davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1949-05-22

ne asked the price for rebuilding a complete
ear for one of his patients. Pick told him
$1,000 and forgot about the call
One Wednesday a few months ago the
Warden phoned Pick in the prison hospital to
tell him about new prisoner who was plead
ing for an interview with the doctor Send
him down." said Pick
WITS Your Fault"
In few minutes sullen, 24-year-old pris-
oner with only one ear stood in the doorway.
His head was turned so that only his good side
showed. Its all your fault I'm in JAIL" the
prisoner told the doctor.
My fault?"
Yeah. I wouldn't be doing time if it
wasn't for you, Doctor" Then he said he was
the man who had phoned two years ago to ask
the fee for new ear.
I've been trying all my life to get new
ear he continued. Three or four years ago
! saw one doctor and he said twelve thousand,
but he got scared to do it. Another doctor
wanted seven thousand, but he wouldn't take
the job either. it turned out. Well, called
you. wanted you to do it, but at that time
didn't have the price. So went out to get
the three grand, the hard way. 1t was my
first stickup and now I'm here for twenty
eight months"
The prisoner, farmer had lost his ear in an
auto wreck when he was two. His father had
died in the same accident Pick listened
to his story, then set to work to make him
Continued ON page Is
Evening star., 1949-05-22
~Probleun" Prisoners

had foot injury and had lost his heel. He
limped so badly he couldn't hold job on the
outside. No. 3 had no nose. The fourth had
been born with webbed hands and feet. The
fifth was covered from his brow to his ankles
with hundreds of painful tumors. No was
a man with an ugly face He never had COM
mitted crime until the day his seven-year-
old son SHE'D away from him and cried:
Daddy. you look just like a bad man.
Why don't you change your face?" That day
the father salved his wounded feelings by
pulling stckup.
Within several months Dr. Pick had righted
the ''upside-down' ears. made new heel for
the limping prisoner and nodded nose from
cartilage and bone for the man who had none
He had corrected the webbed hands and feet
for No. 4; removed the tumors from the body
of the fifth man and sculptured a new face
for No. g.
All were later released. One, who be-
natural causes. The others now lead the
lives of ordinary. aw-obeying citizens.
These men were victims of the stigma of
physical deformity. In prison. as on the out
side, society hangs nicknames on the de-
formed. A limping man gets to be known as
"Gimpy." An earless man is Ear Off," or
just plain Ear" An ugly man is ape
Face" 'Monkey-Face." Horse face" each
monicker a never-ending reminder of the
stigma, All too often the physical defects of
men create psychological deformities that
lead only to prison
Evening star., 1949-05-22

~ent TO >tatrslle where Warden Ragrn ex-
tended an invitation to operate every day If
you can on any prisoner ~ho needed and
volunteered fm plastc surgery There vas
only one condition photographs mus, bc
taken before and after each operation fox the
PRISONS Identification file Warden Raeen
was taking no chances on CRIMINALS having
their appearance altered so as to food the
police when they got out OF Jail
Over the II years Dr. Pick has performed
some 800 corrective operations on more than
500 Statewide inmates. There have been no
deaths and not a single post operative COM
plIcatlon. That says Dr. Pick, is a tribute
to the skill OF Statevilles own hospital staff
which includes prisoner nurses and techni-
clans. most of whom are jail-tralned The
waiting list OF volunteer patients. never less
than So today is more than 200 Most of the
500 convicts on whom Pick has operated have
been released but the prison hasn't lost track
of them.
The records show this startling fact:
only five per cent Of the prisoners whose
defor rmities have been corrected by pias-
tic surgery have gone hack to Jail. The
return-to prison figure for the entire State
vile population is II per cent.
This" says Ragen is proof of a connec-
ton between deformity and crime in certain
percentage OF the prison population.
That doesn't mean, naturally, that indi-
viduals with physical deformities all resort to
crime nor does it mean that crime can be
Evening star., 1949-05-22

