The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1914-12-11
EX-CONVICTS
TELL OF FIGHT
TO STAY HONEST
One Tried Harvest Fields, But
Slipped Back to Cleaning
Jewelry
AS TRUSTY HE VISITED
KANSAS CITY 20 TIMES
Change of Railroad Timetable
His UndOing, and He Joins
in a HOld-Up

KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Dec. 1.-THE
ex-convict's road TO rehabilitation Is
uphill, while the first peaceful sleep
that he knows after leaving prison
walls follows the arrest that assures
his return. This Is the observation
OF Ike Johnson, convicted slayer, ana
Jim Fishback, convicted train robber,
who were arrested In Kansas City,
Kan, little more than an hour after
they had committed q holdup.
With the air OF men who had found
rest after a period of unrest, the two
men told Chief of Police w. w. Cor
don and Deputy Prosecutor W. X
Ward how they held up the Parkwood
pharmacy at Tenth-st and Quindaro-
blvd, the circumstances OF their ar
rest, the details OF their records.
you fellows probably think we
must have been crazy to try To pull
on q Job and get sent back again, but
you can't tell what you'd do In the
other fellows place" Fishback said.
When / got out last June, / In
tended to go straight ! determined
TO earn a living honestly, and went TO
the harvest fields and went to work.
But I'm not the man l used to be.
I'm -, and prison life doesn't Inn
prove q fellows health l have a
tendency TO dropsy. My feet began
to swell and i had to give 1t up.
There was no one to help me, so |
got q gun and returned to my old
tricks. rolled harvesters to get
enough money to get to Wichita The
watch you found the pawn ticket for
got there In q little 'holdup.'
when / reached Kansas City
was broke / met Ike. He was out
for the first day after being sick IN
bed two weeks. We had so cents
and no Job or friends, and a prospect
OF soon being without anything TO
eat ! don't like to hold people up;
I'm not naturally mean and don't care
TO shoot anybody or take anybody
money. We just had To raise the
wind and took the most natural way
to do It i had the first good nights
sleep last night I've had since ! got
out"
The two waived preliminary hear.
ing on a charge Of robbing ]. A.
Brinkley, owner Of the pharmacy.
They said they would plead guilty
and take sentences OF from 10 to 81
years in the state penitentiary as soon
as complaint can be fled In the dis
trict- court
Fishback was sentenced In October,
1904. in the Wyandotte county dis
trict court to serve from 10 to 81
years for holding up Missouri Pa
cific passenger train between Kan
sas City and Leavenworth. He es-
capped June 16.
Il was slated TO be let out in Octo-
Der on minimum time for good be
havior and would have been but for
an accident" F1shback said. "They
made me a 'trusty' and gave me the
run Of the island and didn't pay any
attention to me from morning until
locking up time at night l was crazy
TO get to Kansas City. l slipped
away, swan the Missouri, hoped
train down In the morning and came
back late In the afternoon In time for
ron call at night. l did this about
20 times. One day / waited for the
last train and the Rock Island didn't
show up. learned later the SEIZED
ule had been changed. l rode back
on the electric line several hours late
the guards out hunting for me with
rifles / knew my absence had been
discovered, that my good time would
be forfeited and that 1t was too late
to go back.
Sorry For His Pal.
My one regret just now is drag
ging poor old Ike In on this deal
when he was out on parole. I just
wanted somebody to go along. When
a fellow goes on a job Of that kind he
wants somebody or something along,
II it's only yellow pup"
Johnson is So years old He was
sent up for life term from Atchison
for participation In killing a saloon
keeper named Burch.
me and a fellow named 'Dode' Nc
Kmm went In to hold his place up,
and he showed fight" Johnson said.
We had to shoot him, but II wasn't
me that killed him. The police closed
In and we had a fight on the street.
Me and my pard and a policeman got
considerably shot up"
Johnson was shot In one arm and
one leg and McKimm had both legs
broken. Both we're convicted on
charge of homicide, but few months
ago their sentences were committed.
McK1mm went to California and John
son came to Kansas City.
You can see I'm about all in"
johnson said recently. 'Twenty-one
years in addition to life don't make
much difference only | would like TO
get out in time so that wouldn't
have to be buried in that place. I'm
glad ] didn't get a chance TO get my
gun. IL had somebody would have
hoan uvfnad nut -