xt7hqb9v4d15 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7hqb9v4d15/data/mets.xml  Kentucky  1963 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, April 1963 text Kentucky State Penitentiary v.: ill. 28 cm. Call Numbers HV8301 .C37 and 17-C817 20:C279 Castle on the Cumberland, April 1963 1963 1963 2021 true xt7hqb9v4d15 section xt7hqb9v4d15  

 

f g f A Penal Press Publication
; a% I B UNFTHE

APRIL 15’ 1965
M“HA,§59”W€fi:I 1U!”

 

"This, too, shall pass"

 

 

Volume II ’ Number X.»

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IN THIS MONTH'S CASTLE:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CASTLE NEWS 1

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
(Letter to a Reader) 6

 

 

 

THE FENCE (Fiction)
A burglar gets revenge
on a tight-fished fence 7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FIRST DAY ON PAROLE (Fact)
An eat-convict barber
runs into the unexpected ll

PAGES FROM THE PAST
The Bill of Rights -- ,
Concession'to the Common Man? 15

 

. ___ (, -—'—_—_—‘gl- -_.___.«_,.___._.—_._,-:-,._._.—«

 

 

5,," ,3. Hi5: EXCHANGE PAGE 16

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ii 5,3, 2 TALL TALES . 17

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g3 ;;;¢ ggg DRPARTNENT REPORTS 18
.‘ ,I »".4

N‘ é é§a ,

- .; W LATE - NEWS; 20

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A V.‘ - v
3 er, “

 

 

NIGH TKEEPER'S REPORT 1886 2 l

 

 

‘CRossswoRD PUZZLE 22
STATISTICS A MOVIES 23
THE CASTLE IAUGHS; 25 ,

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

  

Volume II, Number.X. April 15, 1963

 

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

 

ADMINISTRATION

The Honorable Bert To Combs, Governor
Wilson We wyatt, Lt. Governor

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS INSTITUTIONAL ADMINE3TRATION

 

larshall Swain, Commissioner Luther Thomas, warden
Department of Corrections
Lloyd Armstrong, Deputy Warden
Dr. Harold Black, Director
Division of Institutions We To Baxter, Captain of the Guard
Department of Corrections

W. Zo Carter, Director of Education Reverend Paul Jaggers, Chaplain

Department of Corrections
Henry E. Cowan, Supervisor of Education

William Egbert, Vocational Instructor
BOARD OF PARDONS & PAROLES

 

Dre Fred Moffatt CASTLE STAFF
Executive Director

Walter Ferguson Lawrence Snow, Editor
Chairman 0f the Board

Simeon Willis ' Leonard Rule, Associate Editor
Member

Ernest Thompson James Franklin McKinney, Art Editor
Member

John Busby, Multilith Operator

 

 

The CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND is published monthly by the inmates of the Kentucky
State Penitentiary at Eddyvilleo subscriptions, one dollar a year, payable by
money order at: CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND, Box 128, Eddyville, Kentucky; and by
inmates at the Chief Clerk’s officeo Articles are solicited, but the CASTLE re—
serves the right to reject, edit or revise any material submitted. Opinions ex-
pressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect those of the administrationo
Permission is hereby granted to reproduce any part of this magazine, provided
proper credit is given to author and sourceo A marked copy of the quoting pub-
lication will be appreciatedo

 

 

 G 8 FEE [217313.79

SUPREME COURT RULES IN FAVOR OF FLORIDA
CONVICT DENIED RIGHT TO LEGAL COUNSEL

SYNANON GRADUATE DONATES HIS FREEDOM:
WILL STAY IN PRISON' TO AID ADDICTS

 

The United States
month upset the

Supreme Court last
conviction of Clarence
Earl Gideon, a Florida convict who
claimed he was tried without counsel.
The decision of the court is exPected to
affect three other Southern states «—
Georgia, Mississippi and Maryland as
which have in the past refused to supply
legal counsel to indigent persons
accused of non—capital crimes.

In Florida itself, the ruling may bring
about the release of more than half of
all State prisoners.

