (Photo by Tony Dejak/AP Photo)




Emma Miller pushes her son in a stroller outside the schoolhouse in Bergholz, Ohio, Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller, along with three other women and a man from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio, will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Emma Miller pushes her son in a stroller outside the schoolhouse in Bergholz, Ohio, Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller, along with three other women and a man from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio, will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Amish boys walk to the school house for their final day of class in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Amish boys walk to the school house for their final day of class in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Freeman Burkholder waits for his at bat during a game of baseball at the farewell picnic in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The picnic was for Burkholder and other Amish people leaving for prison this week for their part in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Freeman Burkholder waits for his at bat during a game of baseball at the farewell picnic in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. The picnic was for Burkholder and other Amish people leaving for prison this week for their part in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Amish boys watch a game of baseball outside the school house in Bergholz, Ohio, on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Many Amish families gathered following the final day of school for a celebration and farewell picnic. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Amish boys watch a game of baseball outside the school house in Bergholz, Ohio, on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Many Amish families gathered following the final day of school for a celebration and farewell picnic. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Amish girls play softball after class during an end of the school year celebration on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. The celebration was also part of a farewell picnic for four women and one man from this tight-knit group in rural eastern Ohio who will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Amish girls play softball after class during an end of the school year celebration on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. The celebration was also part of a farewell picnic for four women and one man from this tight-knit group in rural eastern Ohio who will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Emma Miller answers questions during an interview in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller was convicted and sentenced to prions for her role in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Emma Miller answers questions during an interview in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller was convicted and sentenced to prions for her role in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Lovina Miller responds to questions during an interview in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller was sentenced to prison for her part in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Lovina Miller responds to questions during an interview in Bergholz, Ohio on Tuesday, April 9, 2013. Miller was sentenced to prison for her part in the hair and beard cutting scandal against other Amish members. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Amish women fill-up the school house to listen to their children sing during the final day of class on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Amish women fill-up the school house to listen to their children sing during the final day of class on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Amish men and children listen to children sing in a school house during the final day of class on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. The end-of-school celebration Tuesday served as the last big community gathering before four women and one man from this tight-knit group in rural eastern Ohio enter prison on Friday, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Amish men and children listen to children sing in a school house during the final day of class on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. The end-of-school celebration Tuesday served as the last big community gathering before four women and one man from this tight-knit group in rural eastern Ohio enter prison on Friday, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Amish children, first through eighth grade, sing songs in German and English during the final day of class while their families listen on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Amish children, first through eighth grade, sing songs in German and English during the final day of class while their families listen on Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Freeman Burkholder carries his son to the school house for a ceremony to mark the end of the school year Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. Burkholder and four women from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Freeman Burkholder carries his son to the school house for a ceremony to mark the end of the school year Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. Burkholder and four women from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)




Freeman Burkholder carries his son to the school house for a ceremony to mark the end of the school year Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. Burkholder and four women from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


Freeman Burkholder carries his son to the school house for a ceremony to mark the end of the school year Tuesday, April 9, 2013 in Bergholz, Ohio. Burkholder and four women from this tight-knit community in rural eastern Ohio will enter prison on Friday, April 12, joining nine already behind bars on hate crimes convictions for hair- and beard-cutting attacks against fellow Amish. (Photo by Scott R. Galvin/AP Photo)


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Bold Italic Underline Strike | Align left Center Align right | Insert smilies Select color | Add Hidden Text Insert Quote Convert selected text from selection to Cyrillic (Russian) alphabet Insert spoiler

It is forbidden to use not normative lexicon, insult other users of the site, active links to other sites, advertising in the comments..