The Elk Mountain pilot., 1924-05-29
SAFETY FOR OUR COMMUNITY

TWO Canon City men have made affidavit to the Gov
of Colorado concerning the whipping of prisoners
and the incarceration of other prisoners in the black
ho for nfractions of the penitentary rules of disci
pne They undoubtedly gave the they them
In fact they gave information which has not BEEN
general knowledge in Canon City for years.
Their .afidavts the result of controversy be-
Govrnor Sweet and Warden Thomas j. lyman over
methods of conduct the pententary and given
to the Governor at his request and solicitation and used
by the Governor purported substantation of his
charge that prisoners treated cruelty and nhumaney
at the prison here.
The Record particularly interested in the
roversy between these two gentlemen 1t is little af
fair their which they will settle in their
But the Record is intensely interested in the disc
pne the penitentiay because upon the strctnes and
efficiency of that discipline depends largely the safe
ty of the and children of this community
from the everpresent of institution full of
desperate criminals murderers cutthroats and the like
who are separated from only by bare, bleak wallis
except for degree of discipline which obtains within
those walls.
If the towers are properly manned and the guards
properly armed; if these desperate many of whom
would just as soon throat a meal
that there is ironcad discipline, which be pain
fully if present for them if they
taught that there fair and just but unsenmenta
authority which they must obey then live in per-
feet peace and security But let that authority give in
tiny inch let that discipline reent iota and i'm
mediatey the safety of this whole community. wom
en- and children, is placed in jeopardy
The Record speaks from thirty of watchfulness
in the shadow of the peentiary On several occasions
in that span columns have reflected the terrifying fear
the people because of break the penitentary 1t
has told of good and true who died injured
desperate convcts wanted their freedom
and cared not how many lives it took to get it.
The Record remembers well when Tom lyman first
came Canon City warden. He reformer
and a humanitarian. The horns footed loud and
long of the wonders he to perform and Toms horn
was footing loud the rest. He good his
word He did institute reforms and he did adopt human
tarian methods in prison conduct. Good methods had
been in previously but Tom added a twentieth
tury touch and put coat of paint, it
He eliminated many of the forms of punishment then in
and generally accepted good prison practice He
handled his men their honor and fed them from sill
yer platter, iguratvey speaking
And then night all awoke in horror the
sound of shooting and the loodchng passed
along that the had broken loose and killing
right and left blood thirsy in their mad rush for free
dom. Men with women and children depending upon
them for protection, stood parayzed with the awfuness
of the situation and heaped anathema upon Tom lyman
for his deaisc reform ideas and his faith in the honor
of vicious criminals But Tom Tyana the job with
in his hand along with faithful and fearless guards
who fought the woud-be murderers to a stand-s and
saved otherwise serious situation One guard paid
later with his life for his faithfuness to duty
OF the situation bad for the towns
the facts did mitigate the effect of those awful
hours of suspense upon the minds of those who
| through that break