The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-01-10
EX-WARDEN Of
SING SING ON
REFORM LEAGUE
HON, THOMAS MOTT OSBORNE
SPEAKS BEFORE LARGE AUDI
ENCE LAST NIGHT
Tolls Of Loyalty Of Prisoners to "Pals'
md to Organ1zat1on-Mueh
Good wrought.

For nearly two hours last night. the
Honorable Thomas Mott Osborne, form
ar warden uf Sing Sing prison and the
noted national champion OF prison re-
form. spoke 10 a filled house in Eon
Street temple, on Common Sense In
representative audience, Including local
Judges, lawyers. ministers. professional!
and business men and scores Of women.
The lecture was the third Of a winter
series being given in the temple under
ne auspices Of Wheeling lodge. I. O. b.
T.. of EUT street congregation.
Mr.. Osborne was presented by Rabbi
\. r. Silver. who spoke cinqucntly and
most imprrsSivrly OF the great good
wrought by the former prison warden.
He said that the government is spending
millions Of dollars annually retaining
land by irrigation but that Mr.. Osborne
was doing grand and noble. work In
rcclaIming the souls OF men, that he
was the Inauguration Of the great prison
reform movement. He has his enem-
les, but his friends arc legion with him
In the glorious work" declared MT.
Silver.
Excellent Speaker.
Mr.. Osborne Is man Of large stature
and has voice that is very euphonious.
which rings with sincerity. He does
not look like the typtcally cartooned
prison warden. but one who possesses
tho kndcst and most congenial demcan-
Cr. His face glows and his eyes spark
led when h" waxed eloquent in appeal
ing for the men behind the bars. He
told of their loyalty ms crooks. dcclar-
ing that the old aduge that there Is
honor among thieves" was true. for
th"y are loyal to their pals. THAT =
more than YOU can say about many OF
The outside" said the speaker.
Was A Business Man.
Mr.. Osborne prefaccd his lecture with
Il brief review of his life and how he
came 10 take up the prison reform
connected with farm implement con-
Germ in New York state. later a public
service commissioner of New York. then
game warden. ~ served in that capa-
was a splendid game warden, for didn't
know anything about game, He said
that he had been sufficiently long in
politics that he wished To continue TO
associate with politicians and to that
end ne Became warden OF one Of the
largest prisons IN the country. The
audience laughed. He was also mayor
of his home town. His talk was inter-
sperSed with bits Of wit. he sometimes
quoting prisoners He worked from the
sublime to the humorous. He said mat
ha visited Auburn prison when youth
and that il made a great impression on
him aud he constantly thought about
the reform methods he finally put In
vogue.
Defines what Arc Crooks.
Tho terms used by crooks arc The
same aS you use in everyday life. For
illustration: II ono says one is a crook
II means thar his ways are not straight
but crooked. while III, crook means that
his pal did not play The crook game
straight. The huaur system or Sing
Sing is based upon nothing but the
honor oc crooks. They play their gamr
square with the associates. 1t Is their
religion. There is no such thing as a
criminal class TIL" ere the same men
physically and mentally in the prisons
as there are on the outside" lie de-
clarcd that al the members Of the prIs-
on reform league have not made good
Neither have all the people on the
outside. What make; men 80 wrong Is
the failure 10 make good on the ou'-
side 1t has been shown that rs per
cent Of the men who have been members
of the leRgu" have made good upon their
release" He tulA Of the great reduc-
tIun in attacks among prisoners In Sing
Sing since III" organization OF the MT
iual welfare league.
Prisoners Reform Prisoners.
When ! became warden "r Sing Sing
and the lcasur w"s perfected we began
the reformation among the Lao" men
put Off the Investigation of smuggling
Of dope and whi%kcy intn the prison
as tho hardest thing to overcome and
this task was In be Tho last reform
movement. w hon reached mat louHu
that the prisoners Themselves had clim-
mated dope and whiskey sales. Later
] discharged 4 guard who was one Of
the chief smugGl"rs upon exposure by
several Of the prisoners scar he'd
HIM and found three bottles OF whiskey
on his person.
Mr.. Osborne said the old honor sys-
tenn which made ''truStes" Of certain
prisoners and which followed the so
called Philadelphia system WAS ~
good. lIc lik"L"1 il I" the giving o.
rHndy IT, children Tor hing good. The
officials would make TRUSTEES" out 81
certai,, urf.. acr"rdiu.; l." behavior
anl often the officials Judgment wa:
bad. AZ result. .,I'."s Wee. foStercd =
stool piSeuns'' who would report in
fractions To the authorities.
when you wen. to school, Mr.. Us
borne recalled. "%olI know what YOU
thought Of thu TEACHERS pct. Well
raise the teachers pet To the Nir
power and you'll understand what
happened under tho "trusty" system
Follows with real stuff in them rebel
They hate rules and they have a
hatred fur the mon who enforce them
There is = great d.u! Of the school boy
in the prisoner.
"l'ndrr that system two-thtrds Of the
prisoners hal h""n there before. VIM
would YOU think of hospital wh"rt
twn-thirds Of the patients who were dis
charged had 10 go back again and AGAR