The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-05-13
WARDEN SANDERS
DEFENDS REFORMS
Spoke to Large Audience Last Night
at the Y. M. C. A. and Proved
Most Interesting Speak
err Here in Months.
CIRCUMSTANTIAL CASES
Warden of Fort Madison Penitentiary
Says Man Should Not Be SEN
fenced For Life Through
That Means.
CIRCUMsTANTIAL CASES

:" wet to the penitentiary because
II was sent for. was not candidate
for the job
"Twenty-one years | have spent in
the state Of Iowa, looking into the
faces Of kids"
"They say hang man. ! tell you
since that man Junkin was condemned
to die on the galIows we have Rad
more murderers come to US than be-
! fore. When man is going to kill, he
doesn't think Of the other fellows SEN
tencc, who killed before him.
I'VE have one of the finest Libraries
in the state Of Iowa in the Fort Madi-
son penitentary. Diamond Dick and
other novels and "To Have and To
Hold are not among the volumes on
those shelves, containing eight or ten
thousand Volumes"
! "lf were to enlist men for an army
today, ! would get one-haIf of them
from my penitentiary and the other
half from the high schools, then !
would march into the very jaws of hell
!. necessary"
at is not right to send any man to
the pcnitentiary for life on circum-
stantial evidence"
"If you had been dropped into the
midst of the penitentiary grounds with
your eyes closed, your first impression
on opening them would be What a
great factory this isl"
opportunity last evening, through the
courtesy of the Young Mems Christian
association, in hearing one of the lead.
ing criminologists of the country
James G. Sanders, warden of the state
penitentiary at Fort Madison, Keo-
kuk's neighboring city. Much has been
heard and read of the many and won
lderful changes which have been
wrought by this penitentiary superin
tendent, and it was with great deal
of pleasure that local people 4eard
him last night in the auditorium OF
the Y. M. c. A., in an address which
consumed more than an hour.
Immediately following the reading
of tie reports from the screen of a
business character and of interest to
members of the association, President
&. R. Joy introduced the noted speaker
Il the evening.
Friendly and with a smile that is
rare in men holding positions similar
to that of Warden Sanders. he is a
man who mixes anecdotes freely with
the stronger thread of his discourse
He uses gestures to bring out strong
points and during his talk one could
have heard a pin drop, SO closely did
he hold the attention of the several
hundred gathered in the auditorium
Up until the close of the lengthy ad
dress, the audience of ladies and gen
tlemen gathered satintensely interest
ed in the bits of life in a penitentiary
told by the warden.
Not at all connected in many places
the speaker jumped at random from
one thing to another, telling of first
this, then that speaking of the i'm
provements he has made and of the
criticisms which have been showered
on him by the press and the public
because of some of his reforms.
In addressing his audience last
might. Warden Sanders said in part:
There are three interesting classes
of people in this world-men, women
and children.
"TWenty-one years | have spent in
the state Of Iowa looking into the faces
of kids At recent meeting in Iowa
City | said: OF the large number who
have been paroled by ME in the past
several years but one has gone wrong.
"Originally / went to the peniten
, tiary because I was sent for, | was
not candidate for the job. do not
say this with pride, but it is fact.
ITO clean up society's dregs. Tween
ty-one years in seeing criminals made
while ] have been in public service.
Il was not indicted into public of
fee with colors flying. came into
Fort Madison and walked to the peni
Tertiary with prisoner. I was mis-
taken for the prisoner when | arrived
there.
Lots OF people say to me, Where
did you learn criminology?' l should
like to give to you my ideas on the
making of criminal Here we are;
a great wall; guard walking along
the top Of the wall, going into his little
blockhouse and out again. He looks
over the men which are sent to ms
and to fix up and send back to you
Much of tie rock in the penitentiary
was brought there by Mayor McLaury
from the other side of the river Five
prisoners went to the river to brins
up this rock. If ! could show you how
| opened the gates of that penitentiary
and let out thirty-five men to fight fire
without ever though of escape 'ther
you would see picture. Recently {
millionaire came up to see me ant
said after. hearing the clank of steel: