The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1919-04-10
Taught Z; ss.ssys
in Priss. .ool
BY JOHN W. EMMERsok.

tion In all Colorado closed its annual
term here Saturday. April S. This
school, which meets ave days each
week from October to April I. Il I'M
like any other school In the stats.
1t consists Of an average Of Is men.
varying In ages from 20 to 50 years.
OF different races and degrees Of in
telligence. including Mexicans. Ne
groes. Italians. Spaniards, Japanese
and Americans.
Every teacher is a convict. mostly
life term murderers. Murder, how
ever. is not . requirement for eligt-
bility In this school. but no one Is
qualined 70 teach or even attend this
school who has not been convicted OF
bome crime. for this Is the school At
the Colorado state penitentiary, under
the direction and supervision Of Chap
lain 8. H. Sperry.
The school has . session Of one
hour each day. except Saturday and
Sunday. from 1890 to 1870 .. m. No
pupil is allowed to take more than
one study. Attendance Is purely vol
untary and yet there is seldom an en-
rolled teacher or pupil absent. In
fact. during the term just closed every
one of the 10 teachers was perfect In
attendance.
Very few visitors are admitted to
this school. but those who are see q
strange sight II looks much like o
Sunday school. about eight pupils In
each class seated ON q bench. with
the teacher standing In front But
af ~f~I~
see full grown. mature men. You
see whole benches OF Mexicans or
other foreigners bending over their
hrst and second readers with an in
terest seldom seen in an ordinary
school. As one looks into the faces
Of those earnest men of mature years
as they bend over the same tasks as
the little boys and girls OF the public
schools. he Is led TO wonder whether
most OF these men would today be In
convict stripes II they had had the sd
vantages OF an ordinary education In
their youth.
Spelling Is one OF the interesting
features Of this school. the first 10
minutes OF each session being de-
voted TO this study. An old-fashIoned
spelling match Is held each Friday
afternoon and the last man on the
floor Is presented with cake. How
keen is the rivalry for these cakes can
be wei imagined.
So proficient have several OF the
men become in spelling that the chap
lain ID some times unable to md
words that will turn them down
There is q group OF three spoilers. in.
ciuding King. Montague. Tracy. Hin
ton. Lee. Barnet. GILLIAN and possibly
two or three others. who would be
wonderfully pleased to have the |
chance TO spell against n similar mum
ber of men from any OF the walks OF
life.
In the line OF penmanship there are |
perhaps few finer penmen In the
United States than @. a. Barnett. the !
writing teacher. Barnett's copies |
are actually superior to the coppe-
plates in the COPY bo-ks and consr-
Quently he sets all the copies for the
pupils. In fact. Il was his skill with |
the pen that led TO his downfall for
he IL In for forgery.
Edward Siewaid fs the secretary of |
hand man and assistant Seiwald
has class In music and Is the leader
OF the prison band. an organization |
of which the prison is very proud |
He In lifetimer. and narrowly es-
capped tho moose. his partner In crime. |
Cook. having been hanged several
years ago
Every teacher In an interesting
character. Indian. Jim. who teaches
third reader. is past so years Of age
and his been In prison for more than
n quarter OF century. Robert r.
Lee. advanced arithmetic. is a college
man and poet On the closing day Of /
school he presented an original poem +
dedicated to Chaplain Sperry. George {
King. advanced grammar teacher.
was once under sentence OF death for
the murder of an old man near
Ramsh. Colo.
The last day OF school this year at
the prison wns rather jubilant az
fair. Mrs. lyman furnished four big
cakes and Chaplain Sperry secured n
supply OF candy and nuts for the
''feed.' which followed tho program.
Addresses were made by several of
the men. In which they told of the
good the school had done them.
II 10 . rather sad commentary on
our bcasted civilization that many
men receive their first lessons. in
books and In good citizenship behind
prison walls. if