Many of you know about Paul William Scott, an innocent man on Florida’s death row. You know of his proven innocence and the State’s stubborn refusal to release him. Political motivation, unfortunately, sometimes outweighs common sense.

The story of Paul Scott started to brighten on the day Ruth Rombin began a letter writing campaign to inform the world about this terrible injustice.

Ruth wrote to bishops and priests, to professors of law, to Florida Governor Jeb Bush (a Catholic himself) and to His Holiness Pope John II. When she did not receive an answer, she re-wrote them, until she got results.

The Most Reverend John H. Ricard, bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Florida, wrote to Ruth earlier this year to tell her "Bishop John Snyder of the Diocese of St. Augustine and I met with Florida Governor Jeb Bush to express the concern of the bishops for Mr. Scott’s case. Please rest assured that we are doing our utmost to prevent the execution in Mr. Scott’s case and to prevent any further executions in the State of Florida."

From Ruth Rombin’s valiant efforts to prevent Paul Scott’s execution by electric chair, I am proud to tell you that no one will be executed in Florida this year. The battle is not yet over but we are making significant progress.

Further, with the blessings of Father McElduff, we have now secured the dreamteam detective agency of Mr. Paul Ciolino in Chicago, best known for winning the release of eleven innocent Illinois death row inmates. Mr. Ciolino’s work appears on CBS’s 48Hours program, where global attention demands justice.

I know that Ruth is listening as I say to her today, "Mrs. Ruth Rombin, you are a very special lady, indeed. You brought a little bit of justice into a sometimes unjust world. Thank God for people like you and the wonderful parishioners of St. Nicholas Catholic Church, in Walnutport, Pennsylvania."

My good friend, you will be missed.

Bob Pauley

West Palm Beach, Florida