Gideon claimed in his appeal that he was
forced to try his own case when the
Florida court refused to appoint legal
counsel for him. His plea to the
Supreme Court was argued by a washington
law firm which had heard of his~ single»
handed fight to upset the Florida prac-
tice. The law firm took the case with-
out fee.

A United Press International story in
the LOUISVILLE TIMES quoted Justice Huge
Black as saying in his opinion that "The
right of one charged with crime to counw
sel may not be deemed fundamental and
essential to a fair trial in some count~
ries, but it is in ours." All nine
justices voted in favor of Gideon.

The decision upset an older ruling by
the Supreme Court that the right to
counsel was mandatory in cases which in»
volve the death penalty, but did not
specify that counsel must be supplied in
lesser cases.

Although the ruling made it clear that
all persons accused of crime have the
right to a competent attorney regardless
of their ability to pay, it did not
define what constitutes a criminal trial
nor how low on the scale of offenses the
ruling applied, according to the UPI
story.

1

Candy Latson, a young Negro ex-addict
who found the strength to" break away
from narcotics at Santa Monica's Synanon
House, is in prison today.

But Candy is not in prison because he
has committed a crime; he is there as a
volunteer prisoner, and he plans to stay
there indefinitely. He lives in a wing

in the Nevada State Prison with thirty-
one convicted felons who are also nar-
cotics addicts, and he is using the

techniques he learned at Synanon House
to help them find themselves again.

According to a story in the MENTOR,
South Walpole, Massachusetts Refonnatory
Candy Latson began his drug habit when
he was fifteen years old -- a habit that
took him through jails and numerous
"cures" in Federal narcotics hospitals.
Then, in July, 1960, Latson applied for
help at Synanon House in California.

Synanon House, a private experiment in
the fight against drug addiction, is
operated much like Alcoholics Anonymous.
Drug addicts who ask for help are taken
into the home, where they break the
habit "cold turkey" -- without drugs or
drug substitutes. Afterwards, they take
part in merciless, soul-searching group
discussions and finally, when they feel

able, they leave the home to go out on
their own. Thus far, Synanon House has
the world's most impressive record for

"cures" -9 a drug addict, like an alco-
holic, is never really cured -- and a
second Synanon House has been set up in
Reno, Nevada.

Like most of the other addicts who took
the Synanon treatment, Candy Latson
found that he was able to live without
drugs. He also found that he had a
mission in life -- to help other addicts
fight clear of narcotics addiction.

Last August, Candy asked Nevada penal

CASTLEEON THE CUMBERLAND

 

  

 

authorities to let him bring Synanon to
the prisoners on a full-time basis and
permission was granted. It was then
that Latson took up residence in the
narcotics wing of the prison.

from the Reno
prison to con-

Twice each week, groups
Synanon House enter the
duct seminars with the prison group.
Once each week, Candy and the other
prisoners hold a private seminar.

No holds are
ions 0 The

barred in these discuss-
"dirty little secrets" of
each of the men are dragged into the
light before the entire group, and
reason is slowly substituted for the
emotions that make men susceptible to
addiction.

How effective is the program? According
to research conducted by the MENTOR, it
is far too early to say. But, signifi—
cantly, not one prisoner aided by the
Synanon process has so far.returned to
narcotics addiction or crime.

CAL IF‘OR NIA MAY ABO LIS H DEATH PENAL TY

 

The State of California, long notorious
for the number of convicted murderers,
rapists and kidnappers sent to its gas
chambers annually, may scrap capital
punishment if Governor Pat Brown has his
way 0

The Governor Sponsored a bill asking for
a four-year moratorium on legal killings
recently. The bill, if it becomes law,
would not, however, exempt persons con-
victed of murder for the second time,
persons killing police officers, or the
prisoners now on death row.

THIEF JARRED BY JELLY, CANNED BY COPS

 

In California, a thief broke into a
market, made himself a jelly sandwich,
dropped it, slipped on the jelly and
knocked himself out. He was discovered
by the manager and revived by the police.