As sooo as the handagcs c2me oil Pscks
first sax patients, the waiting lime tu opera
uons began to grow The constant poekryng
among rxrsooers f0 p,uIt,cs got 80 truuhae-
some that Warden Ragen decIeed that. with
ie~ eKoeptsons, the scheduling OF operations
would be based on ho~ soon the prisoner
patients were up fw parole or dlscharge The
exceptions we're hiers and one-termers whose
morale might be lifted with immediate coz
rection OF then deixmities.
Tri~vss Il . Csaases
DR. PICK refuses to make any hard and
fast conclusions about the experiment. but he
has reached certain tentative estimatrs"
He says, for example
"A physical handicap in a young person
who in other ways finds it a struggle to under
stand the social scheme OF things may prove
to be the trigger OF psychosomatic conflict,
In one individual this may lead to a gastric
ulcer and in another to crime
"A physical defect or deformity. although
usually only contributing factor. can be a
dominant cause of crime. Eliminate this
disability and the chances are good that the
individual will have lost his bitterness at the
world and society and many times will be-
come law abiding citizen again.
The removal of defects makes the indi-
vidual more confident of his re-entry into
society. have seen instances of that renewed
confidence take place as soon as the prisoner
looked into a mirror
Evening star., 1949-05-22

There are a few cases. how
ever - only minute number
where criminahty has become an
established habit and improve
ment in appearance may result
only in the change of the pattern
of criminal behavior. A COM
mon thief, for instance, when
released may move up the
criminal social ladder to be-
come a confidence man."
A couple of years ago DR.. Pick
got a phone call in his Michigan
Avenue Office from a man who
said he was a physician. He gave
a name Pick didn't catch. Then
Evening star., 1949-05-22

blamed on people with physical
defor1nities. All it means is that
deformities and defects have a
bearing on turning some individ-
uals to the road of crime. due in
great part to a deep-seated in
feriority set up by their unfortu-
nate appearance"
~Problesn" Prisoners
DR. PICKS first patients at
Statewide were six problem"
prisoners. Each had a pro-
nounced physical defect. The
first was young man born with
"upside-down" ears. The second
Evening star., 1949-05-22

THREE WHO were HELPED
HESE three men are typical Of
500 cOnvicts operated on by DIR.
Pick. No. l listening to prison
radio) couldn't even close his
mouth -- now he can laugh.
No. 2 Uouie the Lip) couldn't
talk. He's had three operations,
will have at least that many
more. No. ; had a misshapen
hand. He's a happier man now.
Evening star., 1949-05-25
lombostine the Lobbyists

The administrations campaign against
the lobbyists tern whcih seems to be
limited in its application to those who
oppose some administration projects
getting q little tireSome.
For some time now the President and
those who strive to echo his views have
been cunning for the real estate lobby.
Another pet target has been the big
business lobby. More recently. Repre-
sentative Dingell of Michigan, an ardent
supporter Of compulsory health insurance,
has gone after the lobbying activities Of
the American Medical Association. He
accuses the ANA of trying to raise the
biggest slush fund in history to spend for
zone Of the shrewdest. most calculating
and most cold -blooded lobbying campaigns"
in American experience.
Some Of the activities Of these lobbyists
have been pretty raw. For instance. it is
distortion, to say the least, to attack the
compulsory health insurance bill ON the
ground that 1t Is the same thing as social
lied medicine But the anti-administratio
lobbyists have no monopoly on distortion
and slush funds. The ANA will have to
60 long way before 1t equals the per-
Torrance Of organized labor in It's slush-
fund campaign Of distortion against the
Taft-Hartley Act and against Congressmen
Evening star., 1949-05-25

