The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-10

expert.
 Messrs. James Hooper and Fred R. Bechdolt collaborated on a book called .9Oo9," published now quite a while ago, and which was reviewed in this paper.
 Readers will recan that the authors claimed that "9009' is a story made of facts a Fact-Story By this we do not mean that 9OO9 is a biography. Convict s00e-John Collins-exists only in our fmagination But everything that hap pens to sOO9 within the prison is some thing which has happened to some con Viet in some prison (Ameriean prlsonl some time. And much worse things have happened to some convhcts in some pris- ons sometimes-and we know or these things So that besides sticking to truth in writing the story of 9009-We have done more. We have eliminated what was too terrible abo-. this truth and in the eX- pression of that which we have divulged we have used repression. and so on
 There has been great deal of discus sion pro and con as to the truthful ness of this prison-story called .9Oo9. The newspapers of the east have pub lshed numerous cards, letters, etc, from people-men and women, some upholding others attacking the authors of '90O9 for their book
 MT. William H. Mover, warden of the lnlleu States ptIlltuNldiS aA <aNAehiA'esf q courteous, up-to-the-mlnute gentleman has ben kind enough to write this re- viewer just what he thought of '9O09 and why-in a personal letter and has been induced to grant permission to pdo- fish it. The letter which follows Is very interesting coming as it does from an authority on prison life, the executive head of one of the only two federal pris- ons in the United States. who is also a well-red. cultivated gentleman
 The letter:
 Department of Justice, United States
 Penitentiary, Atlanta, Ga.
 December 31. 1908.
 My Dear MT. Ball. am about to re- deem my promise made to you some time ago to give you my opinion of the book entitled "9O0s" by Hooper and Bechdolt (The Mcclure Co.,, 19OS.)
 I have not written you on this subject heretofore because, the book having been published and placed on sale, my views could not materially either increase or restrict the sale and I very much de- sired to take time to carefully consider the subject matter.
 In the preface the authors admit that they were impelled to write the book by indignation, although they qualify that by saying the story is a Fact Story. I have carefully read every paragraph of the story and reread very many of them and I have failed to find any jus tifcation for the publication of a story of this kind.
 You have no doubt noticed that the warden of the prison about which the story is written is referred to but once and the deputy warden not at all. It ap- pears to have been a prison where the captain of the watch and the guards We're the real administrators of prison affairs and where the prisoners established the security of the prison by what is known among the prisoners as the 'snitch' sys- tenn. Even in the gravest offenses, where murder was committed, the warden and deputy warden do not seem to have been consulted and the actions taken appear to have emanated from the captain at the instance of the guards and "trusties."
 It is possible that such a prison could exist within the United States but it is highly improbable. I do not believe that there is such a prison near the Sierras or anywhere else in the United States.
 have read in the newspapers about the escape several years ago of noted outlaw from one of the western pris- ons. and the escape and pursuit of "9O09" is somewhat similar in it's char acter to the escape of that outlaw, and it may be that this has been made the basis of the story of "9009.'
 But whatever may have been the basis of this story or whatever may be the object in writing such a story, it is bound to fail because the so-called facts are so improbable that no one will believe them and the book will be accepted by those who read it and who know of prison conditions generally as the child of fancy of some person who knows not the methods of prison dis oipline or as the vengeful outburst of some person who does now and has cause to remember what prison dis clpline is.
 Of course the object in publishing a book of this kind is to make money for the publishers. hence there is nc cause for surprise in that direction, but l believe publishers should hesitate be- fore placing a book of this kind before the public because there are some things in the book not regarding af- fairs inside the prison which might in- fiuence the reader in the wrong direc- tion.
 Take, for instance, the reference to the parole system found page 92 Experience shows that the parole laws of the different states have been sue cessful even beyond expectation and even now an effort is being made to 
 prisoners.
 Instead of placing in the hands of the enemy of the prisoner a club to drive him back to imprisonment 1t places in the possession of the prisoner a way by which he can pull himself back into the confidence of the public and it is a statistical fact that only a smell percentage of paroled prisoners are returned to prison because Of breaking the terms of their parole.
 The style of narration throughout tn e book Is pleasing and interesting, and had the authors kept within reason l suspect their story would have been generally read and might have accom- plished some good
 As it is, the book will doubtless be accepted by those acquainted with pris- on conditions and affairs as an i'm probable if not impossible tale. Very respectfully,
 WILLIAM H. MOVER.
 It does look as if this letter from MT.