The sun., 1907-11-10
TURNS POET
KERSE M ALBERT FERGE son or
MlSS0O ~ PENITEVTTtRS.
Ngns Printed IreoR az T'oen.s 'O Cheer llis
Fellows s-TTB-nt ssCNrIODcd sincc hc
Tntcred Fefssn. Though Nc Comes
From hlsiana--llu:nOr 0nd philosophy.

EehlOWa-BG1"nt Developed Nttl"c Uo
Hntcred Prfssn. Though Nc comes
From h'diRna--IluTOr 0nd philosophy.
ynrFERsoN CITY, No. Nov o. literary
pirates have existed eiuoo liIae out OF mind
and Iltergry plraoy is . form Of delinquency
By no means Distinguished FOR its rarity
\ AZ the present dny But the literary high
wAyxnan liz unquC9.ivraby Tord drtS'
Indeed, know Of but ono speosuon IN Gap
tvity, and he is coIhred la the State peni-
,entiary at jefferson City
1t Ia by no rnenns the purpose OF this
txetoh Co attempt 10 demRrcate tho hneU
Rttsnuated and somewhat uiYstiiying dis
enctions existing between the literary
3lrats and the literary highwayman. diff
Atrenoes sufficiently subtle and evasive To
dude the grasp of logic upon most oocEsions
nd whiohS therefore need not be dis
lrssed on this occasion. although they may
pPoperly be said TO arise out of the same
ptyohioal diathesis,
yThe inspirational subject Of these re-
harks is Albert Ferguson, whose registered
Asmber in the Missouri penitentiary IA
ms. Like many other well known ohsrac-
&rs upon the highway Of literature Cwho
be, however, not known AZ literary nigh
$aymen). he halls from Indiana.
In the Attic fields OF HoOsierdom he
Ehs born, five and twenty years ago.
Following Horace Greeleys advice to go
Vest and grow up with the country, Mr.
Ferguson in the course Of events reached
Kansas City. whittier the star OF empire is
mid TO wing its westward way.
\ Having reached Kansas City he very
naturally Though quite impulsively. it is
ieiieved) committed highway robbery, for
mich crime ne was. upon his plea Of guilty.
Sntenced 10 the penitentiary for term
n ten years.
From his present dOmicile he has lately
I. ksued, with a view To creating little
Nptimism among my fellow unfOrtnnates
Who are struggling against great Odds
h he says, the most refreshing creation
nat has ever issued from that gloomy
ntadel OF human frailty aud woe. MIR.
Eerguson's message is in the form Of
booklet which he has appropriately en-
fEIed Cell House Ballads"
II WAS Cardinal Nlazarin, I believe. who
when thrown into prison revenged him
helf by writing the life of his iaier. Boethius
lreamed his divine Consultations Of PhilosO-
bhy" behind the wallis Of a Pavian prison.
Ind Sir Walter Raleigh engaged in lit
nary work under similar circumstances.
But the name of Albert Ferguson certainly.
eads all the rest.
Like the poor galley slave whom Cold
hnith regarded as the happiest man he
wer saw. he can calmly smile; and the smile
koes forth beyond the iron bars to pierce
ne gloom that shrOuds the dreary cell
He laughs. and the sound above the creak-
ne of bolts and bars is echoed in hearts
nat we're heavy and without hope. He
hls a-dreaming OF the cOnvicts- as they
home and go. and this is the result
WHERE ARE THE CONS OF YESTERDAY?
Ehere are the cons of yesterday,
The ones l hailed with glad acclaim
When first | sauntered in this Joint
And clasped their hands and called their
names?
they've issued forth when times were up.
They've gone on several distant way.
Md am left to mourn them now,
NThe good old cons" of yesterday.
fhey driRted from me one by one:
SO simply did they outward go
thardly missed them, and their place
I II all that's left me now TO know
That once they dwelt herein with me
"a thought that's freighted with dismay.
swonder where they are tonight;
Where are the cons" Of yesterday?
khat's that YOU said? Have gone blind?
Just look about me. did YOU say?
ereat gosh! They've all come back again,
4 The dear old cons" OF yesterday
Eriminologists have written whole chapters
81 recidivation without conveying any more
Incarnation than that which is contained in
DE foregoing lines.
.There are quite a number Of stanzas Of
fpod natured raillery describing the time
when the rookie bunch blows in," illu-
hinating with keen humor an otherwise
bsnal scene. There is an ode to hash.
bat mighty -matutinal dish" which forms
be chief staple Of the prison menu Among
be limerioks presented the following may
y reasonably assumed to possess a per-,
pnal application:
There was young man OF x. c.,
Went out on terrible spree:
He purchased a gun.
Made citizens run
And now he il down at J. G,
#rhis is much to the point. Many poets, it
hay be admitted, have written more and
aid less. And what could be better. in its
way, than tho following entitled -Micky's
lrrival'p
Nv Wnen hilOky 0rsJ came IN tnlS world
This world OF woe and sin
<Quite anxious to prognosticate,
The neighbors crowded in.
ewiile one admired the high. straight brow,
Another praised his nose:
"a third remarked his strong physique.
4 And one dwelt on his toes. y
UBald one: He has noble head
A lawyer he must bel"
arried one old dame Of Christian mind.
For him. the ministry
"A surgeon" was another's choice;
And then. "A business man:
"A splendid teacher he will be-"
Was still another plan.
The infant lay and sucked HIS thumb
And blinked his eyes OF brown.
Not understanding he was born
To he OF such renOwn.
oh. could those wise ones see him now
!. They sure would have the bluesl
n Ee's dOin' rs" on n stretch,
Engaged in maxim shoesl
In reply to the authors recently Dub-
ished essay in the North American Rerieu
; Sntitled The Problem Of Child Idleness, :
ghe poet laureate Of the Missouri peniten-
iary indites the following
fBE HEAL rAcrs.
The majority OF the prison inmates owe theIr
downfall 10 idleness. ~ fhOndS Speed MoyDy, Pdrdo
AiorRcg,