In the eoyner for q ragry DAY o. rsaya~ t4s,
n midnight xnaek He wsl eAsw CT a casrcs
ai Intervals for oayS~-un;l TIRE pcar wltn-
erred remnant Is taken away fFpxn him ard
wtl cherish q rg ssneerts fer wrecks lndss
nanI1y trying 10 rescue It frosa AIRY e-e vito
tries 10 remove H.
Mos; Of his exercise Is sakrn IN hls ix~ae-
wheel cage. an open work affair n which NJ
Is allowed Ia spend his lighter rnonseata
However. he p4TSaes wheeling very sesa-
oQSls. wearing AT expression OF Ga.snse con-
centration and nAttsnsng his ears for greater
streamining
When allowed 10 explore outside his pen
or cage. he has 10 be protected ey keeptng
hand near hum. as he Is distinctly q feck-
less driver who apparently would 60 rtgni
of any psecipace without batting an eve
Also. he would take ayer at the waSlstns
ton Monument II he had 8 chance. ard
repeated failures ard falis wogidag DIS
courage him In the least
He has 10 be kept under guard too 10
prevent his samp!ing anything thai arouses
his curiosity. HIS tendency 10 taste wetrd
substances nearly resulted IN disaster when
he burrowed out an old roach tablet which
We had overlooked in q flower box A ruSh
trip 10 the veterinary for some medicine
which Mortified him. and q torelniy admin
istered milk diet for several DAYS finally
pulled him through. This affair left as
with an anxious mama complex which some
times snnoys him so considerably in his
attempted explorations that, with The silky
gold hair standing up behind his perky ears.
he turns and gives US a deliberate little nip.
One OF these landed under a fnser nail
bringing forth a surprised howl from his
victim which sent him seuryins to a corner
TO tuck In his head For several DAYS he
couldn't be induced 10 approach a nnger.
but eventually either forgase or forgot
Romance May Re Coming Up:
Whether he is lonely, staying by himself
while We are at work. is hard 10 tell When
taken outside in his small cage. he invariably
draws q crowd OF people and animals but
through It all sits cracking peanuts with
tranquil unconeern. sometimes stuffing them
into his cheek pouches and facing his ad-
mirers with the visaee OF q prehistoric
monster after they have remarked upon his
cuteness.
A trip to the Zoo interested him, but
didn't seem TO prove especially exciting.
Being narooned during a thunder storm in
the lion house. bored him
He did snifI persistently at q letter from
hamstery, and even licked the pages
We've considered getting him wife, but so
far haven't been able TO face the prospect Of
sending the little ones TO research laoora-
tories or even to unknown people for pets
Luckily the hamstery didn't feel that way,
or we wouldn't have Buster
VIRGINIA LEE CRIMES
Evening star., 1949-05-25
III-Considered and III-Timed

In ordering Is per cent cut In funds
for the European Recovery Program during
fiscal 1850, the House Appropriations Com
mittee has resorted to a reckless kind of
economy. The cut, If supported by the
House as a whole. would fly in the face
of the committees own special subcom-
mittee on the subject. In the subcom-
mittee's judgment-based on a month Of
exhaustive hearings-the Presidents re-
quest for 1893 ,200, 900 should be reduced
by no more than $1s2,300,oo0. The full
committee, however, by vote of % to 10,
has called for slash Of $s29, 10000.
Apparently this action has been taken
on a spur-of- the moment, stab-in-the-
dark basis, with little or no reference to
the subcommittee findings. At any rate,
judging from what its advocates have said,
it seems to have been decided upon impul-
sively on the strength of factors no more
substantial than the hope and the guess
that commodity prices will continue to
decline during fiscal 1850 and that the
IS per cent cut thus will be offset in a
way that will permit the ERP to operate
as II 1t had actually received the sum
recommended by the President
Conceivably, that could happen, but 1t
seems to be an extremely remote posi-
bility at best. 1t adds up to sheer wishful
guesswork, and it suggests that the Appro-
priations Committee has been motivated,
at least in part, by expediency. There Is a
pressing need these days for economy, but
from the standpoint of domestic politics,
1t is much easier to apply the ak to foreign
undertakings than to certain pet pork
barrel" projects here at home. 1t need
hardly be added, Of course, that If the
Is per cent ERP slash has been based
primarily on a consideration of that sort,
then the slashers have taken a frivolous
attitude toward the possible international
consequences Of their act
The European Recovery Program has
done well so far. It has played key role
in checking the Red tide by putting new
economic life into the West. But now,
II its carefully calculated projects have
to be cut back because Of sharp reduc-
ton in funds, 1t will certainly lose
momentum at the very time when it ought
to be pushed toward as vigorously as pos
sible. The ERP, like the Atlantic Pact, is
of key Importance in the cold war. Should
1t suffer a setback at this stage or a
slowing down, the only beneficiary would
be Russia
The House as whole should therefore
rally behind Speaker Rayburn's efforts to
overrule the Appropriation Committees
ill-considered and ill-timed cut. Much
harm may be done otherwise
Evening star., 1949-05-25
Lown Mower

