Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-05-10
Former Deputy Marshal Given
an Easy Job In the Prison
at Fort Madison
6. 3. STEWART VISITS HIM
An Afternoon Spent With the Ex-offi-
eiaI at the Penitentiary, Where He
Meets Many Persons Whom He
Helped 10 Send to FeIon's Coils
Pathetic Situation.
special to Times Republican.

ards. former deputy United States
marshal, who went to the Fort Mad1-
son penitentiary voluntarily to enter
mon the service of his term for the
Hamilton robbery is working as mes
senger for the librarian. His duties
are to distribute books to the con-
victs and to gather them up, return
them to the library and re-arrange
them on the shelves.
George r. Stewart, Of Fort Madison
assistant United States prosecutor,
who is in the city attending federal
court, visited Richards the last after
noon he spent outside prison walls.
and has also visited with the former
thief catcher inside the prison walls.
Mr. Stewart tells an interesting story
b OF Richards last hours outside the
prison. He said: Il had occasion to
30 to the. depot in Fort Madison and
found Richards walking UP and down
the depot PLATFORM He told me he
was waiting for the Warren county
sheriff to come and take him to pris-
on Richards complained heawas lone
some ami 7 invited him to come to my
office and wait there. He accepted
the invitation and gave over the at
ternoon to him. tried to induce him
10 talk of our old time court exper-
lences, hut he would continually revert
TO his prison prospects. He insisted
that he had no part In the Hamilton
robbery and was being made the vic
tim Of c:onvicts whom he had sent up
and that 1t was revenge and not JUS.
tice that had made convict Of him.
He admitted that he had had too
close connection with liquor joint in
Hamilton but said that was the only
wrong he had committed He seemed
to be feirful that the men in the prison
In whose conviction he had played a
part would take q special delight in
tormentinls him once he got inside the
prison walks and seemed to Nread
meeting them more than anything else.
Late in the afternoon he told me
he did not propose to be shaved by the
prison barber and went from my office
to barber shop near by where he had
his mustache cut off and his hair clip
ped, after which he went to the depot
to meet the sheriff. He told me he
would not ask Warden Jones with
whom he had been associated
as an officer when Jones was coun-
" sheriff, for favors, but would take
what lie gave him to do.
Later when visited the prison.
Warden Jones stated that Richards
had not asked for any particular as
eignment and that he had put him to
work in the library Of his own free
will. Richards seemed to be pleased
with the work assigned to him and It
was my understanding ne is to be re-
tanned permanently as a messenger IN
the library and office.
The first meal Richards ate within
prison walls was served to him by
George johnson, Of Abba: sent to the
prison. ON q charge preferred by Rich
ards when he was an officer. Richards
says that johnson merely looked him
over and said nothing to him. This
seemed to please him and he appeared
to be particularly thankful for the
place In the library, because 1t kept
him from coming much in contact
with the many convicts there whom he
had been instrumental in putting be-;
hind the bars.
~, ME tHal AFTERNOON III Fort Madl-
son With the man with whom / had
worked many years in criminal prose-.
9cutions was somewhat pathetic, and I
COULD see that the ordeal told on Rich
ards He cried when he talked of the
prospect of meeting on an even footing,
sconvicts he had taken to the prison,
and when / saw him with his hair
shinsIed, and his face smooth shaw
en- with the prison garb On his back,
he appeared ten years older than when
I met him on the depot platform