The Alaska citizen., 1917-01-08
SUTTON TELLS PtNiitNiIAlKRlI
 EXPERIENCES
FAlRBANkSAN JUST RETURNED FROM M'NEtL'S ISLAND TELLS OF HIS EXPERIENCES DURING EIGHT MONTHS STAY IN THE PENiTENTlARY.
TELLS ABOUT ALL.
 FAIRBANKS MEN
HAS NOTHING BUT WORDS OF PRAISE FOR PENITENTlARY AND WAY PRISONERS ARE TREATED AND HANDLED BY THEM

SNSc W "A FhloONGhO HHC
 TREATED AND HANDLED BY
 THEM.
 It's penitentiary pure and sim lle, and l wouldn't like to go back there For no man likes to realize hat he is shut off from the rest of the world by cement walls and Iron bars. But if man wanted to go to a penItentiary l couldn't imagine q better place than McNel's Island. The pententiary officials are courte- ous in their treatment of all of the prisoners If the prisoners show any tendency whatever to do the right thing. and they work the men only enough to give them exercise. There is no hardship whatever"
 The foregoing, in effect. was the statement of Al Sutton, the well known Fairbanksan, who returned to Fairbanks last night after an eight months sojourn on the Outside, most Jf which time was spent within the confines of the United States peni- -entiary at McNeifs Island. Mir. Sutton came in over the trail In sharge of the live stock shipment of tnited States Marshal Erwin, whom le met in Seattle, and who persuad. ed him to take charge of the outfit. .Ie was sent up from Fairbanks bout a year ago after pleading guilty to a statutory offense, under entence of year and a day, but, given tho usual time off for good behavior, he secured his parole and immediately started north. At the nd of this month the time of his 5entence will have expired and he 7ill be an entirely free man again.
 Sutton brings word of all of the
 airbanksans now incarcerated at IcNeips. Billy Clark is in the bar per shop. Billy Reagan is still in he tailor shop, after having made .wo intellectual efforts to secure Jarole Dan Callahan is doing water ront grading work on the water. ront of the island, and George Smith and Dave Carmack are work ng in the quarries. A strict watch 8 perpetually kept on the two last named men, according to MT. Sutton.
 Sutton himself was working in the hospital He was given full run of he place as "trusty" after he had been there for time. He was con- Jelled to go to the hospital immedi- ltely after he arrived at the insu. ,ution, on account of sickness, and while convalescing made himself gen. orally useful He thinks that 1t was or this reason that he was assigned O hospital duty.
 The work of the larger part of he prisoners consists of quarrying. There is big mountain on the sland and this is being removed every year, little by little, and car lied down to the waterfront on cars. It is in these quarries that Smith and Carmack are engaged in work .ng, while Dan Callahan is in charge of the unloading of the cars on the beach.
 Sutton says that the larger part of the prisoners at McNeils are young men. And talking about so- siety." he continued, there's where you find more bankers and post office clerks than you ever thought existed"
 The week at McNeil's Island con. .;ists of five working days. one holi- day and Sunday. Saturday IS the holiday, and on that day the inmates of the penitentiary do anything they please within the bounds of the rules which have been laid down for the day. Sunday Is the day of religious worship, although on that day, also, the men are treated to a picture show.