Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19
HOW AN "OLD LAG"
WON NATIONAL FAME
Special correspondenc. Of n. stsr.

Special Correspondence Of TIE Star.
LONDON. February 8, 1911.
TT isn't every day that an old convict
1 finds himself in the position Of a ma
tional issue, and David Davies. II he reads
the papers where he is at present, which
he probably doesn't, must be chuckung
to himself at the fame which he has at
tanned. Even IL he doesn't know about
the fame he probably Is chuckling any
way at the way in which he fooled a
soft-hearted home secretary and a chan
cellor Of the exchequer flowing over with
the milk of human kindness.
It all began one day last autumn when
Winston Churchill, the homo secretary,
and Loyd-George, the chancellor OF the
exchequer, who are bosom pals" paid
visit together to the famous convict
prison at Dartmoor. 1t was something
In the nature OF holiday trip. for the
prison lies on tho famous moor from
which 1t takes its name. and while
Churchill had the excuse that prisons
come under his department OF the govern
ment. Lloyd-George had nothing to do
with them. He just went along to keep
his friend. Churchill company. When
they had all gone over the prison the
governor. anxious to show the great men
all the sights. pointed out to them his
star prisoner, who he told them was
known as tho 'Dartmoor shepherd"-a
name by which he has since achieved a
national reputation. This was David
Davies. and the governor explained that
he was practically a steady boarder at
the institution, where he had the job of
looking after tho prison sheep. The
warders always liked to see HIM come
back after his brief excursions to the
outer world, for no one within miles OF
Dartmoor understood sheep as he did.
and. moreover, he had the accomplish
ment OF being able to call Individual
sheep to him by name.
-
All this sounded so idyllic that the
great men were interested and they asked
how long he was in for. and for what
crime. The governor turned up his rec
ords and found that Davies was serv-
ing sentence Of three years penal
servitude. to be followed by ten years
preventive detention, for stealing 90
cents from church offertory box.
A few weeks later the general election
began and both the big politicians took
a leading part In it. Loyd-George was
speaking in the east end of London one
night and he waxed eloquent, as he has
way of doing, on the wrongs of the
poor and on what he and his friends i'll
the liberal government We're going to do
to right them. Among other Things that
he promised was prison reform, and he
drew q moving picture OF the gentle,
kindly shepherd Of Dartmoor. who had
received the terrible sentence Of thirteen
years Imprisonment for stealing 50 cents.
a few days later it was announced in
all the papers-the news having arrived
at the newspaper offices as an official
communicate from the home ottice-that
Winston Churchill as home secretary.
had ordered Davies to be- released at once
and that some Of his friends had found
him place on a farm among the Welsh
hills, where he would be able to eXer-
else his gift of calling the sheep to him.
1t may be only a coincidence that Lloyd
George Is a Welshman 1t was also
stated that a condition of Davies re-
lease was that he remain in the employ
ment Of the farmer in the Welsh hills
for at least six months.
That seemed to end the matter until
some indiscreet policeman in Wales
couple Of weeks ago allowed a local
newspaper man to learn that he was
looking for Davies. and then 1t all
came out It was learned that Davies
apparently didn't get on with the
Welsh sheep as well as with those at
Dartmoor. for he stayed with them
only q couple of days. Then he dis
appeared. taking with him the nice
new clothes with which the farmer had
provided him and a few other triies.
Tho police were instructed to keep a
quiet lookout for him and send him
back to Dartmoor II they found him.
They haven't found him yet. however.
but the public has received a lot of
information.
Among others who gave it was Sir
Alfred Wills, a retired Judge. who had
an extensive professional acquaintance
with Davies. He looked up the old
mans record and found that he had
received during his sixty-seven years
of life sentences agsregating over
thirty-eight years, and all for thefts
Of various kinds. In fact. Sir Alfred
was unkind enough to describe Davies
much better in jail than out OF 1T. and
he also pointed out that the only rea-
son he didn't steal more than 81 cents
on the last occasion on which he Is
known to have practiced his profess
sion was that there wasn't any more
to steal. The sentence OF three years
penal servitude and ten years pre-
ventive detention, Sir Alfred also UNI
kindly reminded the two politicians,
was passed under a new law for which
Churchill was responsible and which
was intended to deal with just such in
corrigible cases.
All this created such a stir that
Churchill felt 1t was up to him to
make some sort OF explanation. So he
sent out another official communique
stating that he considered Davies more
Of g. nuisance than a danger to society.
and for that reason RENTED his SEN
tence. He didn't explain. however. why
a nuisance shouldn't be segregated un-
der q law providing preventive deten-
tion," which is much milder than reg
ular Imprisonment, and is designed for
Just such criminal nuisances who can't
get along outside OF jail
At any rate, the "Old Shepherd or
Dartmoor" has served his purpose. He
helped to win votes for the great lib
eral party and earned his liberty. 1t
isn't his fault that inQuiring people
have looked up his record and thrown
it into the balance against the liberal
politicians who are now secure or their
jobs for some time to come. and surely
it would be mean to deprive him or
that liberty now. Perhaps. after ALL
that is why the police can't find him.
Old men who can talk to sheep and be
understood by them surely are not SO
plentiful as to be difficult OF identih-
cation.
Preserving Indian Language.
E,or, +ha Portland Oreeonian