Comes nou oay nescaboy lad 10 rsoa shs
I0mn.
IdpevfaHs youth 0s pensfrs
Pyopensefg he suvp<gs the toaste6 wses
And dors his shtyf 10 barr hts lsnkv
byamn,
Although the san has riemessis ssffh-
drdMH.
VITA nhtstiarc scoui aa6 reehanfsfte
mtsn
ne fsakeys, primes ard pvods TIE lars
machine.
Then starts his task affh seears stssfeA
ard yann.
HE yar.s q sarafh aynawd fhs ssa6asf fYsf.
And nsakss sano-nhsel 6ssfgHs IN trim
accord:
he sarks sae hose 10 gneneA ssf6ss
thagff-~
Th<n nsafis esyYes hss nars< spcs fAs
He 6oss the eh0ss % emseFsaamtssis.
cannot crases fhs lad Ms Ehorrfs1
feef c. wIiKH HAIA0Ck
Evening star., 1949-05-25

the way to Washington from the Alabama
Gull Coast, where he was born and spend
ing day riding around town with the
expressman. who was haunting our apart
ment while We haunted the express once.
Buster was not covering in terror in a
corner OF his pen. We looked in: he looked
out inQuisitiyely. shifted hopefully. then
promptly went 10 work on a lettuce leaf
offered him.
Within a few days~he had learned to ar
range rumpled Kleenex into an igloo. drink
warmed milk from a medicine dropper. and
nibble OF the top leaves OF the house plants
on the window sill
His virtues are many. Clean and neat,
he spends much time washing and grooming
himself with his quick little pink tongue and
his infinitesimal pink feet. His living quar-
ters are arranged In a definite pattern
one corner each for pantry bedroom and
bath. The fourth is a sort of dressing room.
where he smooths his satiny coat and
snatches quick maps with his feet all curled
up like a caterpillar.
In lieu of Syrian desert grubs. he eats
dog food and peanuts. holding them In
dainty paws as ne sits erect. squirrel fash
ion: also on his menu are tender green
leaves. including clover: many kinds of
vegetables tbut no onions. garlic or cab
bage), and various fruits. excepting the
citruses. He still has milk. but being a big
boy now. drinks 1t from a miniature saucer.
preferring the canned stuff to the fresh!
Background Instinctively Remembered.
The thrift Of his desert ancestors is In
grained in him. Any food which he doesn't
eat as soon as he receives 1t Is stacked up
Evening star., 1949-05-25
Wants Freedom Fair
To Be Largely Self Supporting

10 De Largely Seu-SuppOrting
To the Editor Of The Star:
Permit me to express hearty approval of
the request by those promoting the Freedom
Fair for loan instead OF gift from
Congress. The 150th anniversary of the
founding Of Washington should be ap-
propriately celebrated.
II proper accommodations at reasonable
prices can be provided the Freedom Fair
should attract a minimum Of 10000. 900 Wis
itors. There Is every reason why those
visitors should pay reasonable fees for the
entertainment features Of the Freedom Fair.
With Washington coming back to an ex-
panded normal after the war. the city fur
nishes the greatest free exhibition on our
continent. It is my belief that 1t is far
and away the most beautiful city In the
world.
For some years past the young people Of
America have not had the opportunity Of
seeing Washington. It would be q great
thing for America II at least 10000 900 OF
them could have that opportunity next year
To that end the Freedom Fair would prove
q great attraction, for the mass OF people
like fairs.
The city. Of course. would derive immense
benefit from the fair; and the fair should
be largely self-sustaining. But the big show
in Washington is in the main tent, the great
and beautiful buildings and the exhibits Of
Government itself To see these Is a more
than desirable part Of American history
JAMES NJ. THOMSON.
Evening star., 1949-05-25
Secretary Matthews

Francis P. Matthews. the new Secretary
of the Navy, takes office today as q man
who Is still pretty much q stranger In
many parts Of the country. But the Mid
west-particularly Nebraska. his native
State-knows him well and thinks highly
Of him. In addition to being q successful
lawyer and banking expert, he has been
active in civic and organizational affairs
both In his own community and nationally
Besides being an outstanding member OF
the Knights of Columbus, he has held key
posts in the United States Chamber of
Commerce, in the wartime USO and In a
number of other group enterprises In
variety of fields ranging from business and
law to Democratic politics and charitable
endeavors
In some quarters. the new Secretary has
already been needed a bit for having been
associated with the rather superficial study
OF communism that the Chamber of Com
merce published few years ago The idea
behind the needing has been to suggest
that the man may have illiberal or moss
back tendencies but the needlers have
overlooked the fact that this sort of specu-
lation seems to be somewhat offset by his
membership on the Presidents Civil Rights
Commission, whose l946 report can hardly
be described as reactionary Actually, II
the Midwestern evaluation of him is cor
rect, Mr.. Matthews is a decidedly able
citizen endowed with a well-rounded per-
sonality genuinely democratic outlook
on life, considerable administrative expe-
rience and other qualities that should be
helpful to him as Secretary of the Navy.
With interservice rivalry still reality, his
new job promises to be anything but an
easy one. As he moves into 1t now he can
be sure that he has the best wishes of all
Americans anxious to see real teamwork
In the national defense establishment
Evening star., 1949-05-25

