New Britain herald., 1919-11-14

enthusiasm and earnestness have been frequently noticed by the local newspapers.
 "There can be no doubt of the sin cerity of Curt Jett," says one news paper, flor his manner and appear ance are so changed that nothing but a strong influence for the better could have destroyed his old look and ap- parent pride in his achievements that characterized his whole conduct while on trial.''
 Convict Gives Credit.
 There is something dramatic in the conversion of the onc-time feudist. He tells of it in his speeches as fol lows:
 ITO woman now dead. who was an invalid for the most of her life and whom I never saw, is due the credit of converting me. She lived in Lexington and her name was Mrs Fannie A Pew. She wrote me q good Christian letter. full of good advice, and begged me to become a Christian. l had never seen her: she had only read in the press what a desperado and outlaw l was. l read her letter and 1t sounded like a fairy story to mo, with no sense in it; but after re- tiection l answered it and we began to be good friends. She kept begging me to turn from my ways and be {; Christian man,
 Mrs. Pew sent the prisoner New Testament. At first he refused to read it, but finally he made a resolution 70 read it through From that time on he began to change and to conquer his evil spirit, he says, so that now the former cherishcr of hatreds and fo- menter of feuds can say:
 "Therc is not a man in all this 1 world that ] hold the least bit of mal- ice against
 Before he was parolcd, Jett told reporters that the best thing that ever happened to him was when he was sent 10 prison. He said he would never have reformed but for his sen tencc He showed the newspaper men st certificate from the International Sunday school league emitting him to teach. He seemed prouder of this than of his former famed ability to shoot straight.
 Convinced of Complete Change. The Rev. W. Q. Vreeland, chaplain of the Kentucky State Reformatory, is firmly convinced of the complete change in Jetts character, The con- vert began preaching five years ago.
 
 to one Class-prisoners. In other words, he eXhorted his fellow inmates to follow his example. The prison chaplain bears testimony that many of them were moved to penitence. Jett also made a name for himself at Frankfort penitentiary as a flor iSt. Before he took charge of the gardens no flowers were grown there, and the men behind the bars had no opportunity to see growing plants He transformed the walk from the cell house to the dining room into a bower of blooming flowers and beautiful hedges. Jett says that many of the leaders of the mountain feuds how happily almost out of fashion were men of fine intelligence. They were kind and courteous to their friends, but they came from a race of people beyond the sea who for centuries had not looked to the courts for protection, but had taken their affairs into their own hands. He eX- plains that it was perfectly honor able to defend themselves and take the life of any they suspected of having ill will toward them. He adds
 "The leaders of the mountain feuds were something like the old Scot tish Chieftains who gathered their clans about them and fought their misur derstanding to a finish. Many of Us boys who grew up in this at mosphere admired the leaders of the feuds. as they were men of good cir cumstances, and were well liked by their friends. They were stalwart mountain men, crack shots, with in tense love for their friends and bit ter hatred for their enemies. We boys were am mbitious when we be- came men to become leaders, to take our chance in the mountain battles and some day to carry revolvers and Winchesters with notches cut to in-