The Detroit times., 1910-02-15
CONVICT SAID NOT A
WORD FOR SIX YEARS
Mystery as To Identity Of Tramp
Convicted as a Wreeker
Unsolved.

CANON CITY. COL. Feb l4.-Sery
ing the sixth year of his life sentence
fer wrecking a train on oct ~, 1903
John Devine. Convict No. 1854 died
in the Colorado penitentiary few
days ago. He was also known as a
man Of mystery. for from the first
minute he first entered his cell and
heard the door changed behind him
and locked, he never gave utterancc
TO an audible word, not even when he
was dying
Although Charles Dickens is dead.
his story Of the speechless man ne
found when OH his visit 10 America
he Inspected the Eastern pententiary
at Philadelphia and saw the creature
who had been condemned for muir
der TO a lifetime of perpetual silence.
still lives and causes those who read
! ii to shudder
The story book man had for 90
years done without his voice when his
tragedy was made public John De
vine had given but six years as host.
age 10 silence when death claimed
en- no word. and If the officials of the
railroad, who held him responsible for
the Fowler wreck, expected AT last
that a confession would break from
his lips. they are disappointed.
That language was not essential to
the formation OF friendships and the
sustaining OF interest i'm his associates
! IS proven by the general grief express
ed by officials and prisoners over the
death OF the man who never spoke a
word, kind or unkind. gentle or harsh.
TO any person for six years.
II was on the morning of Oct 81
1903, that another wreck was an
nounced on the railroad. The train
made up OF Pullman sleepers. day
coaches and treasure-laden express
cars. pulled ont Of the Uniton station
at Denver, and was making excellent
progress eastward when, at a creek
west OF Fowler, in Otero county, as
the 250-foot bridge over the stream
was reached the rails spread and the
train dashed onto the bridge. which
collapsed and went down with crash,
dragging the train with it.
Who was TO blame?
Officials of the railroad announced
Immediately that spikes had been
pulled by train wreckers, whose mo-
tive for the act was robbery. They
didn't exDl4in why II was that the
bridge went TO pieces like structure
of straw. but cried "wreckers," and
10 prove their cry, provided the cul-
prit in the person OF tramp found
asleep I'm clump OF bushes about
three hundred feet from the scene OF
the catastrophe.
The tramp was John Devine, Ga
years Of age, who was so daZed at
being shaken from his sleep, so amaZ-
ed at what he saw that he was unable
TO defend himself against the incrim-
| nations hurled at him.
Devine was taken 10 La Junta.
where he. with the railroad acting AS
chief prosecutor. was tried. TO place
! the blame for the wreck on the
shoulders Of Devine would explain
away rotten roadbed and out of-date
rolling stock So the poor. friendless
tramp was sent 10 Canon City to serve
the remaining wears OF his life as a
prisoner AZ hard labor.
II didn't matter that the rotten con-
dition of the roadbed and defective
rolling stock OF the road was mat
ter OF common knowledge; it didn't
weigh an iota in the scale OF justice
that no wreckers would be 80 blind
ed by folly as TO choose an open coun-
try. where for miles one could scan
the prairie to an unbroken horizon
for their scheme or plumber
With the -clanking of the prison
gate behind him. the fastening OF the
l. 4. 81 ,aA a
shaving OF head and beard. Devine,
I the tramp, entered into silence
which seven years of prison events
and human needs were unable 10
break.
AS man and prisoner Devinc was
utterly alone He wrote no letters
nor did any scrap OF writing ever
come TO him from the outside world
Who he was or who his friends might
have been he never told. What tasks
were assigned to the still 'un' he full
! filed according to directions. but
from the first month OF his imprison-
ment his health commenced TO break.
his body 10 weaken. his powers OF
endurance To decrease Yes no sound
OF complaint or desire escaped Ills
lips.
Several months ago Deyine-or
| 1854 went to the hospital. the vic
! tim of Brights disease Governor
Shafroth had been interested in the
man aud was assured by those who
had daily contact with the prisoner
and had studied his case that he was
tpaying the penalty OF a crime he did
not commit
There was chance for the silence
to be broken-for the keepers TO at
last find out what kind of voice
their charge had Surely his eager.
ness for freedom would unlock the
doors Cf silence.
WANT MORE PAY.