Evening star., 1931-11-01
Continued from Third Page

place, it is not an effective method of punish
ment. We have about 600 homicides in the
United States annually and about hundred
legal killings, which, after ALL is the correct
name for capital punishment This makes about
/ time in 30 when capital punishment functions.
which can hardly be called efficient method.
"But my greatest objection is that it is not
o deterrent. If I could be convinced it really
was would favor it. Fear of the death PEN
atty is not deterrent to murder. I will give
you an illustration. We are executing, in a day
or two q man for the murder of Joseph Klue,
a fellow convict here in Sing Sing The muir
derer has walked past the death house seven
or eight times a day since his term here.
He has seen the cofins go out. He has wit
messed the narrowing scenes when relatives
come for the body of the executed man. And
yet he murdered Klue within 10 feet of the
death house, within sound of the whir of its
very motors. If the actual presence of the
instrument of death itself was no deterrent to
him, how can only the idea of it be to others
who never come into such close contact with it?
"And then to clinch the thought that fear is
not deterrent, hardly had the sentence of
death been passed upon the slayer when there
were two more murders here-a thing which
had never happened once before during the II
years have been warden.
"And then capital punishment brutalizes the
other prisoners. You can see the effect upon
them after an execution in loss Of morale;
which, after all is absolutely essential to any
institution and doubly necessary here"
EwIS e. LAwES is not an amateur. He is
- not q political favorite He has come up
from the ranks beginning his career keeper
In Clinton Prison, Dannernora in 1905. He was
the first to introduce movies In a prison and
also the first warden to install gas guns. 1t is
amusing to him that so mnay people were able
to comprehend him doing one or the other, but
absolutely unable to understand the same
warden doing both
No. IS said to me: you can't fool the
warden. He is one Of US and knows when we're
putting one over on him" Lawes knows human
nature too He understands the seethinp mass
Of humanity from which the convicts are in a
great measure recruited. He has the eve to see
their viewpoint and their distress, and, above
all he Is not afraid to tell what he sees.
Warden Lawes was born in Elmira N Y
where his father was employed in the Re-
formatory. At the age Of II he ran away
end of three years he returned to Elmira, think-
ing that he could get job in the Reformatory
and took the examination, but instead of being
placed there he was sent 10 q Job at Clinton
Prison From there he was transferred to
Auburn and finally back 70 EImira. where his
work attracted the attention Of Gov AL Smith
Despite his constant connection with prison
population Warden Lawes retains his faith in
human nature As he sat at his desk he looked
bigger than he really is. He gives the impress
sion Of great strength. But, despite this there
Is something Of tenderness about him His
voice IS deep and almost grufI, but nevertheless.
there is something Of softness In it,
Judging human nature depends on ones ap-