The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-08-28
Van SCHAICK NOT REPINING
HE'LL REST 4 WHILE AND THEN
TRY TO FIND u ORk.
Well Treated IN sing Sing. He Says. hut
the Food wasn't Al II should re for
an Oid Man I nder Parole. He Can't
Leave the State--Nay Nc MOdified.

an Oid Man 4 nder Parole. He Can't
Leave the state May Ne NOdined.
| After three years and half in Sing
Sing Capt. William n. Van Schaick. COM
mander of the General Slocum at the
time Of the disaster. ia now in New York
with his wife He is ~ years old. and
though one can see the effects on his lace
| of the sentence he has served the captain
seems pretty strong He has lost none
of his spirit and when seen yesterday had
a lot to say about the good treatment he
had received. He does not know now
just what he is going to do. hut after a
few months in which to build himself up
he said he expected to find some kind Of
a job.
CAPT. Van Schaick WAS told Of his parole
by tha Government authorities day be-
fore Yesterday. The fact that he had
served two months more Of his ten year
sentence for neglect Of duty than the
parole law required did not sour him.
He said q bore no malice toward any one
inside the prison or out. While he had
no knowledge Just when his parole was
coming he said that he had had inklings
once or twice recently that il wouldn't be
| long before he would be free. The last
visit but one Of the president Of the Federal
Board Of Parole. Robert Y. I.adow. was in
April and that was before he was eligible
to have his case taken up. Mr.. I.adow
came TO Sing Sing last week. but before
the captain could be- released the papers
had to be signed by the Attorney General
"Of course" said Capt Van Schaick. Il
expected sOme day To he called to the
office hut il was more or less of a surprise
when il came Saturday morning The
warden called me- and said. Get ready
you're going home That talk about my
crying and covering my face with my
hands is all rot. | never turned hair
nor q,iivered. In fact You couldn't see
any difference in my face if this house
blew mp now. So went To my cell and
| got my duds: Won know n man can have
his own undertaking and such things
when he is in prison. | gave the hair
mattress that Ihad bought TO n lifer, that =
the custom up therc. When ! left all the
officials came around Ia say good-hy, for
they all had sympathy for me. They
knew had been made the scapegoat and
in some ways il made easy for me-"
"HeH h'' S'' W w" '''h u" "eh'
right to the house whore Mrs Van Schaick
| has been living Il walked in and sur
prised my wife. who did not know that
| was coming" said the captain, who then
apologizsd for the suit which he was
wearing which was given him as he left
the prison. and explained that though
IT wasn't bad he had not YET had a chance
to get another. 1t has been almost as
| nara ior her as II mas Tor me ne sald.
| referring To his wife. But thank God,
| I did not die in prison: am here and am
,s @, 80, go, ,La,.o .,,l.-
-
! tie shock thHt 'ne u'sds'er gave me- IL
was an awful pounding that | got AZ the
time. But II wasn't thousand lives
,ha, wara los, i, was near $50 Cod
.a ~, -. p-
"""H '''"' ""' ''' wa why
| make II anv more; mat was pretty
hard knock, WASH ~
Yes. think We viii stay here a while
/ before Mrs. Van Schaick and take a
! house. Then II Will probably he five
or six months before Will feel like taking
some job. I've got to build myself up,
! for Will" ! have not got word To sa v
against prison fare II isn't just the best
thing for man as old as am, Young
s'prs can do we'll on il. No. don't think
| will go into s'eamboating again. am
too old for that and nowadays they want
younger men. Bnt perhaps there NAV
he some work connected with steamboat
ing that ! can fall into However, have
the same liking for the watar that have
had for all the thirty years tina, I've been
| in th" hu-neSs
"Of course ! have not got ANYTHING 10
-av about the trial That all over Mos,
people think was the sCapcgoat and feel
aorrv for me The Convicts up there
thought 80 too. But every steamboat
captain stand, in IN" sam" boots that
did Only was uuluckv. Since the dis
as,"r SIX steamers hay" burned hut
fortunately not many lives were lost,
Having new and green men as | did for
n crew all the time il was impossible Ia
keep them all drilled for fire. ran boats
for thirty years and never lost life until
that
1--we got nothing hut good words for
those in prison the guards and the officials
They all gave mo n square deal and they
are good to any one who is n man, They
showed me the utmost kindness, perhaps
because Of my ge and because they know
wasn't the criminal.