 

John'Wycliffe' made the' first English
translation of the Bible in 1382-8h. The
King James version appeared in 1611

YCASTLBiDN THE CUMBERLAND

KENTUCKY HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S MOBILE UNIT
X-RAYS 1100 INMATES FOR TUBERCULOSIS

 

Just about 20,000 times each year, a
young Madisonville X-ray technician named
Beetie Bratcher exhorts his "clients"
to "take a deep breath ... HOID it!"

Last month, Bratcher repeated his in-
cantation 1100 times in the Kentucky
State Penitentiary alone as he examined
the inmates and employees of the insti-
tution for tuberculosis in a Health
Department mobile X—ray unit.

But Beetie Bratcher, who began working
for the Kentucky Health Department last
October, doesn’t mind repeating himself.
During an interview with the CASTLE on
the third of his five days in the peni-
tentiary, he stated that instead of be—
ing tired of his Work, he loves it.

The slender young technician and his big
white truck, a unit donated by the
Kentucky Elks Association, have a big
territory to cover —— 2h western Ken-
tucky counties, including Lyon County
and the institution. He gets around to
each of the counties at least once every
three months. In some of them ~~
especially Marion and Crittendon coun~
ties —- tuberculosis is rife, and he's
responsible for uncovering a lot of
cases in time for early treatment. In
others, his visits turn up only one or
two cases of the lung disease each trip.

The plates he exposes are sent off to a
radiologist in Frankfort, where they are
examined for symptoms of tuberculosis.
If definite symptoms of the disease are
found, the patient and his doctor are
notified by mail. If scars show up on
the lungs, the patient may be asked to
submit to further examinations to deter-
mine if the disease is still active.

some other
example --

signs of
for

What happens if
disease -- lung cancer,
crop up in the plates?

"well," said Bratcher, "the Association
is primarily interested in tuberculosis,
of course. But if cancer is spotted,

2

 owr totm
occaSional
turned up in

the film will be turned
proper agency." He said
cases of lung cancer are
this manner.

In order to photograph the internal
organs of the nearly 1100 inmates and
personnel, Bratcher worked from Monday
through Friday of one week, photograph-
ing some 500 men each day. Aiding him
in the task were inmate volunteers who

filled out cards to be submitted with
the film. Working in the yard office
during the week were wayne Stephenson,
James Harris, Tom Evans, Haynes
Robinson, Alford Cunningham, Raymond
Forsting, Gordon Mercer, Donald Sills,
Kenny 'England,"flwaterdog,u , and” Tom

Brock.

DRILLING BEGINS FOR NEW WATER TOWER

 

Curious about the drilling activity that
went on last month near the prison
hospital? A reliable source close to
the top (there‘s that journalistic cli-
che again) tells us it's for the founda-
tion of a new water tower.

The new tower will be located on the
highest level of the hill that forms the
prison yard, directly opposite the
existing 200,000-gallon water tank.

With a capacity of about 600,000 gallons
the new tower should solve the prison's
water problem, which includes extremely
low water pressure at peak use periods.

Gregg Laboratories is doing the prelimy
inary.drilling for the structure.

LAW STUDENT TO GO TO PRISON

 

A student of the University of Minnesota
School of Law will soon, be admitted to
the Minnesota State Prison. The commit—
ment will not, however, be for a crime
-- the purpose of the jaunt is to gain
an inside view of prison life.

The student will be given the assignment
by Professors John Ellingston and
Maynard Persig of the law school. The
student will be mugged, printed and
showered at the prison, just as would be

any other new prisoner. He will then be
assigned a cell, given a rule book and

prison uniforms, and presumably he willw~

submit to the orientation classes
all new men at the prison.

given

It is planned for the student to remain
in prison several days before he is
"pardonedfl'

MINNESOTA TO PAROLE ALL PRISONERS

 

(PP) -- A new Minnesota policy will re-
sult in the parole of all prisoners,
even those who would ordinarily not be
considered "good risks."

Stating that it is better to have every
prisoner leave under supervision, a mem-
ber of the
said: "There are no objective scales
for telling when a prisoner is ready for
parole, but we are justified in risking

premature release of prisoners, for if a":

man is ready for parole now, now is the

time to release him -- not a year from“
and the'

now. It may be too late then,
blame will be on our shoulders."

