The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-12-11
MAY USE KANSAS CONVICTs
Warden codding Offers to Establish
Two Experimental Road Build
ing Camps in the State.

Ou6 nuQQT0Q hdnSdS may
be started on good roads in the state
this winter. J. K. Codding, warden of
the penitentiary, in a recent letter to
Governor Capper said that road build
ing is the best kind of work that could
be given convicts and while it might
disturb the industries at the prison he
would be glad to organize two expert
mental road camps of fifty prisoners
each to start real road building in the
state
81 believe that probably one-half the
inmates of the state reformatory could
be used on the road work and the long
term Jail men should also be used,''
said Mr.. Codding. Gas for working
the penitentiary conVicts, we could do
that only by abandoning some of our
industries. For instance we are min
ing nearly sixty thousand tons of coal
worth $3.50 ton at the mine. Our
brick plant now is turning out 21h to
8 million bricks a year. We are ship
ping a carload today to the state in
situations. We use Lightweight men
in the prison Irvine plant, making 3
million pounds of Irvine year. Then
we have two thousand acres of farm
land to be worked by convict labor,
and any prison expert will say that
there is no better place to work con-
victs than on the farms.
81 would be pleased to furnish one
hundred conYicts to work on the roads
at any time. I believe it would be
good idea to put in camp of one hun
dred men, or rather two camps of
fifty men each, and let them start the
work as an experiment. OF course,
the cost of maintaining prisoners in
road camps would be approximately
twice as high as that in the peniten-
tiary. They would require better
clothing and more and richer food
than while in closer confinement.
x x x
Neqress Dies at 1oo.-Mrs. Frances
Murrow, a negro woman, said to be
100 years old, died in Garrett the
other day. She has been a resident
there about forty years.
x x =
Caught Pittsburg Robbers. - Three
men held up the proprietor of a pool
hall at Franklin recently. They OBJ
tanned a small amount of money. Word
Immediately was taken to a motion
picture theater next door, and the
spectators poured out, the men arming
themselves, and took up the chase. In
a fight that followed two of the rob-
Ders were wounded and all were cap
tured.
independence Banker Dead.-E. P.
Allen, a resident of independence, and
vice president of the First National
bank, died the other day.
Greeley Pioneer Dead-T. H. Nof-
singer is dead at Greeley. He was
81 years old. He had lived there since
1861.
Killed in Motor Collision. Frank
Wilson when he met head on in his
motor car with A Heinze in another
car. The collision occurred on the top
of an elevation and neither could see
the other until too late to stop. Heinze
was injured.
Atchison Officers in court-Mayor
C. C. Finney, Owen Grady, license in
spector, and four others were ar
raigned in district court at Atchison
recently on charges of contempt of
court in connection with a violation
Of q liquor injunction against the
Eagles club. The case was contin-
ued until December 20 and bond for
the defendants fixed at $500 each.
x
Old Garnett Resident Dead-Benja-
min Lawellen, about so years old,
who has been a resident of Anderson
county since 1857, died the other day.
= X
High School Editors to Meet.-The
program for the third annual meeting
OF the Kansas High School Editorial
association, which will me held in
Emporia December and 4, has been
completed. About thirty editors win
be in attendance. W. A White OF the
Emporia Gazette viii be one OF the
speakers.
4
Shotgun Fatal to Fzrmer-CarI
Hackford accidentally killed himself
with a shotgun the other night while
hunting on his farm, eight miles south
- co1s-,1