New Britain herald., 1917-01-17
THOMPSON RAPS
 AT SHERIFF DEWEY
Says Good Fellowship Won Him
 Post at County Jail

Connecticut Prison Reform asSOcia- ton, gave a. very interesting talk on
 the subject of prisons before the mem
 bers of the Brotherhoods at tn" First Baptist church last evening. Preccd- ing the talk a business meeting of the Brotherhood was held. The sextet rendered selections. MT. Thompson took his audience back to the days when the man that was the strong est took what he wanted regardless of the fact that it was wrong and then
 worked up to the present period of prison reform.
 In opening his talk MT. Thompson said that it would be a ramblc and that it would resemble a rubber band in that it would stretch, could be cut off or drawn in at any time. He said that if a person were to go back far enough he would discover that the man of the olden times took what he wanted providing that he was strong CT than the man from whom he took
 the goods In those days it didn't make much difference what was taken
 even if it were the other mans wife just so long as the man that wanted
 her was the stronger of the two. Then
 
 under one leader. From this grew the tribe, said MT. Thompson, where one man ruled over hundreds of peo- nle and dealt out justice as he under stood 1t. From the tribes grew the na- lions the feudal system that dominat- ed in the middle ages. Next came the l,inpdoms. which gathered the feudal
 lords under one leader and forced
 them to recognize him as such.
 MT. Thompson said that it was not
 So very long ago that the codi- fed law became effective. Then the idea that wrong should be punished came into effect and the principal crime at that time seemed to be trea- son. The Russia of today bears out to some extent the law of that time as regards capital punishment. In that country there is no capital punishment for murder or other crimes of the sort but there is for political crimes. He said that this latter statement was not verified. Heroes of the Gallows.
 Down to the last 15O to 200 years,
 aid MT. Thompson, the people began
 to feel that they must be secure, not
 so much in the person but the prop
 erty that belonged to them. In those
 days there was not very much protec-
 tion by the police as guardians of the
 law were almost an unknown thing.
 There were many forms of punish
 ment for the man that stole an ar
 ticle or committed a somewhat sim
 liar crime. Murder and assault in
 those days were minor offenses and
 did not mean so much.
 This latter feeling is still prevail
 ent in some of the countries abroad. To better illustrate this latter point
 Mr. Thompson told of an Italian that he met coming out of jail one day and when fNe asked the man what he
 had done the latter replied nothing
 much, only stuck a knife into man.
 There were over 100 ofenSeS TOT
 which man could be put to death.
 The man that was sent to the gallows
 soon began to be; looked upon as
 sort of hero by the people and no
 longer was it considered great pun
 ishment. From that day to this the
 putting to death of man has been
 on the decrease until at the present
 time, as there are few crimes in this
 country for which a man can be put to
 death. In the state of Connecticut
 there is but one and that is for mur-
 der in the first degree.
 MT. Thompson said that the idea to-
 day was to treat the offender so that
 he would not do things So far the solution of the present day condi-
 tions has not been found but there are
 groups of men studying the problem and they will no doubt find the an- swer. The groups in the church should study the social conditions, he said, and there are places in the Brother hood for such study. If the ren unite in demanding that a certain thing be done it would be done be- cause they wanted it done.
 At one time number of years ago MT. Thompson told the gathering he
 was at the head of club in the south
 ern part of Hartford and to this club
 belonged men of all denominations. Among other things that the club desired was better fire protection in their district and so the fire commits sioner came down and looked over conditions. After an investigation he l told the men what they did not need l in the line that they desired. But at | the next report of the city council 8 recomm endation was made that addt- | tional fire protection be given in the southern part of the town. not because | 1t was needed but because 1t was wanted. This was the sort Of social 1 question that the men should make study of said MT. Thompson.
 It was only a few years ago that people began the study of the offend CTS and then a man named Howard I was elected a sheriff in one of the l English counties This man knew nothing of what his duties were but he l did not know that all classes were l thrown together in one enclosure. He 1 lost his life while making a study of l the question. Elizabeth Fry, an Eng 1 Hshwomen, started what might be 1 termed a prison. reform when she l went about visiting the different in 1 stitutions in her country and then l went out and told the world about 1 iail to. ..tl lad