Passaic City record., 1893-09-09
CONVICT NO. 1900.


tentiary, where more than 1900 pris-
oners were confined. My newspaper
required of me three ssfeature" artl-
cles week, the subject to be taken
from the lives and crimes of the men
and women SO imprisoned.
One morning, on entering the penl-
tentiary, and proceeding to the book
which contained the routine items for
the press, I found this slip:
ssNo. 1S,6O0. Edward Washburn,
life prisoner, sentence committed to
twenty EIGHT years, six months. :
Here was something to be investi-
gated. On making inquiry / found
that Edward Washburn had been re-
ceived on life sentence in 1870, and
that now, after lapse of over twenty
years, the Board of Pardons - the
eternal source of hope for all prisoners
in that State - had acted upon his
case, with the above result. Even in
prison good behavior pays.
Each convict has certain number
of days deducted from every month of
his term, according to the length of
his sentence, if he demeans himself
properly. Thus it lies in the power
of longtime" man to gain years
of freedom. Allowing Washburn the
deduction each month for good con-
duct during the entire twenty-eight
years sentence, it caused his time to
expire on the following Sunday.
The next thing to do was to see
Edward Washburn himself. The SEN
sations of man who has been con-
sict for twenty years, who has been as
completely isolated from the outside
world as if he were dead and buried,
and who is then resurrected, called
back to life and liberty, cannot be de-
void of interest to the most Indifferent.
| found my man wheeling ashes and
refuse from the cook house. In this
occupation he had been engaged for
seventeen years.
The long years of prison life had had
their effect. The prisoner was an old
man, broken in body and mind, al
though he told me his age was ~. I
explained that had permission to
talk with him, and would like to hear
about his history. He smiled the
weak smile of enfeebled intelligence,
sat down on his wheebarrow and be-
gan with pitiful obedience, which
plainly Bespoke the prison discipline.
s'How did feel when heard I was
pardoned? Well, twas SO sudden
like I JUS had to sit down I had give
up all hopes of ever gettin' out long
ago, but Mandy was true grit, she was,
she never give up"
His next words were unusual. sI
don't blame nobody but myself for
bein' here" he went on. Who ever
heard of a convict before, who attrib-
uted to himself the blame for being in
the penitentiary? Most convicts are
the innocent victims Of villainous con-
spiracies. They never even dreamed
of committing the crime for which
they are serving sentence. Such
virtuous, upright and deeply wronged
set of men can be found nowhere else
as in prison.
cit was all along of my bullheaded-
ness, but / guess I'd better go back to
the beginnin' of my story if you want
to hear it all. When was about 19
years old, Jason Scott and me took the
job Of clearin' 80 acres of land close to
where Pauldin' is now In them days
the town was only clearin' with a few
log shant1es. Jase was acoupie OF years
younger than me. His father an mine
had come west from Colum banner
county and settled in Pauldin'. We
was the only boys in them parts then
the only young folks exceptin' Man
dy Pitcher.
s'We fggered on clearin' our land
winters, as our fathers agreed to give
us the time after corn huskin' was
done, providin' we helped them good
summers. Jase and me built cabin
and there we intended liyin' while we
was doin' our chopin and clearin'.
There was lots of snow that winter and
it come early. Oh, how / hate the
winterI The snow lyin' out there
in the prison yard brings the hull
thing back to me, and how happy Jase
and me was. workin' and talkin, about
what we was goin' to do. I can most
y I