The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-07-28
BIG HEART OF 'BIG FELLOW
PUMPS REFORM INTO FRISCO
Fremont Older Is No Professional Reformer EtherChums
With Model Citizens and So-Called Outcasts, Too
Once He Put Abe Ruef Behind Bars and
Then Got Him Out Again
NJ ZOE RECKLEY

many things look impossible that
arent"
Jack Black was case that looked
pretty near impossible to a lot Of people,
including himself. He thought he had
spent too many seasons at Folsom
QJgh! Folsoms been reformed since
the big break'), San Quentin and other
California resorts of the delinquent
But one day, while serving a 2o-year
sentence for specializing in jewelry
stores, Jack found the big right hand
of Fremont Older held out to him. Jack
took it, making a certain promise.
Jack Black has been for two years
now collector of street sales in the Of
flee of the Bulletin, and is as trust
worthy an employe as though his one
time ventures had not been enough to
make those of the James boys and Nick
Carter sound like the pretty doings OF
Little Rollo.
He has written one of the most re-
markable prison stories ever told 1t APP
peared as a serial in the Bulletin and
later under the title, "The Big Break at
Folsom" with a sequel, "Out of
Prison" and some day 1 am going to
write 80 or 40 stories, books, plays and
movie scenarios from it, if some one else
doesn't do it first.
FOR GOOD FOLKS, TOO
1 met Jack Black at Mr.. Older's ranch
and am more ready than ever to believe
as he says, that most criminals want
to quit their way of living after they
have been in it few years.
las soon as the first sense of adven-
ture wears off, he explained, they be-
gin to look for a way out. Here's where
the helping hand should come in. Those
out of Jail should be given work. Those
inside should be paroled. l know OF
three men already whom Mr.. Older has
got out on parole by using my record
as an argument. Now if each of those
men keeps doing well, each one can get
three more men out, and so on in an
endless chain"
Donald Lowrie is another of Fremont
Olders discoveries. His now famous
story, My Life in Prison also ran first
in the Bulletin, bulling the circulation
sky high. Not that Mr.. Older confines
his boosts to men who have been behind
bars. He has no prejudice against the
! virtuous unless they brag about it.
There are young men tucked away in
colleges and business offices all over the
country who owe their chance to him.
And women, too.
The Big Fellow is not a Native Son.
Many years ago he trekked out of Wis
consin because the lurid life of Califor-
MIA called.
San Francisco in the sixties was no
saint, as you have heard tell. Neither
was young Mr. Older. He gravitated to
where things We're thickest and did not
always go to bed when the curfew
sounded. Sometimes the clink of glass
on glass and gold on gold drowned out
its peal altogether,
SOME FEAR BIG FELLOW
Anyhow, the Big Fellow declares he
was no better than the rest (not that
we believe him), and did his full share
to make the Golden Gate city a grown
up and sophisticated town from it's very
inception.
Perhaps that is why he understands
humans so well today. He has never
viewed them from heights of superiority.
lie just bumped along with the crowd
until the bgness Of his spirit like the
bigness of his body, made him stand
out, figure apart.
He is today a power not alone of good
ness Qor, chile, how he'd hate to be
called goodD, but of wisdom and of JUS
tice He writes editorials that are read
by million people daily. He is one of
the greatest editors In the country. Ev-
erybody either likes or loves him except
those who fear his investigatory eye
and the strength of his pen arm.
AS one of his friends said to a pal:
IF you're in trouble, son, go see the
Big Fellow If he's on yer side we've
got a chance If he amt on yer side
y amt got no. chance; no Twin sourll
help we if he WON'T