GEORGIA WIS: TO EAT CD DIET IN HOLE

 

The traditional bread—and-water diet for
prisoners in solitary confinement in
Georgia prisons is a thing of the past.
Instead, inmates assigned to the "hole"
for punishment will receive a 2000-
calory ration of survival crackers to-
gether with one full meal every fourth
days

Survival crackers are intended for use
in fallout and civil defense shelters.

CASTLE COSTS TAXPAYERS NOTHING

 

The CASTIE ON THE CID/IBERLAND, now almost ‘

two years old, has never cost the tax-
payers of Kentucky a penny.

Although income from subscription fees
do not yet entirely cover the cost of
preparing and mailing the KS? monthly‘

magazine, the deficit is made up from
the Inmate Welfare Fund, a special ac-
count created mostly by profits from the
commissary, operated by Joseph_Ruppell.

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND 1

Minnesota Parole Commission.

 

a.

 

 PRISON'S EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT MAKES
START . IN VOCATIONAL TRAINING FIELD

 

KSP's Supervisor of Education Henry
Cowan told the CASTLE early this month
that significant beginnings have been
made toward providing a vocational
training program for inmates of the
prison.

In addition to the typewriter repair
class, presently serving five inmates
under the instructorship of Sam Young-
blood, the education department intends
to begin classes in masonry, barber
training, and cabinet making.

The masonry class, said Mr. Cowan, will
consist of classroom theory and actual
practice on a cement slab laid for that
purpose outside the present quarters of
the academic school. The first class
will accomodate from six to ten pupils.
If demand for training is greater than
that, however, more instructors will be
added and other classes begun.
tion will fill most of each weekday.

Barber training will be conducted in the
existing barbershop. Because of the
limited space available, no more than
three students can be handled at one
time, Mr. Cowan said.

"We hope to set up a minimum educational
requirement at the tenth grade level,"
Mr. Cowan said, "so that later on, the
barber trainees can take the GED tests
and get their high school diplomas." He
said that a high school education is re-
quired of applicants for harboring
licenses in Kentucky, and that he hopes
to have the school accredited in time.

No definite plans have been made for
training in carpentry and cabinet work.
Again, existing facilities will be used,
and probably the more skilled inmates
now assigned to the cabinet shop will be
used as instructors. Some classroom
theory may also be taught.

Other educational programs presently
offered to KSP inmates include training
in the first eight grades, a cram course

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

 

Instruc--

for those who want to try for equiva-
lency high school diplomas, and a typing
class.

The new two-story education—recreation
building now under construction will
provide more badly needed Space for the
education department upon its completion
next year.

MUHIENBURGER, 72, MAI GET SIGHT BACK

William Litsey, 72, may be enabled to
see again through efforts of doctors and
the Lions Eye Bank of Louisville, ac-

cording to the Central City, Kentucky
TIMES ARGUS.
Litsey, a resident of Martwick in

Muhlenburg County, has been blind in one
eye for ten years and lost the sight in
his other eye three years ago. He was
given a corneal transplant late last
month, but results of the operation will
not'be available until after presstime.

More than 50 ESP inmates have pledged
their eyes to the Bank from which the
"eyes" for William Idtsey were drawn,
and the outcome of the operation should
be of considerable interest here.

Eye pledge cards may be obtained in the
CASTLE office below the cookshack. Eyes
are not taken before death, and their is
no charge to the donor or the recipient
of the eyes.

PRIEST SPONSORS RETREAT FDR CONVICTS

 

Father Malcolm Maloney, Catholic Chap-
lain at the Branch Prison at Marquette,
Michigan, is sponsoring a three—day re-
treat for the prisoners.

The retreat will give prisoners what
should be a much-welcomed opportunity to
escape from the usual lack of privacy
and the oppressive routine of prison
life. Meditations, prayers, and confer-
ences are scheduled for the event.

* *

a:
U'.‘ s. pbpul‘atib'n'is. now‘.178,h6h,256.

