Cañon City record., 1909-10-21
A FIRST CLASS Temperance
LECTURE BY WARDEN lyman
AND CHAPL Lain BLAKE
(From Clay's Review, Denver)

call-that was all. SO he was granted
the privilege he craved. while the
chaplain murmured:
"a good moy and truthful. His
parents are dead. and he got to drink
ing. In one of his carousals, while
crazy drunk. he shot man who was
also drunk, who picked the quarrel
There were three witnesses who saw
the affair. He didn't try TO run
away. They sent him here for from
ten to fifteen years"
Austrians, Mexicans, Germans, ne
groes, Americans. Irish. Swedes, they
came drifting in. asking for many
things, though the great majority
came only begging for road work.
where they could make double good
time.
tall. slight Italian youth, with
a mild and inoffensive manner. in
for from ten to twelve years. said:
Il do not know why l am here. l
go one night to saloon where / drink
some whild several times; then l go
away: in front is two. three men;
there Is a row; by and by wake up
in jail; they say | kill man. l don't
know him. l not kill anybody but they
send me here
How long have you been in Amer
ica?-
Il been three weeks then; came
by my cousin in Trinidad-and / been
here eighteen months now"
He wanted to go on the road and
his name was put down for the next
relay sent out After he went out the
warden said: Il looked that up the
other day. he is probably telling the
truth. The only witness against him
Was a simple minded fellow who told
at least four different stories about
the affair. but the judge who SEN
fenced him Is a pip-headed donkey
who gives every man the limit without
any regard for the evidence"
An English army corps man who
did his turn in the Philippines. came
In TO ask for goodtime work. but his
story was so palpably false that he
was turned down at once, He was fol-
lowed by big. fine looking negro. in
for from sixteen to eighteen years.
Another drunk. quarrel and a dead
man, Another man who did not know.
The chaplain's kindly face glowed
( when he looked at him There is a
fine boy he said eagerly. fine.
Cheerful. strong. willing. never a re-
port against him. He comes from Can
ada. is better educated than the ma
joriiy here. and is striving with all
his might to earn good time and
shorten his stay"
when he was promised a chance on
the road II was hard to tell which was
the most pleased. the chaplain or the
convict-both wore shining faces.
Then q tall Irishman came In: he
is a life man; works in the tailor
shop. and wanted outdoor work. II
was promised him. and as the door
shut behind him. the warden said:
THAT was the most troublesome
and toughest prisoner In the peniten-
iiary up to two years ago; today he
is model man"
Let me tell you about him." said
the chaplain. as an Austrian with a
fellow Austrian as interpreter. came
in to ask for work in the quarrles-
when first came here Tom
- was always In trouble and
under punishment. He was frightfully
profane and quarrelsome and ugly.
He was thirty-three years old and had
spent fifteen years behind the bars.
him without success. until one morn
ing | passed his cell and stopped to
speak to him. After a few moments
said: Tom, you've been a pretty
bad lot Yes he said. I'm fail
ure. I've been a criminal all my life.
I've never earned an honest dollar
since | was ten years old Well l
said, you've certainly played the Devil
fair. and he hasn't done much for you,
has her No. he muttered. he hasn't
Well. why don't you give God a
chance?' Then talked to him little
while longer and went away The
next day he was looking for me. and,
that was two and half years ago.
Tom has never had report against
him since-not once. He stopped
swearing; from being the toughest he
became one of the best prisoners
N the institution. and he is dcins
more good among the men than I am.