Arizona republican., 1917-10-09
CONVICT WHO WAS IN CHARGE OF MUTILATED PRISON
 BOOKS FOUND IN US. UNIFORM

After months of search, the man who can, it is believed, throw much needed light upon the muddled trans actions and greatly aid In clearing up the mutilated books ana incomplete records of the Arizona state prison has been apprehended and is once more inside the walls of the state peniten- tiary at Florence.
 On this occasion, however, C. L. Brinkley, by which name he is known on the prison records, is not a favored inmate of that institution, handling the books and records of the most inn portant departments of the institu- ton, but is occupying a cell and fol- lowing the daily program of the other ordinary inmates.
 While officers have been securing the country for Brinkley, whose escape from that institution two days before A. A. Anderson succeeded R. B. Sims as warden is one of the mysteries it is hoped soon to solve, c. P. Lee, audi tor and public accountant, has been making a thorough examination of such books, accounts and records as could be found relating to transactions at the prison for the past five years.
 Brinkley as he is known, slick tOngued, well Happening, educated, has a record during his stay in Arizona that almost excites admiration. He made his first appearance in this state at Wilcox, where he secured employ ment with the H. A. Morgan Mercan- tile company as bookkeeper He had previously been in the hospital corps of the United States army, serving from May z, 1914, until July l3, 1915, securing his discharge by purchase.
 At Wilcox he soon secured admis sion to the best society and was one of the trusted employees of the Morgan company. Not long after that he mar ried one of the rcost respected women in Wilcox. It is alleged now that Brinkley at that time had a wife and child in Georgia and that his true name is Charles L. Baker.
 What is certain, however, is that his Hyde trait soon cropped out, with the result that he was convicted on July 8, 1916, in Cochise county, of embeZzle- ment from the Morgan Mercantile company and sent to the Arizona state prison at Florence.
 While in the prison Brinkley was assistant bookkeeper. More particu- larly he had charge of the record books affecting the cash and the commissary accounts, doing this work for O. C. Cole, the prison secretary under War den R. B. Sims. Many of these rec ords disappeared from the prison at the same time that Brinkley did.
 This dual disappearance took place on June IA, 1917, only two days before the prison administration was trans ferred from R. B. Sims to Warden A. A Anderson. Brinkley's escape is as cribed as gross carelessness, to say the least
 Not long afterward Brinkley was ap- prehended in Tucson by the sheriff of Pima county. A telephone conversa- tion with the prison officials confirmed the sheriff's suspicion that he had the escaped convict. Brinkley's oily tongue was too much for the sheriff, however, and the convict actually talked the sheriff out of holding him, securing his release only an hour before the arrival of the prison car with the offi- cials to take Brinkley back to the pen itentiary.
 Brinkley then enlisted in the United States army at Nogales and was sent to Douglas. His previous army train ing stood him in good stead and he soon was raised to a sergeant and made a trusted clerk in the office of the district surgeon at Douglas head quarters. All went well with Brink lev until John Mex. Redmond, the new secretary at the prison, made a trip to Douglas and recognized Brink ley on the street, although he wore d uniform. The trip to Florence and Brinkley's re-entry to the state prison ends for a time the peregrinations of Baker, alias Brinkley, although no sooner had he been returned to the prison than a letter followed from the district surgeons headquarters asking that Brinkley be pardoned. The letter says in part:
 Due to the fact that he is an eX cellent soldier, quiet industrious, with excellent habits and one whose services are valuable to the government. 1t is | firmly believed that it would be to the | best interests of the state and govern
 ment, especially when trained men
 are so badly needed, that he be par doned and restored to military duty. ] For these reasons it. is hoped that clemency be shown and he be given a 1 full pardon
 l For reasons" that the report of Spe- ciaI Auditor C. P. Lee plainly show, Brinkley is wanted at the state prison
 to enlighten the officials on many
 matters relating to the conduct of that | institution during the time he had l charge of some of the most important | books.
 They want to know why some of the ! books disappeared on the day Brinkley l unceremoniously said goodby to that
 institution and if he knows where they
 are. Perhaps he can explain some 1 of the things that are brought up in
 the report of MT. Lee. For instance, it
 says:
 (Continued on Page Two)