xt7d251fnc1p https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7d251fnc1p/data/mets.xml Kentucky 1961 newsletters English Eddyville, Ky.: Kentucky State Penitentiary This digital resource may be freely searched and displayed. Permission must be received for subsequent distribution in print or electronically. Physical rights are retained by the owning repository. Copyright is retained in accordance with U. S. copyright laws. Please go to https://exploreuk.uky.edu for more information. Castle on the Cumberland Kentucky State Penitentiary -- Periodicals Journalism, Prison -- Kentucky Castle on the Cumberland, December 1961 text Kentucky State Penitentiary v.: ill. 28 cm. Call Numbers HV8301 .C37 and 17-C817 20:C279 Castle on the Cumberland, December 1961 1961 1961 2021 true xt7d251fnc1p section xt7d251fnc1p Volume I, Number VI CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND December, 1961 LL ADVIINISTRAT ION TABLE OF CONTENTS The Honorable Bert T. Combs warden's Page , 1 Governor Institution News 2 Wilson W} wyatt Lt. Governor Eflitorial W. C. Oakley Sports Report welfare Commissioner Articles Marshall Swain Deputy Commissioner ZExchange Page Dr. Harold Black Meet the Prisoners Director of Corrections - Tall Tales Luther Thomas Lloyd T. Armstrong warden Deputy warden Department Reports Kathlyn Ordway W} T. Baxter Poetry Business Manager Guard Captain ,V‘ Crossword Rev. Paul Jaggers Chaplain Statistics & Movies Henry E. chan William.Egbert Supervisor of Vocational Education Instructor -~Parole Commission-— STAFF Dr. Fred MOffatt Lawrence J. Snow Harold.Arnold Exec 1113 ive Director Edit OI? As 5 o ciate Editor walger Ferguson . Billy Howell Joe White hairman Sports Editor Art Editor Siméon Willis Ernest Thompson Hughie Hammock Charles Garrett ember . Member Lithographer ‘ Secretary The CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND is published monthly by the inmates of the Kentucky State Penitentiary at Eddyville. Subscriptions, one dollar a year, payable by money order at: CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND, Subscriptions Dept., Kentucky State Penitentiary, Eddyville, Kentucky, and by inmates at the Chief Clerk‘s Office. Articles are solicited, but the CASTLE reserves the right to reject, edit, or 'revise any material submitted. Opinions expressed in this magazine do not nec- essarily reflect those of the administration. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce any part of this magazine, provided proper credit is given. Where possible, a marked copy of the quoting publication is reqUested. “. _ I wish to take this occasion to extend my very best wishes for a joyous and happy Christmas to each ,employee and inmate of this institution. Our relationy ship for the past few months of my tenure have been most pleasant and a very soul-warming experience. It is my fervent hope and desire that we shall continue in our forward movement to make this institution one of which we can all be proud. we can only do this with enthusiasm and dedication to a united purpose. Programs, gift, and special meal are being planned for the inmate body. While it is a sad occasion for many of you being separated from your loved ones during the holiday season, I urge that you dedicate yourselves to the task of rebuilding your life and elevating your thoughts and sights whereby that you never again shall be separated from your family upon your release. May God's richest blessings be yours during the holiday season and the coming years.’ gjLuther Thomas; warden Page 1 CAsmLE ON THE CUMBERLANDWMMMwwM \\\ 23 ES?" :1? “£7 fifi AW" WK" (4444) i291) ~C/A/a/Lcc / (9 ““7 “3.7 EDDYVILLE PRISON GOES ON.KER At long last, this prison has taken to the airwaves. On the 27th of last month, State Re—, presentative Shelby McCallum, who also manages Radio Station WCBL in Benton, and James Wilkins, Assistant Manager of the station, brought taping equipment into the prison chapel and recorded the first in a series of programs scheduled to originate here. The institution's popular Hillbilly Band furnished the theme music, then followed it up with a number of other selections, all delivered in top-notch style. The Swing Band, playing under the name of "The Rhythm Kings," belted out two numbers, too, and did a remark» ably good job considering that one horn went out of commission on the second number. The rest of the musical side of the program consisted of spirituals fran the chaple's Negro Choir and Negro Quar» tet. Sandwiched between numbers were inr terviews with warden Thomas, Deputy wars den Armstrong, Chaplain