August 22, 2007

Georgia

Killer turned Limerick fan dies in prison

Irish Post

A CONVICTED murderer who became a staunch Limerick hurling fan for nearly 20
years has died of cancer on death row in the US state of Georgia.

Jack Potts was sentenced to death in 1973 for kidnapping auto mechanic
Michael Douglas Priest and killing him in a remote field. Potts had his head
shaved no fewer than three times in preparation for the electric chair but
each time his sentence was commuted.

Potts had followed the fortunes of the Limerick hurlers from his cell in
Jackson for nearly 20 years.

He developed a love of hurling through correspondence with the family of
current Limerick hurling manager Richie Bennis.

The Limerick boss’ niece Gráinne Bennis was studying in the US when she
visited Jack in Georgia and gave him a Limerick jersey which he often wore
in jail.

He had been on death row since 1973 — ironically the last time Limerick won
an All-Ireland.

Nora Bennis — who is married to Richie Bennis’ brother Gerry — kept Jack
fully informed of the fortunes of the Limerick hurlers down the years with
newspaper cuttings of all their games in the National League and
Championship.

Nora said: “We learned in the past few days that Jack passed away in prison.
His cell was decorated with photos of Limerick hurlers. His knowledge of
individual players down the years such as Gary Kirby, Mike Houlihan and
members of the current team was astonishing. It’s sad he hasn’t lived to
follow the team to Croke Park.”

Jack Potts’ love of hurling resulted from a chance read of an Irish
newspaper. Nora Bennis said: “In the 1990s I was to the fore in a campaign
for the rights of women in the home.

“There was coverage in the newspaper Jack got and it connected with him as
he came from a terribly sad family background.

“He was left at home all day alone as his mother had to go out to work. He
sent a letter addressed to ‘Nora Bennis, Limerick, Republic of Ireland’ and
it got to me in Limerick.

“From there I began corresponding with Jack. I told him about our great game
of hurling, of my family’s contact with Limerick hurling.

“He never protested at the sentence and admitted he had done wrong. He
converted to Catholicism while in jail.”

Jack also began to learn to speak Irish with the help of tapes sent to him.

---

Source : Irish Post

http://www.irishpost.co.uk/news/story.a ... 4&cat=news