The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-08
CHAP1orR xxx

ray SEoU lIdL dIIGElCOil l I4aC TdASGu s7.s5 in good trans tens. In explana- ton, all the money of prisoners was kept in the safe &Gtside, and there was a system of making transfers something on the on der of the check system of banking. If two prisoners made a trade and oTsU wished to pay the other, he would merely write out something like this.
 "HIr Mccall. Chief Clerk: Please transfer to John smithm, No. 1+a6, the sum of Five (s5.oo) Dollars a wa charge to my account.
 THOMAS JONES, No. 1872"
 Thomas Jones would have to get tine Q. x. of either the warden ol deputy warden before the clerks of Rice would make the transfer, but Gs soo1 as sr1ci, o. K. was secured 6nG office John smith could draw upon that money <or the purchase oc any thing tAat 1yrIs allowed.
 i had two transfers, one for 35 and the other fol $2.65, and the men were. able to get them o. lN'd that after noon. T1e~e. pro. t!,e morning of the following day showed a total Of S7.99 10 ny cral l.. Had I thought about 1ho Si cents already on the books, ] should haNc n slnage1 to get i cent
 
 Sg ts was ] 1 7 sN- that there was sui ficient for tka books and some two lnonths' rent 2f a typewriter, and f @VeH though i had never up to that time had 3ny lland OH such d machine, ; vas anX7ou, for an interview with 4lio warden Ic oking to the matter o1' securiaG one possible.
 lhaI ;ntel-v .ew came two days Nates. when both warden and deputy -Uare inside D prison together.
 ''Ctc<d fnoi- anS, Kane" the warden, who w4s al7 rays in front when the two walked cSether, spoke to me be- lore l l1pew they were in the build Ing. Flows everything with you?"
 About as usual warden. thank you" ] an swered. This weather isn't exactly to my"
 And tNen, as was usual with him. he interrupted before I had said what I tn ought of the weather.
 T saw Judge Frewin yesterday, and he was asking about you"
 That so?" said l by way of reply. .'T hope the judge is we'll"
 Abou Not On The Roster.
 T told him how well you're get ting along'-he ignored my remark k about the judges health-"and he days"
 "Td be glad to see him." said l quickly, determin ed that the old gen tleman with the seemingly enlarged ego SnOulQ nN)l lItLSrTupL any ,engthy speech of mine again. He's a fine man..
 Anyone in this house want to sea me-" he inquired, looking toward where I kept the list of those desir- ing an audience with hina.
 There are several, warden" I told him, taking down the list, and, like Abou Ben Adhem, my nsme leads all the rest"
 T don't know anything abou. ', 7ha nffiCis ' admitted his own ignorance for once. But If that means you're on the Hst-what is it you want, kaneF my index finger on the little table, while the two stood looking down
 I'd like to rent a typewriter from down town," said I, and set it right here"
 "A what?"
 "A typewriter
 What do you want with it. Kane?"
 T want to write out reports to your office for the guards. relieve the front office of quite bit of work in connection with notices to be posted, fill out prisoners applica- tions for appearance before the board so they'll be easier read, and then sometimes do a little writing for myself"
 He Gives Permission.
 The old gentleman surveyed me for a moment; then
 Kane, you ought to be in the dip 1omatic service. Don't you think so, Anson?" He turned to the deputy. "Can you operate typewriter Kane?"
 NO, but I can learn-quickly."
 Not without someone to teach you" he suggested
 T could learn it alone" I assured him
 He was silent for a moment.
 "Ansan''-and one might have thought from the deputy's decision there was no appeal-''is there any reason why Kane shouldn't get the typewriter, if he pays for it?"
 deputy, who knew-if he really knew anything-that his being con suited was but a matter of form or the old mans whim. The teamSter . gould bring it up"
 "Au right. then, Kane" the warden turned back to me, and you may call the others who want to see me And then the two went across and } took seats by the day officers desk, From tier to tier 1 passed along and called out the names on the list and soon they were waiting their ; turn to be called before the prisor 7 ..ead. For my part, however, l was not thinking of what was going or around me except as the surround tngs might affect my future efforts tn writing things. Had my thoughts summed up been put into words tkey would have been-"Now just wait, all of you--I mean all of you ir and around this place, and all ot you down in the nearby city-ane within another two years III give you a chance to do 9 lot of critlcis- ing, commenting or conforming just whichever you see fit to hear upon yours truly. I tell you to walt and, if you care to do so, just watcf me for I'm going to try to do some thing that no other man in an Amer tcan prison or any other kind has eYor done before"
 An Envelope Comes.
 Within forty days from the time that received that encouraging let . ter from the edi tor I not only had the two works recommended by him but also had two months ren. paid on q typewriter and bad learned to operate 1t sufficiently to write my letters and those of others with 1t For time 1t seemed that I was not going to get to write anything else hut letters and the filling In of ap- pl!cation blanks for hearings before the pardon board.
 For that writing I received pay from my fellow prisoners in very small amounts. Such pittances soor amounted up to a worth while figure for one situated as l was. because mad to buy my own paper, envelopes
 ...Soas, stamps and the like. Al length. though, l got busy revising rlat story.
 I was all of two weeks getting f into what I believed was proper af bSH haan rA