Jaggers, and.Reu creational Director Everett Cherry. The idea for the program originated with Representative McCallum, 'who had heard other prison programs in other states. Arrangements were made by'Mr. McCallum and Mr. Wilkins through warden Thomas, Deputy warden Armstrong, the ‘Chaplain, and the Recreational Director. The first show was heard at 1350 pm $unday, November 5rd, and the second program, a special Christmas show, will be heard at the same time on gunday, December 17th. The inmate body would like to express their gratitude, to Representative Mc~ Callum and Mr. Wilkins, as well as the prison officials responsible for the program, for this giant step forward. MANY IN ERISONSIRECEIVE.A. A. HELP (AP) More than 350 mental hospitals and hOO prisons in the United States have established Alcoholics Anonymous chap- ters. Results have been striking. A- bout 8Q% of the alcoholics released from these institutions find permanent free- dom from drink. Without .A. A., only about 2q% escape from alcoholism. *, a * PASTRIES MAKE HIT WITH MEN The coffee cakes served recently in the messhall were delicious. EWeryone seems to have liked them, and many of the men would like to see this kind of pastry Served more often, especially for' breakfast. a * a 1033 AND FOUND DEPT. An inmate who prefers to remain anon- ymous has found a wallet-sized snap-shot on the yard, and has requested the ed— itor to try to find its owner. The pic- ture is of a baby about one year old. On the back are stamped the words,"Blair Studio, Detroit, Michigan," and the words "From Tony” are written in green ink above the stamp. Owner can claim by describing the object the baby is hold- ing and reminding us that we have the picture in our wallet. The latter re- quirement will not help to identify the owner, 'but will probably be necessary since we often forget where we put things * e * OVERHEARD ON THE YARD: Inmate #1: "Gimme a ceeg-aret, man." Inmate #2: "What you mean, gimme a oeeg- aret? I done smoked so many butts my breath is beginning to smell like every» body'sfi" Inmate who lost an argument with Deputy warden Armstrong and won several days in _ the hole as a consolation prize: "Man, ( and Khrushchev think he's tough!" CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND -;—hfi Page 2 Institutio In News CANTEEN HELPS PAY FOR XMAS EWery Christmas, the inmates of KSP eat a Special holiday meal and receive gifts from the state. Each Thanks— giving, there's turkey on the table. On the hth of July, there's a barbeque, and on other holidays throughout the year there are special meals served.... with all special dishes costing the tax— payer of Kentucky not a penny. Each weekend, there's a movie--com- plate with newsreel and cartoon —-shown in the prison chapel. EWery day, in! mates use sports equipment in their idle hours. Inmates who need dentures or glasses receive them from the state free of charge...and not of cent of the cost has to come from the state treasury. Where's the money tree? I In the prison canteen, which pours every cent of its profits into the Inmate welfare Fund. In an interview with Canteen Manager Joseph P. Ruppel, we learned something of the way the canteen and the welfare Fund operate. we learned, for instance, that the canteen is an entirely self— supporting corporation operating inde- pendent of the state for the benefit of inmates. Chartered under the name of Kentucky Commissary, Inc., the canteen Has a Presidentw—warden Thomas; a Secretaryh- Mrs. Ordway; a Treasurer—~Mr. McGee; and even a Board of Directors, comprised of several Department of Corrections offi- cials c The corporation meets all its own ex- penses, including salaries, and the In- mate welfare Fund gets the cream. It's Big Business, too. Each of the 1200-odd inmates may draw up to $20 a week in the form of canteen tickets, the only "legal tender" other than pennies, nickles and dimes allowed in this closed world. In return for their tickets,’ inmates get cigarets, tobacco, toilet articles, and food to be transformed inr to hot meals by the two cookshack chefs, "Hap" Mercer and Junior Jackson, who es- timate they prepare from 50 to 80 meals on an average day. In addition, inmates who are assigned to institution jobs are paid a minimum of $2.50 a month for their labors, payh able on or near the 15th of each month. When "state payday” arrives, Mr. Ruppel and Officer Lowery, as well as the two inmate clerks, Frank Brown and Clarence "Kewpie" White, are kept jumping to han- dle an average of a customer a minute for as many as three straight days. With that many customers, it's not always easy to keep the tiny canteen building clean and orderly, but the crew manages amazingly well. "We’re still in the process of re—dec- "we‘ve rearranged crating, said Ruppel. the stock, cleaned and painted all the shelves, and added a new refrigerator, meat-cutter, and Pepsi-Cola fountain. But the hardest job is to arrange the stock so that it can be reached convene iently and expedite that line of custom— ere.