Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-08-09
five years in. Nobody ever took any
interest in me.
AGAIN ARRESTED.


] was arrested again In June, 1870.
| BY this time / had grown up and /
had studied considerable and thought
good deal to myself and studied mat
| tiers In general and when was brought
| before the court at this time ! was
| charged with burglary, this time It
was night time burglary. When the
court asked me II / had anything TO
| say why the sentence of the court
| should not be passed upon me. asked
| MIN to look over the records OF the
court of April, 1850, and he could see
recorded there the sentence and con-
viction of a child 10 and half years
| OF age. II he kept any minutes of
the trial he would find out the re-
marks that mad been made. called
| to his mind the words he said to me,
that he was afraid to send me to the
reform school, for fear / would con-
taminate those boys. but he would send
me to the pententfary, where were all
| the rogues and cut-throats of the coun-
| try. I went there the same as boy
| would go to school. ! met those MUIR
derers. rogues and cut-throats as you
| call them. They were all the friends
| that I knew, they taught me all that I
| did know. ! learned the lessons that
| they taught there. the only lessons I
| ever knew in my life. have come out
| here and i have put those lessons into
1
said, Your honor, can you find 1t in
| your heart to sentence me to that PEN
| itentiary again after educating me as
I have been? II / had been sent to
| the reform school, I might have been
] taught something else Well, he told
| looked over the record nno found that
| told him the truth. He told pne that
instead OF sentencing me to the long
term he had intended to, he would re-
] duce the time to five years. Now I
was just in my early manhood and five
years at that time, I had had little
| money and seen a. good time, II was
just the same as death to me- 1 took
| desperate chances and jumped out of
| the courtroom window, matter OF 40
feet, and I got away. / didn't put in
that FIVE years. ] got away and staid
away, but I led the same kind of a
| life. have led the same kind of life
up until few years ago. 1t isn't Sec
| ond nature, 1t is first nature. 1t has
| been instilled into me from my first
childhood. 1t may have been heredi-
tary, for all I know, but certainly In
the environment the temptations were
| forced upon me-
| NEVER ENEw ANY BETTER.
| I didn't choose II myself. I was sent
there and ] have never known any bet
| ter. The time has come when | have
been robbed myself several times ana
| from that time on l have never robbed
| an individual man; l never did rob
woman and ] have never understood
| the moral wrong of robbing a corpora
| ton. Sometimes / have made money
| enough to keep me for year or two in
what they call good society go off
| somewhere where I wasn't known and
| rest and be quiet and / have studied the
| matter over but | have never seen the
moral side of that question. ! never
could see when I was doing wrong. I
| saw / was running risks. The only
wrong could see was that l might get
into prison and be punished for 1t, but
didn't see the moral side Of it. The
only time in my life l ever meant to
settle down was when / came to this
city and I made up my mind then that
| | would live a square life for the few
years had to live and have done my
best and If / ever get out of where you
are going to send me. II Is my intention
to be q square, honest man. I may at
ter a while see the moral side of ths