The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-02-08

penitentiary 800 Of its 724 con-
victs work unguarded. some as
far a-s 800 miles away and some
in mountain businesses. where. with five
minutes start fugitive's recapture
would he impossible. Inside the peni-
t'ntary there are no guards, no spies,
no tool pigeons, no swearing at the
convicts, no double cells. no typhoid
The only armed keepers are the half
dozen who walk the walls; the cat-o'-
nine-tails hangs in the wardens Office
rs a relic. and less than Is per cent
If Colorado's ex-convicts return to lives
Of crime. as compared with from 25 to
80 per cent in other States.
Fifteen life termers are among the
300 convicts. who in khaki clad gangs
Of about sixty are blasting out good
roads through the Rockies. They work
under unarm ID overseers, with no
stockades. no barbed wire. no ball and
chain. no growl Of guns. Nine o'clock
at night sees roll call at each road
amp Then the gang climbs into
It's tented hunks and the camps soli-
tary rifle is shouldered by the night
Guard. convict who keeps a keen look
at for coyotes.
These are corvicts who before leav-
.rg the penitentiary have held up their
f.Eht hands and sworn, first. that they
Nil! not .ttempt to escape, and second.
mat If possible they win prevent their
i'luw Convicts from attempting to es-
APE. Less than n Of / per cent Of
The convicts so trusted have escaped
sine colorad"'s first roadcamp was
pitched. May l.. 1908.
Specific legislation gives, in addition
10 liberal good behavior allowance.
"A ten day reduction OF term for every
thirty days in road camp. Thus a
colorado convict sentenced to between
ten and twenty years is enabled to earn
his release in four years and three
months; attempt escape. however.
puts him through his full twenty years.
liut IN lonely mountain wilds. where 1t
would lie easy for convicts to slay their
"Nerseers and escape in droves. the pos
sihilty of recapture IL SO remote as
To he small deterrent. Something
Use, which is more wholesome than the
clank Of chains the menace OF rifles.
Keeps the convict to his camp.
When the sentence expires Of one Of
these road camp convicts or his parole
arrives he possesses at least one mar
h"tahle trade, scientific road building.
He has worked his eight hours a day
under an open sky. sleeping at night
Nlh five others in an open tent. He
'dS lHthed in crystal mountain water
heated 10y "A big boiler in the corrugated
f"n hathhouse which IL erected at each
camp He has spent his evenings, his
Sundays and his weekly half holidays
10 reading old magazines sent the camp
'F nearby ranchers. in writing on plain
stationery TO his friends. in listening to
He camp monograph or at baseball
match games with town teams II he
mas made the camp nine). And he has
had no whskey.
lie gets his other chance at life, with
no PRISON pallor, either OF body or brain.
HIS sense OF honor has been Quickened
ny ms warden's trust, and a quickened
conscience is one Of society's assets. In
stances abound in ColOradO's road camps
i" show that where all the usual devices
~ modern penitentiary had failed to
redeem convict the placing OF trust
.n him succeeded. Here's one OF the in
stances:
Hud Parrott murderer and life term
convict at the Colorado penitentiary,
h'd become in 1909 so degraded that
'" would have given his very life for
''''ng" on his guards or a chance to es-
ape. After Tom lyman became Colo
'"h"s warden In 1909 Bud Parrot dis
.'''r"d that the old order had vanished.
I' 1911 l'arrott himself had 80 changed
nat he was sent on his honor 244 miles
away from the prison to road camp
20. ar Fort Collins, Col.
when the State Board OF Pardons
was about to meet in December, 1912,
~ Denver, Bud Parrot. In answer to
telegram from his warden. left the
''"h camp alone and In citizens clothes.
h"arded railroad train Mt Fort Col
"'s alone, rode alone seventy-seven
n''l"s to Denver. talked unattended to
'"N, Shafroth In the executive offices
II me State Capitol. lunched with two
"Wspaper men who had hunted him
,'''' and In the afternoon this murderer.
III" iermer and penitentiary bad man
PHittiy pleaded his own case before the
hardons board In the evening he left
'"hN"r alone. returned to Fort Collins
lone, and late at night crawled hack
M" his bunk at the road camp. Bud
"rr"tt was pardoned early in 1918 and
~ now living with his widowed mother
~ nebraska. He Ii a plain working
man and decent citizen. a sample