The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-03-13
Marquette Convict, Time Up To-
morrow, Terrorized at Thought
of Going Out into World
REBELS At OFFICERS DECREE
Wants Another Man to Be Re.
leased in His Place; Will
Be 10 in May

Marquette, Mich, March 1S.-The
population of the Marquette prison
yesterday was 33i convicts. OF the 33t
1893 were ready to swap their boots
aud everything else they possessed to
get out, but the 33ith was bemoaniny =
what he conceives to be the cruel de .
cree that he must face the outside
world tomorrow.
He is known at the prison for con-
yenicnce's sake as No. 1888. The prison
records give his name as Peter Pelin-
ski He was sent to Jackson in Nav,
1900 with a twenty years sentence for
murder i'm the second degree. He was
then hfty-siX years of age lie will be
seventy next May. In July, 1902 he
was transferred. with large number
Of other prisoners, from jackson t.
Marquette. lie had not distinguished
himself for good behavior at Jackson,
but his prison record here has not been
bad one. Although he has had to be
humored somewhat and nursed along.
serious trouble. During most of his
stay of twelve years i'm the Marquette
prison he has worked in the kitchen.
Pelinski was getting along comfort-
ably and happily enough until early
this week. when the officers of the
prison informed him that his time
would be up Saturday and that he
would have to make preparations for
his departure. Then brooding care en-
tered into his life and in the interval
he has been tremendously downcast.
Various ingenious plans by which he
might be permitted to remain have
been worked out by him, and submit
ted to the consideration of the officers
one was the somewhat unique, but
unfortunately impracticable. sugges-
ton that he, Pelinski, should remain at
the prison and that in his place should
be released another member of the
kitchen force to whom he has taken n
fancy. Pelinski brought out this sug-
gestion visiby buoyed up with hope,
ANA was corrcspondingly downcast
when the officers rejected it.
Says Mistake Is Made.
Now PelinsM continues to insist that
he doesn't want to go. and, if he can
help it that be won't go. The officers
have made mistake, he says. His
term is not yet out by two years. Pc
linski is not greatly to he blamed.
Seventy years of age, fricndless, with
most of his relatives dead and those
who are living Indifferent to him. 1t is
perhaps not to he wondered at that he
thinks with terror of leaving the only
homo he has known for Il dozen years
and venturing forth into "A world in
which he Jared none too well when he
srappled with its difficulties i'm the full
prime of his strength.
liut Pelinski will have to fare forth
Saturday. Whatever the prison officials
thlnk of the peculiar situation-and
they are not unmindful of its pathos-
theN hRve no choice but to discharge
hlm, fH they have no authority for
holding convicts whose time is up. even
II they want to stay. The present pro-
gram, therefore, with regard to Pelir- ,
SKI Is To see that he is sent out well
clothed and supplied with ticket back
To Bay county, whence he came. The
prison officials will do this, and they
VIII send word to the Bay county au-
lhorities of the peculiar circumstances
surrounding the case. They can do n }
more