“ "It would speed things up," he went on, "if the men would remember to have their I. D. cards handy when they come up to the window.‘ Some of them have forgotten that they must show their cards to buy, and it slows down the line quite a bit when a man has to fumble in his pockets for identification." we talked about leather sales for a while. Formerly, the leatherworkers here had to buy their supplies from the canteen, and there is a small room where the hides and lace were stored. It is now being cleaned out to make room for merchandise, and inmates who are as— singed to the leather shop may buy their craft materials from outside firms, pro- viding they pay for the orders from their own accounts. (Cont. on Page h? Page 3 CASEIE ON THE CUMBERLAND I . ‘\ . Institution News CANTEEN PAYS FOR XMAS (CONT.) The telephone rang as we were talk— ing, and the tall, husky Canteen Manager paused to answer it. The call was from the isolation cellhouse. "There's another thing," he said as he hung up the phone. "we give the men in lockup and on the farm custom ser- vice. They write down their orders and 7 we .fill and deliver them during our lunch hour. "I don’t feel sorry for anyone here," he continued; 'they got themselves into trouble. But I do think they should get a fair shake while they're here, and not be walked on, and that's the way I try to operate this canteen. I try to keep a good stock, and I watch my 'buying so that I can offer the boys a little bet- ter price on the items whenever pos~ S ibleo" Another break that is given the men, he explained, is the absorption of state sales taxes by the canteen. "we have to pay state sales tax like any other business, " Ruppel said, "But we take it out of our profits and charge the men nothing." we also learned that the Officers' Canteen, located in the Administration Building, passes its profits back to the officers in the form of uniforms and other necessities. He had to leave then 'to- pick up the lockup orders, and we went back to our office to write this story, feeling that we had a little better understanding and appreciation of the way our canteen is operated. ~ * a * UNLICENSED SURGERY? A picture of a barbeque scene in the November 5th COURIER JOURNAL MAGAZINE was captioned, in part, "Overall view catches the spirit, chefs slicing meat and hungry people." 'mained for the Catholics CHRISTMAS OLDER THAN CHRISTIANITY? (Based on data from, Religions 2f the world and the Encyclopedia Brittanica.) On the 25th of this month, some 800 million persons throughout the world-— almost a third of the planet’s total population--will celebrate a holiday that is, in one sense, even older than the religion that fostered it. Although Christmas is today the most- significant of all Christian holidays, the practice of feasting and gift-giving during the latter days of December seems to have been adopted almost intact from the old Roman "Saturnalia" or "Feast of Saturn," a pagan holiday practiced for centuries before the birth of Christ. And, although Christmas, which means "Christ Mass," honors the birthday of Jesus of Nazareth, no one really knews ' for certain on what day, or even in what year, He was born. However, Biblical_ scholars are generally agreed that Jesus ‘ was born some 3 or h years before the Year One A. D., and probably not on De- cember 25th. For some 3 centuries the Birth was celebrated on various days of the year, a practice that understandably led to confusion and prompted Bishop Liberius of Rome to set the date offi- eially‘ at December 25th, the day on which the Saturnalia Feasts ended. Some nations, however, guided by the Old Sty.Le Calendar, observe Christmas on January 6th. Tune has wrought considerable changes in the holiday. Inifingland, where the day was at first kept only by religious services, celebrations of the Birth eventually grew so wild that in 165h Parliament passed a law abolishing Christmas from the calendar. And in the New World, the New England colonies Jig~ nored the day, while in the Massachu- setts Bay' Colony, the observance of Christmas was a prison offense! It re- of the South - (Cont. on Page 5) CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND