The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-01-02
AIM REFORM TO
HINDER REDS
NINETY PER CENT OF EMERGING
PRISONERS SAID TO BE PoTEN-
TtAL BOLSHEViSTs.

Navv York. Jan. Thomas Niott
osta~,a,s nation wide campaign 10
..buaaanizen the prisons of the Onlteo
Stafae according 70 a friend OF MT
osborne. who served ten years IN SING
SIM has for its real object the couh-
oractfner of anarchy, for he SAID OF
~. 50o oa0 convicts, men and women
VINO annually emerge from American
prisons. fully 90 per cent OF them are
potential bolshevists
This man, a product of the New
yorlx slums. who not only redeemed
his own life but saved two younger
brothers from criminaf careers, all as
the result of Osborne's work at sing
SING. declared the American penal IN
stittttions are being surreptitlously
Flooded with radicar literature, with
leaflets OF hope to the oppressed ana
that the secret n-ovemenD to bolshe-
VIE the nations prisons IS being com
batted from the inside.
Supported by the efforts of $4,000
mem bers OF the Gray brotherhood, an
oreaniza. ZION of ex-convicts who made
good under the Osborne system as
the Mutual welfare League. the for
mer warden of Sing Sing, it was said,
hopes to make prison reform a plank
political parties in the next presiden-
tial campaign. A leading member of
the first named body a wealthy ex-
convict known to he public as the
Gray Brother, was said to be finan-
eng Osborne. He is reput~s 70 be a
man or great influence N - sahington
and 10 be the intimate of several sem
ators. He started the Joliet, H.. prison
inquiry intended to be the first of a
national prison reform program.
II the Gray Brother should come
in htre now and tell me to jump out
OF that window "a four Story leap,
I'd do it at once" confided "a FORM or
ten-year inmate OF sing Siag... e
all would trust him with our lives,
ard, believe me, this Osborne prison
investigation backed by him is going
- be thorough job The people out
side haven't any idea of how bolshe-
vism is spreading in the prisons. a
few lays ago four reds, il was dis
covered by our men, actually had
themselves convicted so they could
work behind the bars
The reds have their literature in
thu public libraries, some teachers in
the public schools are sympathetic
ana for some time they have been dis
tlibuting their doctrines in prisons
jails and warehouses TO W. to their
side he army of discon 4enfed male
factors who have an alleged grievance
society The Gray Brotherhood is
alive to their propaganda however
and ia helping Mr.. Osborn- to Abonsh
il. One OF the best ways to ssop it is
10 treat convicts like human beings
instead OF beasts and give them a
chance to redeem themselves. The
STATE s breeding anarchists by turning
at large men and women who have
been brutally treated and who leave
r isol, with hearts filled with the
desire for retaliation and revenge
Under the o>I system kind
hearted warden is engaged in making
healthy burglars and porch climbers
os first offenders. The prison expert
ence did a man no good and he had
70 conception Of right and wrong. no
sense Of responsibility to society,
when he came out. with the Osborne
method il is different. AS an Illus
N'ation, there are 1000 former ex-
cOnvlcis and members OF the Welfare
League in New York city. All Of them
are m aking good Mos. of them are
young and of the 1000 more than 400
were IN the army or navy during the
war. They include former burglars
t6ox men) and similar so-caned slick
thieves
Since Mr.. Osborne took charge OF
ne naval prison at Portsmouth, n. II
lhree Years ago, he was instrumental
n returning 10000 former inmates
men made over in character. TO the
nited States navy. enough to man
three battieships. The present crime
wave IN Chicago is due to bad prison
treatment and the desire OF ex-conyicts
@ get even. II it had nos been for
ospornes administration in New York
prisons New York would be suffering
from the same evil"