The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-01-11
Big Crowd Hears Elk
Convict in Leading
Richmond Theatre.
DENOUNCES SHOE
LABOR SYSTEM
Charles Morganfeld, Who
Served 10 Years, Says False
Charges Are Made to Keep
Prisoners at Work-De-
clares He Was Wrong
fully Accused.

| seven or eight hundred people heard
( Charles Morganficid. train robber
lately released after long term in
the penitentiary, deliver what lie call
ed lecture directed at the convict
labor system Of Virginia last night at
the Academy Of Music. lie chose for
his subject Fifteen Years in He'll"
Morganiieid spoke for tfy-fivc min
utes. and, whether he did any good
Tor his cause or not, he received con-
siderable applause, and was evidently
pleased with his reception.
The occasion was unique a man
! who was al one time a desperate Grim
inal occupying the stage of the lead
ing theatre III the capital city of "A
state is no usual performances The
audience was made up of all classes
and conditions, there being quite a
sprinklins of social workers
Keep Men In Prison.
The man denounced the Thacker
shoe Company. which operates the
factories In which the prisoners work.
He asserted that good workmcn are
Kent in prison by false marks and
charges to prevent their release on pa :
roe and thus to add TO the profits
of the shoe concern
MorGanfield presented not unin-
teresting figure. Large. with smooth
lace which shows power in every
lincamcnt. with gray hair he is rather
handsome. Given good suit of
clothes. hair cut. shampoo and
various other modern treatments. he
would make an exceedingly creditable
Congressman in appearance
tie Is far more Interesting study
IMAM MS lecture. He seemed not de-
void OF humor. yet the inevitable iron
OF prison life had scared his soul and
maze him bitter, vindlctive unrcason-
ing and while he showed feeling more
man once. there We're times when this
emotion. revealed through the eyes
and lips, showed the tigerish impulse.
OF the desperate outca ST.
/ The eX-convict. who tntimated durinr
MS remarks that this IS not his real
name, held UP and robbed a passenger
train. near Acquia Creek, on the Rich :
mond- Washington line. In 1894 After
the robbery he sent the engine at full
speed up the track. where. but for o
fortunate circumstance. II would have
coilided with a train bearing scores of
people.
RE was given eighteen years in the
penitentiary. ana served fifteen years
/ and eight months, having been rclea $ ed
! only a few days ago. An accomplish
! named searcy. who turned States evil
dence. got of with eight years It
was stated that Morgantield had sworn
found him. ana it Is understood that
searcy has severNl times sent out an
rouncemcnts that he is dead.
Waves III Crowd.
No one introduced Nforganheld lie
walked on the stage on his clutches
when the curtain rose, waving his arm
TO the audience. He walked up and
down necessarily during the lecture.
using sometimes one crutch, sometime 5
both. Several times he took scounsei
| with some newspaper men in the wings
as to the loudness of his voice and as to
the length OF his remarks
He rambled to such an extent that
connected account of his charges is
almost impossible. His voice was fair
| ly good, but his delivery and language.
as might have been expected. poor.
Beginning with the assertion that II
he told all he knew he would be hanged
and the audience would hang all the
! penitentiary officials. MorganheId an
nounced as his mission to make the
! shoe shop leave Oregon IIili" Every
word sent out by the management OF
| the prison about the conditions there
he declared to be a lie. They had lied
! about him and about everybody else. he
| said
Present Conditions.
! These things he spoke of as existing
| at this day. although some of The in
cidents related referred to periods
under former arrangements.
The gist OF Morganneld's charges are
that prisoners arc deliberately robbed
| OF their time earned by good conduct
in order to make more money for the
shoe company. If they continue to be-
/ have, they are beaten until they say
something, and are then put down for
INSTRUMENTATION. There is blood. as
serted Alorganiield. on every pair OF
! shoes turned out. lie would like 10
march the skeletons of the men muir
dcred under the prison labor system be-
fore his audience.
For himself, he had never made any
shoes. Yet lie had been punished. he
said. under false charges. although lie
did not explain why he should have
| been punished when his work did not
go TO the shoe company. ilo was
beaten three times and put in solitary
confinement for saying he would COM
plain to the Governor II he was made
TO work on one day when unable to do
so. For this he was put down in the
! records as having assaulted an officer.
This was the worst Thing he did dur
ing his term. according to his state
| mcnt.
! Various more or less wild assertions
were made. One III these was that
prisoners in the ponitentiary arc ali
right save on some occasions while
tho management is all wrong on all
occasions. Another was that 2.G3J
| goats. which We're impounded in Rich
tiaond couple of years ago. were fed
III the prisoners.
There are boozers in the pcnitentiary
among the officials. said Morganficld,
and he made dark threats that he
would reveal the fell secret of their
names some day. lie is going 10 lee
turc some more, he said having for
Ills object the amehuration or condl-
fions nunder tho bifr tom