Page h IIIIIIli-llIiIIIIIIIIIIE:_____________——————————————————————————————————————————————————v* Institution News CHRISTMAS OLDER...? (CONT) and the Dutch of New York to make the holiday generally popular in America. And Santa Claus himself is an Ameri— can invention, although the legend is based on fact. In Asia Minor, in the 5rd Century'A. D., there lived a Saint Nicholas who was known for his gener— ousity, and eventually became the patron saint of children-~and Russia. He came to be a symbol of Christmas gift-giving, and the tradition was brought to America by the Dutch. In 1822, in New York, a poet named Clement Moore wrote for his children the noweimmortal poem, "A Visit from Saint Nicholas," in which the ven- erable saint was for the first time pic- tured as a fat, jolly elf who rode about on the Yuletide in a sled pulled by reindeer and loaded with toyS. Both the poem and the image caught on, and child- ren shortened “Saint Nicholas" to "Santa Claus" before many years went by. ' * * * ERLE STANLEY GARDNER COMMENTS ON PRISDNS This came to us via the BAY BANNER. "I don't know about you, but I don't like the way society runs its prisons. The weak young man is turned into a criminal, the criminal is turned into an embittered convict with a hatred of so- ciety, and the embittered convict is all too frequently turned into a killer. I feel pretty certain that our penologists who know the system is wrong could do one hell of a lot to improve it if they only had the public support, instead of public condemnation, whenever they try to do anything worthwhile in the field of rehabilitation."-4ERLE STANLEY GARD— NER. ‘ *- a * And most women's slacks make you wonder why they aren't called something else: -—Via ROCKY MOUNTAIN enemas ST. EDWKRD SCHOOL ANSWERS EDITORIAL In a recent issue of the CASTLE, we commented on the fact that.a large numr ber of the men here are idle, and wonr dered if there weren't some worthwhile task we could undertake for the sake of others. In Jeffersontown, Kentucky, Sister Joseph Mark read the editorial, and de- cided to do something about it. First of all she wrote to the Governor, urgirg him to consider the idea of setting up a strong musical program in the penitent- iary. Then she put the problem up to the 7th-Grade class at St. Edward's Catholic School, where she is a teacher. The result was a sort of chain letter in which each student contributed a par- agraph or two of ideas, some of which follow: An art gallery, with prizes to the best painting. with track and boxing, and A prison Olympics, field events, tugs of war, wrestling. Ceramics, sculpture, and wood-carving. Short-story contests, stamp and rock collections, poster contests. Furniture-making and auto-mechanics classes; writing and painting classes. And one boy who had just taken a trip through Kentucky said he noticed that many of the road-signs were rusted or” bent. He suggested that we make signs commenting on the beauty of Kentucky and pass them on to the Highway Department. Our sincere thanks to Sister Mark and the stuients for their suggestions. If more people in this world took that kind of interest in others, crime and prisons would no doubt become things of the past. * * * Page 5 CASTEE ON THE CUMBERLAND Institution NeWSn~Columns USELESS INFORMATIONL-by USeless Dave YAGER'S CONTRIBUTED FOOIDSDPHY If a snail travels two and a half feet --James Bell Yager an hour, it would take 61 years and 73 ' days traveling 2h hours a day for it to Dean of women: "Didn't you read the let- reach IaGrange from Eddyville. ter I Sent you?" Not all Civil war Troops were blue or Coed: "Yes, ma'am. I read it inside and. gray. The Fifth New York Volunteers, outside. On the inside it said, 'You are for example, called themselves the "Dur- requested to leave college' and on the yea's Zouaves" and wore fez, red panta- outside it said, 'Return in Five days' loons, and leggings copied from the ...