The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-07-12
LONG TINE CONvICTs.
With What They Amuse Themselves
In Prison

| AS warder OF Dartmoor once
said to the writer, You get all
kinds up here" Conyicts are moi
all the abandoned ruffians which they
are SO often described to be. Aud
| one or the best proofs of this Is tho
| "idet1reai love OF animals that ex-
ISIS among them. 1t is no uncommon
thing to find during severe weather
that prisoners are saving crumbs
from their bread to feed the birds
with. And such an act is real self
denial, for big. burly man, who has
been hard at work all day In Port
land quarry or upon Dartmoor farm,
does not find his rations any more
than he can comfortably consume.
You will always find a few conyicts
In every big prison who appear to
possess a peculiar power over ami
mails. There was a man up at Park
hurst a few years ago, who seemed
TO be able to charm birds. Spar
rows would come into his cell at any
time, perch on his head and feed out
out OF his hands. And yet this man
was serving a fifteen-year sentence
for crime so brutal that one can
not here even mention its nature.
Talking OF birds In prison cells. a
pretty story comes from Stockholm.
A convict serving long sentence In
the State prison at Stockholm, man
aged t. tame a pair OF robins so
completely that the conhjing little
redbreasts not only came in and
out of his cell constantly, but actual
ly built there. When he saw what
was happening. the convict asked To
be allowed to see the governor, and
implored him to order that the birds
should be left alone. The governor
granted the request and he certainly
never had reason to regret his ac-
tion. The convict, previously sui.
len aud dangerous, became the most
tractable man In the prison. He
took the keenest delight In watching
the visitors hatch out four young
ones and these in turn he tanned I'M
I'll they would come to him at wills |
tie. Gradually the conyict's charac- |
ter changed entirely, and two ye&rs |
after the first visit of the robins he |
was 'eleased on ticket-of-leaye
There WAS an amusing scene one
lay in January 1903, In an Isle OF
Wight train. Four grown men were
seen on their hands and knees in
-hird-class carriage, apparently hu<t
1g vigorously for something In
curing what was the matter the
guard found tina. the object OF their
search was mouse. The men were
'eleeced prisoners from Parkhurst,
md the mouse had escaped from one
II them. Fortunately its owner man
Ige1 to recapture 1t unhurt. and
when he had done So he carefully
eplaced II inside his cap. He said
h@l the little creature had been his
onstant friend and companion for
wo years past. and IT had become
o tame that ii would sit In his open
and and eat the crumbs with which
10 fed It, He could not bear TO
cave his pet behind in the prison
nd so was taking 1t with him.
An elderly 'lifer" at Dartmoor. a
armer by profession, has an amaz-
ng way with animals. There is a
irge flock OF sheep belonging to the
rison and these are the old fellows I
pecial care. When lambs are left
hs feeds them so care
ally that he seldom loses one. and {
is pretty sight to watch the
lmbs following him about. The
lrrt collies are also attached to the
risOner and he loves his charges so
ell that he has lost all wish for
berry.