Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1920-01-13
HONOR FARM
TO BE RUN BY
ATLANTAP PEN
Federal Convicts to Work 1,400
Acres and Share in Profits
of Labor.
WARDEN FAvORs PLAN

ATLANTA, Ga, Jan. 13-Uncle Sam
IS going to give his. prisoners a chance
to come back"
The government has perfected a plan
for the establishment Of an "honor
farm" at Panthersville comprising about
1,4OC acres and representing an outlay
Of approximately 100000. 1t viii be
run in connection with the federal peni-
Tertiary here and is to be under the
supervision Of Warden Fred G. Gerber.
Two hundred or more men whose con-
duct in the penitehtiary has entitled
them to more liberty viii be selected by
the warden to work the farm. Not only
will they be better housed and allowed
more extensive freedom, but the pris-
oners viii actually share in the profits
derived from their work. Seventy five
per cent Of the farms earnings viii be
given to destitute families and the other
% per cent wall be kept for the workers
and turned over to them when their time
expires.
MEN TURN
BACK TO KIND.
Men will gravitate back to their OWE
kind unless they have learned to like
another"
That is the way Warden Zerbst has
| changed the old maxim, Water viii
seek it's own level" to fit his own needs
ing to help federal offenders come
back
"Men come here from all kinds and
conditions of life, and it is necessary
to make the right impression at tia
psychological moment TO change them
into the kind of people the country
and community they go to need be
said.
"Take the counterfeiters and 'yeggs
as the safe cracker is called in criminal
lingo; they usually come from the large
cities, where their associates are men
Of their own stamp. The moonshiner
comes from the country. either from
community where moonshine is more or
less prevalent, or from one where he has
been tempted to go in for Illicit distil-
ling because of the high price he can
get for liquor.
NEED INTEREST
IN NEW THINGS.
az take these two classes as examples,
because they represent two extremes OF
course there are a lot of other Offenders
and their cases have to be handled more
or less individually. Fer the purpose OF
making myself clear I'll use the 1rst
two in explaining my point.
what a man needs most to keep him
straight when he gets out of here is
deep interest in some useful occupation
or trade he didn't know when he came
Getting him interested in learning this
sort Of things is the psychology Of the
whole business of prison reform. II he
has been a yegg and comes here and
learns nothing the chances are he win 60
back to his trade once he is on the ont
side and meets his old friends and assp-
ciates. But If he learns farming, or stock
raising, or something else while here,
he goes away with new interest and
seeks new friends among people who do,
the thing he has learned how to do.
Hence safe cracking not only becomes
a distasteful occupation to him, but he
is too busy with his new trade to let
his mind revert to II.
MOONsHINER USUALLY
SMALL FARMER.
"If a moonshiner comes here, whether
he is a professional or an amateur, the
chances are he is a small farmer from
q mountainous section where modern
agricultural methods are not known. We
give him q chance to learn something
about intensive truck farming, dairying
or stock raising. He Immediately not
only develops new interest, but sees a
legitimate, lawful way to make a good
living"
When Warden Zerbat assumed charge
of the penitentiary in 1915 he set OUT
to accomplish two points in his pro-
gram. One was to eliminate the old
one-man cell, and the other to have
real farm at the prison.
Within the last seven months his
dream has begun to come true. The
41kx7-foot cells have taken secondary
place to the new 11x22- foot cages TO
accommodate four men, and the farm
is being surveyed.
"a great many new prisoners have
come here since the prohibition law
went into effect. They consist largely
of young fellows, about 10 to 80, from
North Carolina, eastern Tennessee and
North Georgia" the warden added.
'"rhey know something about farming
already and we are going to teach them
scientific methods. When they are freed
they will have learned that they can
make good money in an honest way, even
If Honor does bring sos a Quart"