&0 here I amt" French-Algerian uniforms. (They fought ‘t for the Northi) An attractive young lady entered the lingerie shop and, after looking at some Playing cards were not invented by the sheer nylon hose, asked if she could Russians. They were first used in Hind- have the words, "If you can read this ustan as early as 800 A. Do you're too darn close," embroidered on the tops. Henry ProchoW' profoundly says: "If you i lend someone 5 dollars and never see him "we can do that," said the clerk. "Do i again, it may be worth it!" you want block or script letters?" According to Don Rich, one of our more "Neither," the beauty said. "Just erudite students, the meaning of "para- Braille." ydox" is a couple of doctors. At birth, some baby whales have been 22 When an oilman who had crashed into a ' feet long and many weigh more than 2 telephone pole and brought 'down the grown elephants. I wonder if "Mamma wires recovered consciousness, his hands Whale" ever has triplets. Wow! were clutching the wires. Dr. Charles Fisher, a noted specialist "Thank heavens!" he exclaimed fervently, in psychoanalytic theory, states: "It's a harpi" "Dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every' There's a new deoderant out called van- night of our lives." ish. After you rub it on, you disappear and nobody knows where the smell comes And the average smoker can get 18 drags from: off a Pall Mall before he smells flesh burning; therefore, don't' let a friend A customer in a restaurant had been par- who is saving you the butt go past 9. tioularly loud and obnoxious, generally giving the waiter a hard time. Finally, Merry Christmas from--DAVE COLLINS he said loudly, "What do you have to do * * u to get a glass of water in this dump?" GEM swrrso FRJM THE ENCHANI‘ED mews: "Set yourself on fire," replied the man - a t the next table. "Tum men looked out through prison bars The one saw mud and the other stars." There's nothing wrong with teenyagers that reasoning with them won't aggre- --Stevenson vate: GAME ON THE CUMBERLAND Page 6 IIIIlllllIIlIIIIIIIIE:__________—————————————————————————————————————————————————*’” (be .EDITORIAL Slfli It happened during the Christmas season. A cat-burglar was silently and efficiently ransackh ing a private home when, unexpectedly, he came across a small leg—brace of the type used by paray lytic children. Without a moment's hesitation, he took a 20—dollar bill from his own wallet and wrapped it in the straps of the brace. Then, re-— placing the valuables he had collected, he just as silently left the home, poorer and yet richer than when he entered. It's a true story, and yet not really an ex- ceptional one; for generousity and a touch of sen- timent--and often a great deal of honesty and loy- alty in personal dealings-~seem to be integral , parts of the makeup of professional criminals-~the I thieves, heistmen, safecrackers, and burglars who inhabit the prisons of the world. And when Christmas time rolls around, the spirit touches prisoners in much the same way as it touches free men. There's a lot of walking done in prisons on Christmas days..a lot of visit- ing and sharing of packages, a lot of touching, generous gestures of friendship. And, inevitably, there's a lot of reminisc- ing, too. Christmases and New Year's Days of the' past, however mediocre they may have seemed at the 3 time, become memorable occasions with the retell- ing. Parties and Christmas dinners get a little bigger each year, gifts a little grander, and friendships, a little warmer. it's a good time of year, even here. Page 7 cassm ON THE: CUMBERLAND PERTH BILLY HOWELL, 67 (f (4/ This is still the season for foot- ball, so each Sunday we bear witness to the slaughter. This past Sunday we looked on as CARTER’S COLTS defeated the BEARS 12-0 in a real thriller.. While talking to Bill Coley on the sidelines, he informed us that hitting the big Bear fullback was like hitting a Mack truck. He wasn't kidding. ' He had all the bruises to prove it. Joe Ander- son said he did well in the game—~his only injuries were an injured shoulder, bruised ribs, and a swollen ankle! John Brent, the big 220-pound back, has been doing a good job for the Colts. Brent informed us this is his last year to play, as he is pushing 50 and he feels he will have to go back to a mild- er sport, like boxing. we would like to give each player a writeup, and try to do justice to his ability. Unfortunately, our Space does not allow for this, so we will have to do the next best thing, and list each team at the end of this column. As usual, we are short on sports, therefore we have a short report. On this most joyous of all holidays, 'I want to wish each of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. COLTS ROSTER Herring Housman Robinson Coley Meriweather Cole Pyle Penn Lyons Underwood Anderson Hollis McCutchen Ehgland Crazy Jack June Bug HBtes Carter Houchins Mercer Smith Brent Lewis ORTS ED. BEKRS ROSTER Ford . Badeye Hobo McHenry Skin . Mooney Stiles Hollowell Hammerhead Tippy L. C. -Iewis Petty MOE: What does one car approaching a railroad crossing at 80 miles an hour, plus one train approaching a railroad crossing at 108 miles an hour, equal? JOE: I don't know, what does it equal? MOE: A caboose full of scrap metal: