The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-09-20
CONVICT NO. 1900.

tentiary. whore more than 1900 pris-
oners were confined. My newspaper
required of me three ''ienture' arti-
cles week, the subject to be taken
from the lives and crimes of the men
and women SO imprisoned.
One morning, on entering the peni-
tentiary, and proceeding to the book
which contained the routine items for
tAe press, | found this slip:
"No. 1S.60O. Edward Washburn,
life prisoner, sentence commuted to
twenty-eight years, six months.
Here was something to be invcsti-
gated. On making inquiry / found
that Edward Wnshburn had been re-
ceived on n 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
onse, with the above result. Even in
prison >1od behavior phys.
Each convict has certain number
of days deducted from every month of
his term, according to the length of
his sentence, if h drmenns himself
properly. Thus it lies in the power
of u "long-timc" man to gain years
OF freedom. Allowing Washburn the
DEDUCTION each month for good con.
ducs during the entire twenty-cight
years sentence, it caused his time to
expire on the following Sunday.
The next thing to do vas to see
Edward Washburn himself The sem
sations of II man who has been n CON
vic. for twenty years, who has been as
completely isolated from the outside
world IA ii he were dead and buried.
md who Is then rcsurrected, called
back to life and liberty, cannot he de-
void of interest to the most Indifferent
l found my man wheeling ashes and
refuse from the cook house. In this
occupation h had bacn engaged for
seventeen ycars.
The long years of prison life had had
their effect. The prisoner was nm old
man, broken in body and mind, al
though he told me his age was ~. L
explained that | had permission to
tall, with him, and would like to hear
about his history. He smiled the
weak smile of cnfcebled intelligence.
eat down on his wheebnrrow and be-
gan with pieiful obedience. which
plainly bespoke .he prison discipline.
Glow dill feel when / heard was
pnrloncd? Wen, it was SO sudden
like | JUS had to sit down. / had give
up all hopes of ever gettin' out long
ago, hut Mandy was true grit, she was,
she never give up."
Eis next words were unusual. 81
don't lame nobody but myself for
boin' here" he went on. Who ever
heard of convict before, who attrir.
uto,, to himself tha blame for being in
the Fenitentiary? Most convicts are
the innocent victims of villainous CON
spiracicS They never even dreamed
of committing the crime for which
they are serving sentence. Such n
yi.irore, upright and deeply wronged
set of men cnn bo found nowhere else
ns in prison.
at was al along of my bullheadcd-
nefs, but / guess I'd better go back TO
the heginnin' Of my story if You want
to hear II all. When | was about 10
years old, Jason Scott and me took the
job of clearin' 80 acres of land close to
where Panldin is now. In them days
the town was only clearin' with n few
log shan;ies. Jase was acouple of years
younger than me. His father an mine
had come west from Columbianner
county and nettled in Pauldin'. We
was the only boys in them parts then
: the only Young folks cxceptin' Man
dy Pitcher.
"We figgered on clearin' our land
winters, as our fathers agreed to give
us the time after corn husllin' was
done, providin We helped them good
summers. Jase and me built a cabin
and there we intended livin' while we
was doin' our chopin and clearin'.
There was lots of snow that winter and
it come early. Oh, how 1 hate the
winter The snow lyin' out there
in the prison yard brings the hull
thing back to me, and how happy Jase
and me was, workin aud talkin, about
what We was goin' to do. ! can most
see the cabin now. with the doer oman