The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-14
after e YEARS
Arthur Patten Is Released
From Prison.
In Confinement Since Seven
Years Old.
INMATE TWO REFORM SCHOOLS
Victim of Cruel Fate When
Parents Deserted Him.
Morgan Wright ParOled After
Serving 20 Years.
INMATE TWO REFORM SCHOOLS

Two weeks outside prison walls since
he was 7 years old is the record of
Arthur Patton, who is to receive a pa
role from Governor Hodges after %
years of almost constant confinement.
Patton is now doing time in the state
penitentiary at Lansing, to which in
stitution he graduated" after serving
terms in the Topeka industrial school
and the Hutchinson reformatory.
Deserted by his parents when a baby,
victim of a cruel guardian, born with
mania for petty thieving and never
knowing the meaning of tender and
loving care or parental advice and
counsel, is the history of young Patton S
existence. Patton is now 80 years old.
Since he was seven years old he has
enjoyed but two weeks of freedom.
The remaining time has been spent
within prison walls.
Boys Mother in Topeka?
Patton was just a baby when his
father and mother separated. 1t is
said that his mother is now living in
Topeka, although the records in the
governors Office do not show that she
has ever taken an interest in the well
fare of her son or made an effort to
secure his release from prison.
After young Patton's parents separa-
ted, the boy was placed under the care
and control of a guardian. The guardi-
an was cruel and abusive-at least the
boy thought So One day the lad ran
away. He was only years old when
the Topeka industrial school. Patton
was Is years old when released.
Stayed Out of Prison Week.
Just one week did Patton enjoy his
liberty after that nine year term in the
industrial school. The boy was with
out friends. He had no money and
no one to aid him. So the old desire
-
one week the lad was back in Jail
charged with petit larceny.
This time Patton was sent to the
Hutchinson reformatory He stayed
there three years and his record in
side the prison walls was good. When
the three years as an inmate of the
Hutchinson reformatory had expired,
the youngster was released. A place
was found for him on a farm near
Reading, Lyon county. But Patton
stayed on the farm only few days
Then he started to look for a new job
He started back toward Topeka. In
Usage county, he stopped at farm
houses and asked for work. Young
Patton didn't have record he could
point to with pride and farm hands
were in great demand at that partic-
ular season of the year.
Ten Years for a Meal.
At a farm house ner Usage City
Patton stopped to rest and to ask for
something to eat He knocked on the
door and no one answered. The door
was unlocked and Patton walked in.
In the kitchen he found som ething to
eat. The boy was just making the
most of the first square meal he had
seen in several days when the owner
of the farm house came home. Pat
ton was again arrested. For stealing
that meal an Usage county jury said
that Patton was guilty of second de-
gree burglary. Under the law the
court sentenced the boy to a term of
five to ten years in the state peniten-
tiary. That was six years ago. Since
his conviction, the boy has been an in
mate of the state prison at Lansing.
AS at Topeka and Hutchinson, Patton
has made a good prison record.
The other day when the prison board
met at Lansing, young Patton came
before the board to tell his strange
story. He told of his career in the few
simple words that he learned within
the prison walls. He said he believed
he could reform if the board gave him
another chance, that he didn't want
to be bad, but that his opportunities
had been limited and that he had stol-
en- because there seemed to be no
other method of getting a living. Rec
ords showed that in all his % years of
prison life, the young man had never
been convicted of a greater crime than
stealing an old watch valued at about
offenses, Patton has suffered enough.
Governor Hodges thought so, too. Act
ing on the recommendations of the
board, the governor today gave Pat
ton a parole and the board secured the
young man place on a Kansas farm,
where ne will have a good home.
Morgan Wright Goes Free.
Another parole today was to Morgan
Wright convicted in December, 1893,
for the killing of a constable. Gov
ernor Hoch had committed Wright's
sentence from life to 25 years.
With Wilbur Morton, a companion.
Wright had been drinking. A con-
stable started to arrest Morton on
charge of selling liquor in Indian terri
tory. Morton handed a revolver to
Wright when the constable approached
and told Wright to shoot. The con-
stable was killed Wright was 10 years
old when the crime was committed.
George Gray, of Labbette county was
also granted parole, after serving IL
years for highway robbery. With four
companions, Gray robbed two men in
a freight car in Labette county in
January. 1902 One of Gray's COM
panions was shot and killed during
the robbery. Gray and William Hines
were convicted of highway robbery and
sentenced to 25 years in prison Hines
was paroled two years ago by Governor
Stubs The Gray parole was an
nounced today by Governor Hodges.
$50.