Contributed by JOHN METHERTON, Jeffer- sontown, Kentucky. ‘ BEATNIK‘VISITING THE GRAND CANYON: "Dig that crazy irrigation ditch!" Via The PRESIDIO Jack be nimble, Jack be quick watch the Russians for a trick Play it cool and play it slick And be like Teddy, tote a stick: "Professor Dizz" in The PRESEDIO One explanation of the meaning of "Canada" is that early Spanish explor- ers searched there for gold, but, finding nothing, said in disgust: "Asa nada," or "Here is nothing." CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND SHTAN HAS A PARTY A Short Story by David Holmes Lucifer, alias Satan, alias The Devil, sat behind the large desk in the middle Of his office. The office was located near the center -of his domain, and the new Sears air-conditioner had little effect on the heat which seemed to come through the thin walls. He had just sent for 5 men who were suffering their fate. As he awaited them, he un- buttoned the top button of his shirt and wiped beads of perspiration from his forehead. He made a mental note to have one of his workers bank the main fire. He was just beginning to lose pa- tience when the door opened and his Num- ber One boy stepped into the room. "They are here, sir," he said with a big grin. Satan rose to his feet, buttoning his shirt. “Good: Good: Send them in." The Number One boy turned and left the room, and a few minutes late 5 men entered. Lucifer nodded to each in turn and waited until they stood before he spoke. "Good evening, gentlemen. Be seated and make yourselves at home." He laughed at this last remark. The 5 men sat down and each held a look of wonderment on his face. "Ah," said The Devil, taking his own seat and folding his hands on the desk, "I see you are wondering why I sent for you. well, you have good reason to won- der, so I will explain." He paused for a moment. "Each one of you has lived a pretty bad life while you were on earth or you would not have been here, am I right?" No one spoke. "I see you refuse to answer. It makes no difference. The fact that you are here speaks for itself. There never is any mistake in that. But I have a deal to make with you...one that is very unusual and has never been made before and will never be made again.” The 5 men moved uneasily in the chairs. drawn your inter- "That is good. I "I see that I have est," said The Devil. picked you because of your wonderfully bad records on earth. I need a group of people up there to work for me...to harm other people. In other words, to lead then here. I'm sure you all know what I mean." One of the men stood up. "But why us?" Satan gave him a sneer. “I've told you once, stupid. Because of your re- cords on earth. wait! I'll spell it out for you." He shuffled some papers on his desk. "Ah, here we are." He looked up at the man standing nearest him. "Now, take you for example. Your name is Nero. You were, at one time, the Emperor of Rome-~until your little fet- ish got the best of you and you burnt the place down. Made it almost as hot as it is here: At times, you killed thousands of people just to have some- thing to do. Now, I'm not blaming you for that. As a matter of fact, if I gave out medals, you'd surely get one. I'm just showing you why I picked on you." He looked at the other men sitting "That's the same reason I Each of your records before him. chose all of you. is as good as Nero's." He pointed to one of the remaining four. "You, Caesarl Do you remember all the slaves you ordered killed just to honor your weddings? And you! And youl And you!" he said to the other men. "Your records are just as good~—or bad, depending on which way you look at it." The man called Nero sat back down. "Now," said The Devil, "I’m sending all of you back to earth with new names and faces, and I want you to work for me. I Page 9 CASELE ON THE CUMBERLAND Articles SATAN HAS: A PARTY (CONT) want you to be as mean and dirty to your fellow man as you can. And as long as I get good reports from you, I will let you remain there. I want your number to grow and growl" He stopped talking and pushed a but- ton on his desk. The door opened and the Number One boy entered with the smile still on his face. "Yes?" Lucifer looked up at the 5 men. "Do you understand your jobs?" The men got to their feet. All nodded. ' "Good," said The Devil. "You may go, and good luck." He turned to his Number One boy. "Show these gentlemen the way to earth." The boy bowed, but as the men started out, Satan stopped them. "Before you go, I think your group should have a name.‘ He paused, strok- ing his neat little Van Dyke that thrust itself from his chin.