, 1925-02-01

at the pen brought IN a total or
s75.655.9o for the credit side of tho
convict ledger,
There is more than one way to get
a passport into Warden Frank A.
Hadsell's roomy "retanium," but
probably one of the most popular is
playing with paper. That seems
harmless enough. in a general way,
yet II becomes quite serious when
the paper happens to be a check.
Twenty.four forgers plus II writers
of fraudulent checks head the list
of the $40 culprits at Rawlins.
Bold. bad burglars who bungled in
their profession and entered the
gates OF the state pen during the
past two years. or are remaining
there as ~hold-overs. number 81.
Check artists and house breakers
are not In 1t. however. with those
convicted OF grand larceny. The
boys who plucked where they were
almost positive the plucking was
unfeathered, have the largest en-
rollment of any class in the place.
If nominal connections with re.
ligious sects. or entire lack of re.
ligion. have anything to do with put
ting n man behind the bars, or help.
ing him TO walk according to the law,
the figures published by the cheri.
ties and reform board fail to reveal
anything significant. Those of the
$40 who professed religious beliefs
of n kind or another. total 1879,
while Al of the aggregation deny
any connection with any church,
spiritual doctrines or creeds.
Sixteen Of the convicts led tenn.
perate lives before their %incarcera.
ton. Moderation in habits marked
166. and gross intemperance was
chalked up against IS.
They, meaning anybody, can talk
all they want to about : marriage
leading TO distraction and oven far
Their. but though 20 of the Rawllns
inmates are b~enedicts, 141 arc single.
The widowers who may have de.
parted from the ways of righteous.
ness because of the loss of their
spouscs make up an exclusive group
OF IA.
The dangerous age for man, as far
as crlminality goes, seems to be be
tween the ages Of 20 and 80. for II;
of the men In the pen were sentenced
during that period Of their life. Sixty
ono broke over the traces after they
were 81 and before they were 40.
Post graduate courses of dubious
worth are being taken by five col.
legc men who will acquire degrees OF
u Me- lhooLafo-. - -r.trt ,.anr
ing) at the time of their release.
High school diplomas are held by
20 convicts. Those having had a
fair" education number III. In
the class OF men with poor edu.
cations are 70 and those who knew
nothing OF the little red school
house make up 10 illiterates.
Wyoming was not exactly healthy
for seven OF the inmates, for they
had been in the state but one day
when they were arrested. The tabu-
lations of time of residence in the
commonwealth prior to falling afoul
of the law. show periodic increases
OF breakdowns over a time of from
ono day to five to 10 a of living
in state. 1t IL true that the long
er one lives in Wyoming tho worse
one becomes. That is Il cruel de-
! duction from p~cnitentiary figures.
| Those who had resided In the wilde
OF Wyoming from five to 10 ear
before forgetting themselves make
up the largest group.
Tho $40 prisoners, at r;awiins used
to DO butchers. bakers and candle
stick makers. Tint is. tho list OF
their former occupations starts with
barber" and ends with "waitcr"
going onroute over 90 other classi-
fications of trades and professions.
Common iaborers arc the most
common, for there nre 40 Of them.
Cooks and wuitors turned criminals
have 20 to answer the roll Gull.
Eleven ranchers and IS ranch hands
are minus chGpH and spurs.
And so on and on, for tho boards
statistics tell d story that would FIJI
Il fair sized volume,