The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-08
OUT OF Sing sing
! IN HIS 18th YEAR
George w. Cram, PardOncd for
Good Conduct. Comes Home
to His Children.
WOULD FIGHT MEXICO

upper moor OF 4S Tnird avenue NeSter-
day afternoon and watched the elc-
waited trains roll by. The whiz OF the
cars and the pounding OF the wheels on
the rails was music to his ears-didn't
bother him al all. he said. as he had
became accustomed to the racket OF the
J. more han twenty years before he was
sent TO Sing Sing FOR staying his wife
Rachel in October. 1894.
The bright eyed old man was George
w. Cram. an honor. man at Sing Sing,
and a waterman ~ the Mexican civil and
indian wars. who won his pardon by his
exemplary conduct In the prison to
which he was first committed under a
sentence Of death. This sentence was
later commuted and he then became a
"lifer."
Cram was told on Monday by Deputy
Warden Johnson that he was free to 60
back to the world after twenty years
and eight months ot prison life and
the warden advised him to take his leave
that night in order to avoid the news
paper men. but the old man still had
some work to do and good-bss To say
many friends are made IN ~prison-and
ne delayed his departure until yester-
day morning.
The trip back TO New York didn't ex-
cite him at all. az he had kept pace
with the development of things. n
nothing really surprised him. but he
was truly excited over the reunion with
his granddaughter. Mrs. Arthur Stein.
with whom he Is going to make his tenn
porary home. and his ten-month-old
great granddaughter, whose photograph
ne wore on the lapel OF his waistcoat.
IL was a great home coming for grandpa
When a SUN reporter called at the
Nat yesterday afternoon the old man
was resting up" ~ he called II, watch
iny the trains go by. and he idn't want
10 speak about the certain incidents In
Ills life that led to his trouble or of an
old mans plans for the future, but he
was very willing to talk about the great
thing. hat Warden osborne and Deputy
Warden Johnson are doing for the boys
at Sing Sing.
AS for his crime he said he didn't re-
member anything about the revolver. or
the shooting or the Tombs or the trial.
II was all a blank to him until he found
himself undergoing prison routine as a
"lifer.'
'Sing Sing is now a paradise to what
II uNtu " " H' tlu tAllb " I
ne moving better and greater things are
90 be done. All that the movement wants
is the support OF the good people on the
outside.
81 never Joined the Mutual Welfare
League until four months ago. was
not opposed to It, mind YOU. but ] wanted
20 see how the cat was going to jump.
There was a time when the men at Sing
Sing Sing looked as II they had just
como out of the grave. We weren't al
lowed to speak to anybody, but now it's
oil changed. Aud would YOU believe II
there are still a few kickers. hut ] sup
pose 1t IL natural to have some kickers
and grumblers any where YOU go.
"Thc discipline wasn't good at first
after Mr.. osborne came In, but now
everybody is working In harmony. ] tell
YOU it's fine. The men are being treated
like humans osborne and Johnson cant
be beat. There isn't a prisoner there
who wouldn't give his life for them. I'm
sure | would in a minute IL II was neces-
sary. Any man who goes TO that prison
to-day. u ne is right. will he treated like
q real man. There are man good things
in prison and there are many crooked
things. I never liked the crooked things
There was "A time In Sing Sing when the
prisoners were suspicious OF certain
keepers. but you never hear any suspi-
cions about any of the officials these
days. ! want to do what | can for the
men in prison. because ! know how they
suffer. and 7 believe 1t is up TO the good
people on the outside to help Warden
Osborne I'm his movement"
Cram never had a keeper over him for
fifteen years. He was the prison weigh
master during that time and weighed
everything that came in and went cut
OF the prison. He came and went as he
r1ea God aud naNny had "A nnEg hlf nnpn
He earned for himself n splendid repuia.
ton for faithfulress and efficiency and
iifty-two officials signed the petition foI
his pardon.
Cram was the younGes' of thirteen
children, twelve boys and a girl. He was
the only one Of the boys who touched
liquor. lie took his first drink back in
1910 at the age of . when he was n pas
eenger On a Mississippi steamboat
Henry Clay was playing poker on the
trip and pulled young Cram up on his
lap. let him play a hand and then
treated him 30 a swallow of wine from
his glass. Grants mother, who died "A.
the age OF 90, had a few things 10 say
20 ia for tempting her boy and out
slders had to patch up the quarrel.
II won't say that ] believe in prohibl-
ton even now the old man said.
Liquor is all right If it isn't used to eX-
cess. Too much OF it is Dad You know
you can make yourself sick If you eat too
much"
Cram was a builder in New York be-
fore he was sent away. He was an In
dian fighter back in the sos and once a
redskin smashed him on the nose with a
musket in the Siwash outbreak near
Crescent city, Cal. His nose still shows
the effects OF the blow.
The old man is the father Of nine chill
dren, the youngest OF whom is 81. The
"baby" called upon his father yesterday
and didn't know him. Cram has been
very particular about keeping his chill
dren ava from Sing Sing and wouldn't
let them visit him unless he sent for
shem. Once there was a reunion of four
generations at the prison. the cid man, 4
daughter, a granddaughter and a great
granddaughter.
And there's going to be another re-
union soon," said the former %'lifer' as
ne got up and ushered his caller out.
Before leaving Sing Sing Cram was
told by somebody hat II would take an
army of 100000 men to straighten out
Mexico, and he replied I'VE straight
ened them out with only $4,000 men
nearly seventy years ago. We don't need
so many to do 1t over again. one hun
dred thousand would be plenty. I'd be
glad to have "A and In 1t myself"