The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-22

K ane Is my name, said l, watch ing them closely for a sign indicating that they associated me with the convict kane-but there was none. And I appr eciate your saying that I've given you something to think cf."
 l shook hands with all of them. raising my hat in adieu; then they returned to their large touring car, while l went upon my two hours stroll.-.that first one for 13 years thinking of how little idea they had that they had met one of the bad men" face to face.
 Back at tke prison. to which I re- turrcd at exactly 4;43. there was a surprise in store for me.
 CHAPTER fl
 During my two hours absence from the prison the warden had been to the capitol building and had there held a conference with the state board of control. the governor and the attorney general. Some of the intended activities and changes were made known to mo in the wardeh's office upon my return.
 "The board thinks that we ought to cut the expenses as much as pos sible," he told me. soon after we had entered his private office, and among other things they cut off the jobs and salaries of five different men formerly employed here; three of the places will remain unified, and two llaces formerly held by paid employees will be taken over by prisoners"
 That will make the pay roll quite bit smaller" was my only com ment.
 Yes. 1t will that" he. went on. q explained to them that you were all ready saving the state the expense of man to do the work you're do- ing. Then it was decided not to fill the master mechanics position with free man, because we have here high class man that can fill 1t. A prisoner will drive the warden's car also. And the new road camp to be established will be composed of prisoners put out there to work that they will not leave"
 No doubt they'll be picked with care" I remarked.
 All that it's possible to bestow," he laughingly answered. Its some thing new here, but they're doing it successfully in three or four other states. and we can. too"
 Just then I heard the gong that called the prisoners to their meals.
 . . . I Get A Room Outside.
 There's the bell" I told him. Was there anything you wanted be- iCre I go in?''
 Keep your seat a minute" said he q was just going to tell you that we've arranged for you and some of the other boys to sleep out side here. There's a room on the second floor above us here-just across the hallway from the barber you may occupy it. It move ali your belongings out here now"
 must have looked my surprise.
 That's right mean it." he as sured me. with a humorous twinkle in his eyes. You're to sleep out here and take your meals outside, too"
 well, I hardly know what to say" I told him. T doubt whether getting a pardon would afford me much more joy than that does. You have no one who has been sleeping in small steel vault as long as l have"
 "Now that's all right" he returned, rising. But don't lose any time palaverin about it-go on in and pack up"
 There's not much to pack" said l. starting for the door. "Ill be able to bring it all in two trips"
 The room to which 1 moved was a front corner room with four win dcws, two facing south and two west. And because of sheer happiness due to the change, l did not sleep more than two hours that first night out side the walls.
 How We Worked.
 The warden's chauffeur and I were the only two prisoners who slept in that building. There were five others-the barn man, the fellow who cared for the incubators at the chick en houses, another chauffeur, the caretaker of the dairy herd and the furnace man-who slept at other places outside the prison enclosure proper.
 The chauffeurs were the only two whose duties took them off the prison lands, but all the rest of those who slept outside-and a few who were out during the daytime only-had the run of that whole reservation when not at work.
 My own hours for work were ir- regular. Sometimes the warden's business would require his absence for two or three days; and with the tACeDIlOn Ol lHt lidll that Itldltu strictly to the more unimportant in stitutional business, none of 1t would be answered until his return. And whenever mail matter piled up on us little bit, we would simply get busy with 1t and-with the exception Of time for meals-turn 1t all off without stopping.
 Because of the fact that a great deal of the correspondence related to not tnr hD i-n f,,l thought upon the warden's part, which led to discussion between us. a great deal more time was required during that first year of his adminis- tration than was for the later cor respondence. Many times-as often perhaps as three times a weeK-we would remain in the office late at be put in discussing matters pertain ing to past management of the place and hoped for future management.
 The warden was not one to criticise his predecessor in office, and l made 1t point always to refer to the past as bearing upon system rather than upon the policy or management of any individuals.
 During one of those talks in the month of May, 1917, reference was made to the various forms of punish ment in the past
 O O O
 The Warden Learns Something.
 Have you seen the tombs yet?" l asked,
 "The tombs," he repeated. What do you mean?"
 T mean that specially prepared combination of tomb and cell back there by the boiler room"
 He looked at me a moment Tn silence. That's the first l ever heard of such a place."
 Well, its there" I assured him "Tve never seen the inside of the thing, but I've seen many maa who came out of 1t; I've seen them come out weak and pale. and I've seen them come out with bloody heads"
 Who inflicted the bloody heads ?' he asked, a stern look in his usually kind and humorous eyes.
 The old system of penology," I told him.