Bismarck daily tribune., 1912-05-24
Rev. Geo. B. NeWComb De.
cIares Telegraph Code IN
Prison IS Harmful
Tells How Convict Was
Stunned Both in Business
and Social World

GRAND NQRKS, May 24.-Showing
how the branded man." the ex- con-
viot, Is shunned both in the business
and social world. Rev. Geo. B. New
comb, former chaplin OF the state
penitentiary, gave a very interesting
and forceful address before a fair
audience in the city hall counciu
chambers. MIR. .Newcomb touched on
the various phases Of the life Of a
convict, and embelished his address
with interesting "reminiscences.
He also touched ON several of the
Month Dakota criminal laws, showing
how they worked for the uplift of this
particular class of men. In speaking
Of prison life, however, he said the
state of North Dakota in one method
also is making more criminals than
she cured.
Prison Use Code
This method is the photographic
code" manner of inter-communication
among the prisoners, which so far the
state has been powerless to stop. Mr..
Newcomb showed how one prisoner
could pass paper, bearing sople
message, perhaps harmless, from one
eel to another until it finally reaches
tine prisoner ut was intended for.
In this way, Mr.. Newcomb said, the
professional "crook'' is able to get in
communication with the occasional
crook and perhaps plan some "job"
that they can 'ipull off, after they are
released.
His Prison Record
Mr.. Newco1pb told how hard it was
for the ex-convict to get position Of
trust lin the commercial world. He re-
cited several instances where "the !
branded man" had been forced to |
work years to overcome a few short |
months in the state penitentiary. He
also showed how the ex-convict is
Stunned by society, and in taking up
this feature of the work, told of a !
young Englishman, whose father was
young man in question was "sent up
from Grand Forks, and, after his re-
lease, lived at Bismarck for some
time. He told of how the young man
had Strengthened up, had become a
member of MIR. Newcomb's church in
Bismarck and how he he'd becoyle en-
gagged two different times, but was
never able to have his mar riage to
either young woman soleminzed be-
cause "they had found OUT
Forget Prison Career
In this connection, Mr.. Newcomb
said that the best thing the residents
of amy community could do for the
ex-convict was to keep any knowledge
they may have of his crime or peniten-
tiary career to themselves.
The speaker also touched on the
parc.s and suspended sentence laws of
the state of North Dakota. He said
that he was firm believer in both, TO;
he thought they were steps in the
right direction. By the parole law,
the prisoner can be released on order
after he has served his minimum SEN
tence. He told of what could be &C.
complished by putting convict on
'this honor" and in this connection
cited the fact that only one prisoner
who had been paroled in this state
had broken his parole
Under the suspended sentence act,
the speaker declared the number of
prisoners at Bismarck had been great
ly reduced during the past few
BY this method the Judge
can sentence a prisoner and then re-
lease him on suspended sentence.
This also puts the prisoner on "his
honor" and at the same time gives
him an opportunity to provide for
these who are left behind" the in
nocent ones wno suffer more than the
father or brother who is behind the
bars in the state penitentiary.