Evening star., 1937-04-04
By William a. Bell, J.

A ONE-TIME little cabinet
~ oflcer, an oil millionaire, ar
~ ex-Congreesman, several big
4 a bankers, prominent real e.
tate man turned gambler, a success
full criminal lawyer. talented painter
number Of physicians, a super
murderer-all have been, and some
still are, inmates Of District penal in.
stitutions.
Nearing completion Of his fourth
year as superintendent OF the District
Reformatory at Lorton, Va, Col. Will
liam L. Peak talked about some
famous prisoners, both at Lorton and
the District Jail, of which he was
superintendent for IA years.
AL men are created free and equal,
and when they are no longer free they
still remain equal, according to Col.
Peak. At least those who have lost
their freedom are equal to each other
In the superintendent theoretical
rule book Of prison treatment. Big
criminal or small criminal, notoriety
or noneptity-they all mean the same
to him, he says, and get the same
treatment in prison. Glass barriers
and race barriers drop out Of the pic
ture when jail barriers come in. The
''big shots" eat with the little ones,
and their beds are no softer.
TT IS true, Of course, that the "level-
ing-off" which occurs In prisons is
not unqualified. An intelligent inmate,
. man whose very intelligence may be
responsible for his Incarceration,
wouldn't be wasted on the rock pile,
farm or foundry. Since some Of the
most famous Of District prisoners have
been men with excellent educations
and high I. Q's, these have been as
signed tasks to which their mental
endowments clearly are valuable. 1t
isn't question Of favoritism-of CIV
ing . fellow a soft job because he has
been . somebody" in the outside
vorld-but Of placing him where he
can be Of most service, both to himself
and to his jailers.
Newest additions to stable list Of
famous" District prisoners are the
Hoeppels, John H., former California
Representative. and Charles j., his
son. At the Occoquan, Va, Work House,
Just southwest Of the Lorton Reform
atory, they are serving sentences OF
4 to IL months for conspiracy to sell
West Point appointment for $1,000.
Father Hoeppel, No. 107702, Is doing
clerical work in the commissary, while
his son, No. 1o7701, has been assigned
to the machine shop.
It Is unwise-unless the stigma OF
q jail sentence holds no terrors-to
disobey or show lack Of respect for .
branch of the Congress Of the United
States or the members thereof. Con-
gress has proved time and again that
It has the power to punish for con-
tempt, and punish 1t has, with the
concurrence and aid Of the courts.
Latest victim Of congressional dis
pleasure Is Dr.. Francis Townsend,
messiah Of millions Of the Nations
INDECENT aged. For staging "walkout
strike" on the House committee In
vestigating his Old Age Revolving
Pensions, Ltd, DR.. Townsend recently
was sentenced to q month in the Dis
trict Jail. He hasn't begun his SEN
tence.
TWO years ago this month William
p. MacCracken, prominent Wash
ington attorney who at one time or
another had been Assistant Secretary
Of Commerce for Aeronautics, secre-
tary Of the American Bar Association,
assistant attorney general Of nlipois
and States attorney for Cook County
(Ch!cago), H., experienced the dis
pleasure Of the Senate when he en-
tered the District Jail on . To-day
contempt sentence.
The Senate Airmail Investigating
Committee went after MacCracken
when he failed to produce data re-
quested by 1t. He was found to have
allowed his clients to withdraw the
requested documents from his Office
or to destroy other subpoenaed rec
ords.
MacCracken, who holds academic
and law degrees from the University
Of Chicago, was assigned to clerical
work during his jail sojourn.
EvEN more famous. Of course, was
- the case OF Harry F. Sinclair, who
was confined in the District Jail from
May 6 until November n, 1929, both
for contempt Of the Senate and for
Jury shadowing. The former sentence
resulted from his refusal to answer
four questions Of the Senate Teapot
Dome Investigating Committee In 1924.
The multimillionaire oil baron and
race horse owner became q jail phar-
macist and general handy man" in
the medical clinic. Having been
drug clerk early In his career, he
was admirably suited to these tasks.
Sinclair's imprisonment passed
almost without incident, except that
in his capacity as assistant to the
jail physician he was discovered to
be taking automobile rides In connec-
ton with his duties. A storm OF
criticism was aroused when this prac-
tice became known and the rides were
discontinued.
Col. Peak looks back on Sinclair
A. an accomplishing. well-behaved
inmate. He dislikes resaYrecttng the