The morning call., 1893-05-21
HE'S HONEST NOW.
An Ex-COn's Solicitude for
First-Timers.
THEY OUGHT TO BE "PAID."
A Man of Many Aliases and Long
Experience on the Inside of
Penitentiaries.
THEY OUGHT TO BE "PAID."

ana let the prisoners 90 Idle =?
"Not by a jugful. l know better than
that, for, you see, I've been through the
mill myself. l can tell you that it's work
and work alone that'n ever save any man.
There's no refOrmatory scheme in the
world like good honest toll. l wouldn't
have the convicts idle. I'd have them en-
ployed by the State and I'd allow them
certain share of their earnings. Then a
man would have an interest in his work"
''You say you have had personal expert
ence with the prison methodist" asked THE
CALLman
That's what I said and 1 have my ere
dentials with me. Get outyour pencil and
jot down this data. II it don't prove to
you that l am thoroughly cOmpetent to
talk on the subject of prison reform, then
I'll shut up sight.
Suppose we begin with my first offense,
My lay, you know, is grand larceny and
burglary, and l can crack box with the
best of them.
'1n September, 1873, was committed to
the Joliet penitentisry IN Illinois for three
years on a charge of grand larceny. l
robbed a man in Quincy of S75 in broad
daylight and was caught in the act. That
was oungling job. I'll admit.
az pleaded guilty to the indictment. l
was 10 years old. and was sent up under
the name of George Rogers. My registry
number in the prison was 7707. l was dis
charged March %, 1876
you'll ind I've got the dates down to a
dot.
NOW for the second: October 16, 1876,
/ was committed TO the pententiarv Mt
Anamosa, Iowa, on three charges of bur-
glary. l was sent down from Davenport.
six months on each charge.
Il stuck to George Rogers for an alias
because that name was not known there
and they didn't have this thing of looking
up mans record in other States down a S
fine as they have it now.
''My registry number was 1S5. / was
discharged April l, 1878. Then l came out
here.
II was in Folsom before the year was
out. November Il l was sent down for
one year for a burglary committed at Los
Angeles Thomas Fenger was my name
here, and when | put on the stripes they
gave me No. 308. Discharged October IA.
1879.
81 stayed on the outside just day less
than two months this trip.
December Is, 1879. arrested for bur-
glary. Sent TO State prison at Fort Mad-
son, Iowa. February 4, 1880. under the
alias of George Rice.
"December 80. 1880, [ was released and
managed to keep out less than two weeks.
1T was burglary again. They gave me
two years in Joliet, beginning March Z,
1881. was sent down from Elgir, with
George Parks as an alias, and they gave
ma registry No. 2332-Ihey had begun
new series, you see, since l was there be-
fore. / was released January 90, 1888. l
got some time off for good behavior
I'm five days less Than month 1 was
pinched again. February %, 1888, l was
arrested for burglary at Hannibal, No.
ttpn of It,rr
against me and | got Two years on each
charge. l was committed 10 the prison
May II, 1888. l gave them the name of
George Wilson and they gave me No. 4064
Nav II, 1886, | was released
Il had considerable success in my call
ing after that, and was not arrested again
for nearly year. March 80, 1887. went
back to the pen at jefferson City, Mo-, and
stayed there till September q, 1888.
"a month later. lacking n day. they
nsbbed me again for burglary and-oh,
we'll, II that's enough, all right + could
give you every date and number, though.
right up till four days ago, when ] came
down from San Quentin"
Have you reformed now?" asked THE
CALL man.
reformed? Oh. yes. always reform
when | get out. But I'm in dead earnest
this time. I'm going TO start for Texas to-
morrow, where I'm gong into the saloon
business with a friend.
My lay noM? Well. you see, I've had
some experence in prison life. and now
that I'm saying good-by to it for the last
time want to let the public know that
the penltentiarles are not the reformatOry
institutions some people crack them up
to be.
Prison is the damnation of the first
termeT. Eve been d frsl-termer myself,
and I've talked with hundreds of other
tirst-termers. and l tell you that these men
Yrs dun fD- han fI.arr L., r.
Instead of being reformed there they
get the criminal instinct bred into them by
association with the old criminals, and
they're through and through professionals
when they get out.
There is nothing in the prison regime
calculated to soften the heart of young
fellow who is suffering for his first offense
against soclety's laws; nothing calculated
to show a man the error of a criminal
career.
IT'S just the other way. Their treat
ment and association make them brutes
through to the heart. They're hardened
against society.
After first-termer has served out his
first six moths ask him what he's going
to do when he gets outside. I've asked
the question of hundreds of young fellows.
III get even with somebody for this
That's the answer they give every time.
They've already begun to nurse hatred
against society, and they're bent on re-
venge.
"What causes this? Well, a variety of
things. Chiefly the contract system, that
makes it an object for the guards, bosses
and fOremen 10 drive the men.
This grinds she man out OF the indiyid-
ual and there's nothing left of him but the
brute, hating all mankind because of the
misdeeds of a. lew - that's Illogical.
know - but it's trne-and nursing his
vengeance as he lies in his cell afler the
days toll is over.
"And there ought to be some remunera.
tion for the work. There's no toll so de-
grading as that which is performed with
no hope of gaining anything by it. That's
what made slavery SO degrading, don'tyou
know IL?
'Now the State could afford to hire the
men and pay them n little for their WORK.
Then the convict would be interested in his
work, and besides that. he'd have little
saved up to start an honest life on when
he gets ont.
mo; I'll have to decline your invitation
to tell you something OF my own adven-
lures. I'm in dead earnest now and on the
square.
But I've always taken deal of interest
in the frsr-termer. and I'd like to do some
thing to save him. if could.
i've always done what could to induce
them to be honest when they are released.
| remember a lad | had under my tutelage
at Jefferson City. / used to work with
him in the kitchen on Sundays. Talking
is allowed there.
81 had got him just to the point where
ho bad oh Ia n ~ hic a I1ac