The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1913-12-05
PANAMA FELoNS
HOPE FOR PARDON!
Expect Amnesty In Honor Of
Canals Completion.
TWO. RECENTLY SET FREE.

Convicts In the Zone Are Set to Work
| on the Roads and Are Not Badly
Treated-charses Of Cruelty Found
to BE Greatly Exasgerated-Prison
"Movies" and Music.
The pardoning Of two Americans
confined in the canal zone peniten-
| tiary gives rise to the belief that it
Is the intention of the administration
at Washington to grant general am
nesty to canal zone prisoners in honor
Of the completion of the Panama canal.
The idea of a general amnesty is not
based upon official information, but
upon the fact that the administration
at Washington has chosen to pardon
two Of the most conspicuous prisoners
of canal times. One Of these, Frank
Houston. was sentenced about six
months ago to ten years imprisonment
for crime committed about year
ago at Gatun.
One day Houston, on returning from
work. started to light fire in the
kitchen stove and found there parts Of
letter addressed to his wife. He
patched them together and discover
ed that it was love letter written
by fellow canal worker named
Harry Stern. Without waiting to in
vestigate he took down his shotgun.
hunted for the man and killed him.
Deprived of Trial by Jury.
Owing to the impossibility Of con.
victing an American Of murder in the
canal zone after jury trial the prose
cutting attorney charged Houston with
murder In the second degree, thus de-
priving him of a jury trial, for only
capital offenses may be tried by jury
in the canal zone. The court found
him guilty and gave him ten years
sentence. His attorneys appealed on
the ground that he had committed
first degree murder or no crime and
that he was entitled to jury trial.
The supreme court Of the canal zone
confirmed the judgment of the lower
court, one Of the three justices dis
senting. Four days after the supreme
court handed down its decision word
came from Washington to pardon
Houston.
The other prisoner pardoned at the
same time was Frank Pilson. While
in a position of trust as money order
clerk at the Cristobal postoffice Pilson
embezzled money over a period Of two
years, stealing in each instance small
amount. His victims were men and
women whose ignorance tide them
easy prey-namely, Europet and ne
gro laborers on the canal who bought
money orders to send home and Hindu
peddlers who took this means Of trans
hitting money for payment Of goods
to various merchants in Hindustan.
Pilson was convicted and sentenced
to eighteen months Imprisonment and
when pardoped had served half of his
term.
There are about $50 prisoners in the
penitentiary of the canal zone, most OF
them convicted Of crimes less serious
than those Of Houston and Pilson.
Due to influence of friends Of Houston
and Pilson the severe regime of the
canal zone penitentiary has recently
been brought to the attention Of the
authorities, and movement has been
begun to alleviate the condition of the
prisoners.
Meetings are now held every Sunday
ut the stockade, at which the men hear
music and watch moving pictures. Oc-
casionally some important official of
the canal force delivers an address.
Cruelty Charges Exaggerated.
Charges Of cruelty in the discipline
of prisoners have been investigated by
Richard Lee Metcalfe, q member of
the isthmian canal commission, and
have been found greatly exaggerated.
The canal zone system is admittedly
penal, the idea of correction not enter
ing at all into the scheme. Felons are
considered to be in debt to the commu-
nifty, and they are set at work building
roads.
Inasmuch as most of the felons are
negroes who have been laborers on the
canal work, they make very good road
builders, and the pleasant highways
along the banks Of the canal over
which tourists speed in automobiles
are evidence of this.
They are imprisoned in stockade
near to the work on which they are
engaged and at present are at Gam.
boa, where they are constructing q
highway along the east bank of Guile.
bra cut. They are given coarse food.
but enough of it, cots to sleep upon,
holiday on Sunday (which ia spent