who for one reason or another have In
Cured the dislike Of the union leaders
Yet the President and the others in his
oficial family. far from condemning the
labor lobby, actually welcome and en-
courage its activities.
The same thing goes for the farm lobby
when 1t Is on the administrations side, for
the public housing lobby. for the con-
sumers' lobby and for any one Of half
dozen others They can do no wrong.
All OF the evil lobbyists are on the other
side Of the political fence, or so one gathers
from listening to the complaints. and IT Is
this lack Of elemental candor which Is
making the complaints increasingly tire
some
Evening star., 1949-05-25

under the Marshall Plan viii come TO m
end. Unless they are able meanwhile to
bring their exports and imports into some
thing like balance, and especially to close
the dollar gap" their economic position
will be very serious The British Govern
ment has made strenuous efforts to solve
the problem, and until recently the trend
of foreign trade was encouraging. The de-
veiopments Of the past month. however,
suggest that still more must be done In
order to win the race for economic survival
Evening star., 1949-05-25
Uprour Over Vivisection

The subject Is 30 highly charged with
emotionalism, downright ignorance and
superstition that It Is practically hopeless
to debate, on any objective or factual
basis, the case for medical experimental
ton on living animals, principally dogs.
The resulting hush-hush has helped to
cultivate any number Of myths and fables
which picture scientific experiments in
the laboratories, aimed at discovering new
methods for the alienation of human
suffering, as veritable sadistic orgies. The
fact Is too often obscured that many of
the greatest medical discoveries Of history,
prolonging the lives Of countless human
beings as well as animals were made
possible by experiments on dogs. On the
other hand, the medical profession as a
whole is made suspect by evil and un-
truthful rumor of cruelty for cruelty's
sake
1t Is good thing that the medical
men are at last taking the offensive and
showing some downright indignation over
the actual threat to medical progress inter-
posed by irrational objection and handi-
caps to vivisection. The hearings held
yesterday, on practical and sensible pro-
posal to make animals at the pound
available for use in laboratories under
proper supervision of the health authori-
ties, is one move In this direction.
Whether the legislation will be approved
this year is question. Few members of
Congress will voluntarily entangle them
selves IN an argument Of the sort-for it
stimulates a curiously unreasoning sort
of abuse. But the more the actual facts
OF the matter are exploited by authori-
tative spokesman, the greater the under
standing by reasonable people as to the
issue at stake
The legislation under consideration ought
to be approved and in time 1t will be.
Evening star., 1949-05-25
Doubts That Sales Tar
VIII Justify Expectations


70 sns E1isef u Tns ssss.
II would Be interesting 10 know how and
Why Congress is allowed 10 make laws gov
erning the District of Columbia Ixnt II
. revival Of taxation without representa-
ton? Would any Of the members Of Con-
gres have been quite 50 quick 10 vose .
sales tax for his own home town Isn't that
supposed TO BE- q function OF the %. G.
Commissinners-to rule the District tn Leu
Of representation In the top governing
bodiex7
II the District 10 20 Desperately IN need
Of funds that they must aGueeE the little
man" dry. why exempt the incomes of Con-
gresxmen and all the embassies and iega-
tsons. etc. from paying real estate or per-
sonaI property taxesf
And why should there be saies tar on
ciothes7 Isn't it against tne iaw 10 appear
IN public sans proper cOFersnx7
nm nire that the pr0pgietcrs cf stores
are going to. nnd q decrease IN th<sr re-
specfive businesses. with TIM advent Of tke
sales tax-directly due 10 the additional
cost: md the city = not sosns 70 Eain whas
y szusct& H L J.