Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1888-12-27
"INCORRIGIBLE."
The Worst Man in Jail Tells the
Chaplain His Story.
Why He Is Careless ss to What Becomes
OF Him-An Exceedingly Sad Ex-
perience That Nearly End
cd in Murder.

perience That Nearly End
cd in Murder.
1t is about the ''bad man. of the
prison / am writing this sketch. /
found his name in the prison register
after this fashion: '.Murton Joseph,
No. 263 Wing ID, Tier T." and opposite
the entry in the book was the word
''Incorrigible' in large red-ink let
ters- There had been other men SINH
larry indexed, as / could see by the
red affixes to their names. but all of
them had passed out to other prisons
or to the busy world again. Joseph
Murton, strange to say, was the only
incorrigible according to the books)
in the institution.
Why he was bad no person knew.
The keepers feared him, the governor
hated him; he was continually in hot
water and as often in as out of the
dark cell. He had been logged more
than once for INSTRUMENTATION, and, as
far as could be judged, was a prison
Ishmael. And yet there were some
soft spots in his heart-the hospital
Orderlies knew that, for once or twice,
when he had been ill and thrown into
contact with sufferers sicker than him
self. his gentleness and patience knew
no bounds. The choicest mOrsels
of his rough food were al
ways laid aside for them; his voice
as he read aloud to them was
actually musical; and through the long
night vigils he was the watcher who
sat and whispered soothing words or
moistened lips that had grown hard
and dry with suffering. His cell was
a model of neatness; not mark could
be detected on its snowy walls; no bed
was ever so neatly folded as his, no
tins SO brightly secured. In person he
was scrupulously clean and seemed to
lake pride in the responsibility OF
his appearance. In the workshop
he was broom-maker-his work was
generally performed more neatly and
more quickly than by any of his gang.
On one occasion, when a keeper had
been terribly wounded and well nigh
killed by a mob of mutinous prisoners
Murton had stood boldly up in defense
OF the officer, and had been severely
wounded for his pains. In spite of
many such good qualities, his uncer-
tain temper, Respondent moods and
blind, unreascning ferocity. kept him
in perpetual trouble, and at the time
l write of he was certainly the "bad
man" Of the prison. Now, it was
tit of sullen perverse obstinacy; now,
n fat refusal to perform his wOrkroom
task; again. refusal to obey some
simple rule at other times cheerfully
obeyed: and still again, savage at
tack upon fellow-prisoner or keeper
He was a strange creature, Joseph
Murton. with a strange history, as you
shall hear.
l was informed one morning by the
librarian, also prisoner, that man
was to be logged that day for an as
sault upon one of the officers. l have
already confessed that l was young,
and a curious desire to witness such a
scene, although clearly no part of my
duty. came over me. To acquaint the
governor of my desire was but mat
ter OF form, and ten minutes before |
the big bell tolled twelve, l was in the |
courtyard. where the triangles used
for whippings were already raised. |
Five minutes later the prisoners were |
marched in to the goose-step, and
shutting along with furtive chances,
took their places. forming three sides |
OF square. I was told afterwards |
that their presence there was not only |
for examples sake, but in order that |
there might be no feeling in their |
minds as to excess Of punishment |
The keepers, in full force and heavily |
armed. were, of course, present, and !
as the clock struck the governor and ]
surgeon appeared. Two of the
keepers. both old soldiers and |
adopts in the use of the scat"
stepped up to the triangles with
their torturing little instruments; and
next moment, stripped to the waist, but
with a coat thrown loosely over his
shoulders. came the victim, Joseph
Mnrton. Where was his boasted
strength. in-temper. mad ferocityl He
walked as gently as achild. and half
smile fickered on his lips as he held I
his hands out to be bound am not