The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-08-21
Fenton, Once Pickpocket, Tells
Experiences Inside, Outside, Lap

Everyone in the big tent waited
wednesday evening for the appear
ance of burly, uncouth man, display
ing criminal features. Instead. when
Robert w. Fenton, convert of Billy
Sunday after 20 years of crime, STEP
ped on the platform they saw smooth
faced, rosy checked man of medium
height, who looked his part-a public
speaker.
I'm order to show what sin will do
for man and what Christ will do for
him, have to tell you about my own
life, although l would rather not"
said Fenton.
Environment had nothing to do
with my being thief. l was raised
in as good home as a boy ever had.
and when l was seventeen my father
placed me in a business house where
l had chance to start right and
make good.
And let me tell you right here that
there was nothing the matter with
my brain either, 1t was my heart. The
pathologist, DR.. Hickman, says, that
70 percent. of the criminals are in
sane. / do not agree with him. Is
there anything wrong with the real
estate pirate. the banking shark?
Nothing with his mind. Its his heart!
II made my start on the wrong
path in a pool room. and let me say
also that a young man can't hang
around pool room, a low dance hall,
nor a saloon and go straight. The
kindergarten is to the public school
what these resorts are to the future
criminal.
Denounces Saloon.
Il was in the game for 20 years, and
I 10 hot lo UNTIL hn
saloons for ten years, the gun-man,
gangster, and thief, will be a thing of
the past. The vets tried to put a
bomb under my train once because
l say that You've heard men say
they can take a drink and leave it
alone. 1t can't be done, for If they
take 1t they aren't leaving it alone. l
was a sample of the ordinary saloon
keeper when | ran one in Chicago.
During the day was out robbing the
people, and at night getting other men
started on the same path"
Does crime pay, I am asked? You
Will say that If a man can get $250,000
in ten years as I did through picking
pockets, that it must be pretty lucra-
tive. But you see you don't make any
thing, for you have all the leeches to
pay. No. stealing and the other crimes
bring nothing but, sorrow, the peni-
tenary and hell"
Talking of his penitentiary exper-
fence Fenton said:
When | got there | found every
body was grating from the warden up
and down. and so l grated, too. When
/ left there l had $500 of the states
money.
Couldn't Have Whole Rat.
They served hash for breakfast
there, and one morning one of the
boys was giving his the once over as
we always did-when he discovered
rats leg. He took it around to the
assistant warden, who looked at it
minute and said:
Well, my man, we try to do all
we can for you, but we can't give you
all whole rat Ladies and gentle
men who's responsible for this kind of
stuff. Why, you are. You elect your
officials.
Satirically he told of some of the
examinations he had taken to deter
mine whether or not he was naturally
a criminal.
Il had a detective tell me once that
the bump in my nose was a sign of my
criminal nature, but | knew exactly
what gang fight l got that bump in
Again a detective told me it was re-
ceding forehead, but mine didn't re-
coed half as much as his.
Knew Honest Politician
They asked me once if | ever had