- Then, his lob— ster red tail wagging gleefully, he chortled and said: I "How about calling yourselves the Party?" EDITOR'S NOTE: The author of this amus- ing story had inserted one of the polit- ical parties where there is a blank. $ince this is a nonppartisian paper, howe ever, we have left it up to the reader to insert the party of his choice} a * '* Blessed are the deaf.... For they cannot hear the dumb! Via the Penal Press TWO BUMS in a RAILROAD YARD --Jonathan Parks "Hey, there! Yep, you...where ya headed? Dago? Los Angeles?" "What: Frisco! Hell, man...Frisco's cold this time of year...cold and rainy wet." "You don't care? You say you've got a sister there that'll take you in?" "well, that's different. A man's got somebody there to help him, he's all right.“ "Me? Ah, just travelin'. You know how it is...caught a freight outta Chi-- man, it's colder'n a well-hole in.Alaska back there-~migrating to Sunny Cal. L. A. for the winter, that's for me!" "St. Louis your home town? Yep, I know St. Louis well. Used to operate outta there, you know, but that was 'way back there. Probably before your time; prohibition." "Nineteen, you say? Yep, you 'us just a little squirt then. Say, boy, come to think of it, ain't you pretty young to be out on the road?" "Been roamin’ around since you was 12, huh? Ever since your mother died an' the fambly broke up? Yep, that's the way life is, I reckon. Kid grows up kinda wild-like when his Ma passes on. Best friend a boy ever has, his Ma." "Myself? How long I been trampin'? Oh, 'bout 20 years, I 'spect...20 years therebouts. I must like hit? waal... I'll tell you,,boy, it’s a fair—to-mid— dlin’ way to go through life. Course, nowadays it's a dang sight different than when.I started out.’ Yessiree, nowa adays a man don’t hafta have any git-up (Cont. on Page 11) CASTLE: ON THE: curssamnm Page 10 Articles TWO BUMS (CONT) and-go about him atall. Don't hafta worry about findin' a place to sleep or gettin' somethin' to eat. Big organiza- tions to take care '0 things like that new. Man wears his clothes...gets hun- gry, or wants the feel of a .bed on a chilly night...why, all he's gotta do is go along to a 'Sally' and show em his Social Security card." "was things harder back in the old days? well, boy, that depends on how a man looks at things...how he evaluates ideas, as the big shots say. Take a man on the road back in the Twenties. That man had two choices about gettin' some- thin' to fill his belly. He could ask the woman of a house for a hand-cut, or he could offer to do a little work for a bite to eat; either way he lost his self-respect." "You say that's the way it is now? well, now, you're right to a point, boy —-to a point. The difference ain't in the act, it's in the idea behind the act. What I'm driving at is this; the man that had to go up to a house to beg for somethin' to eat, well, that man knowed that he didn't have no right to ask a woman for the food her husband had earned for his fambly. Nobody has the right to take somethin' for nuthin' from a person that's worked for it...a man knows that! I don't care what kinda man he is, a man knows that an' goes ahead and.begs for food regardless...why, that man can't help but have no self-respect. He'll feel guilty...start hating hisself an just become no good in general , worse'n an old egg-suckin' houn' dawg. But you take nowadays it's different. A man don't hafta feel that he's lowh ratin' hisself, or think that he's a good-for-nuthin', no-count bum just by askin' for somethin' to eat. Hell no! Special outfits been set up for to take care of him. It ain't a personal thing anymore, he don't hafta face a woman and beg somethin' knowin' that it's been worked for by her husband. Hell, it's a man's duty nowadays to take all he can get from the Sally or any other social outfit; iffen he didn't he'd be makin' liars and hypocrites outta the kind folks what're trying to help him." "You don't think it's like that, you say? You think a man's supposed to stand on his own two feet, work for his livin', eh? waal, I reckon this bein' a democratic country that a man's gotta right to his own opinion. But, boy, you gotta look at both sides of things. There's always two sides, it's a law...it's what democracy is. Now you take this little idea we been kick- in' around, 'bout whether a man should take all he can get from outfits like the Sally, like I think, or stand on his own two feet and-ask for nuthin', like you think. Now, boy, this is a very imp portant thing we're talkin' about. It's a big social issue, a big economic is- sue, and a big religious issue. It con-