 

LI - I

 IKMATE SPEAKERS AID CRIME PREVENTION

 

A unique crimewprevention program is
being cenducted by inmates of the Texas
penal system, and as far as Texas teeny
agers are concerned, the operation is a
success. ~

."Operation Teenager," 'as the program is
called, allows prisoners to travel under

guard to schools to relate their experie.

ences as unsuccessful thieves to teen
age students. Four inmates.have so far
Spoken to more than 300,000 individuals
at hOO different gatherings, winning the

acclaim of teachers, ministers, lawe
enforcement officials, civic. leaders,
and, -most importantly,‘ the. teenagers
themselves. A film of the. h0=minute

program has also become an item much in
demand among Texas TV stations.

The men participating. in. the program,
[according to the .Texas. Prison's news»
paper —- the ECHO ——-spend. their nights
in county or city jails while they are
on the road and receive no extra priviu
leges beyond an occasional restaurant
meal. They often work overtime upon
returning to the prison to catch up on
the work they have missed.

dew
from
also

"Operation Teenager" is

prevent young peeple
criminal activity, it
paying
understanding

Although
signed to
entering

seems to be
public

of prisons and

prisoners. Most people who listen to the

talks are surprised to learn that cons

e "people just like we ‘are." And,
according to one Texas Prison official,
"This is the best publicwrelations pram
gram the prison has ever'h‘ad.u

Although the_program has been
tion less than a year,_the speakers have
received thousands of letters from young

people telling them how much they appreml

ciate their efforts.
* 1 , I a ' , *

First electrocution of a criminal was of
William Kemmler in Auburn Prison,.Auburn
New York, August 6, 1890. In 18h7, the
state of Michigan abolished executions.-

5

SO MAYBE IT'S DEDUCTABLE

 

»When they announced that it was

(PP) :- A pair of bandits failed so
miserably at a holdup attempt that they
actually lost money on the deal.

Using a basket of fruit as a pr0p, the
bandits pretended to be delivery men to
gain entrance to a suburban home.

a hold—
up, .the lady of the house screamed.
Both bandits fled, leaving their basket
of fruit behind them..

basket,

The police estimate the cost

between $10 and $15.

WILLARD STRUNK DIES 0F PNEUMONIA

 

Strunk, hB, was suffering from

rich dividends in_

in opera—.

‘Strunk, serving five
died in the
of March

Willard "Rooster"
Iyears from McCreary County,
Vprison hoSpital on the night
21..

anemia,
but the direct cause of his death was a
case of pneumonia.

 

LIFE TEMMER COHMITS SUICIDE IN CELL

h}, hanged himself
last month and died
who discovered him

James Henry Cameron,
in his cell late
before the guards
could cut him down.

Cameron Was serving a life sentence from
Daviess County, Kentucky. He was com-
mitted to the prison in 1959.

MCKINNEY BECOMES CASTLE'S ART EDITOR

 

James Franklin McKinney, 35, will be
doing the art work and art editing for
the CASTLE beginning with this issue.

McKinney, who formerly did covers for
the Alcatraz FOGHQRN, submitted pencil
sketches for the CASTLE's cover and two
department pages (see pp 6 & 17),, and
next month he will be drawing the plates
himself .; which should result in better
reproduction of his work.

native of

McKinney, is a .Lexington,

_ Kentucky.

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

 I WWW-WWW
' {aw Mm {MI/”re“

 

 

Eddyville Prison
April 15, 1963

Dear Reader:

No matter what the weather may'really'be like, the sun will seem to be shining
brightly and the air will be incredibly fresh and sweet the day a prisoner finishes
his term and walks through the big iron gate that is the "front door" of the
Kentucky State Penitentiary. But, instead of entering the land of milk and honey
he often pictures the free world as being, the newly released prisoner may find
himself still in the wilderness as far as his opportunities for earning a decent
living are concerned.

Often unskilled and relatively uneducated, just as often an emotionally incomplete
person, the ex-convict must also contend with the barriers presented by his police
record and the habits and attitudes developed during years typically spent in
idleness and frustration in the institutional jungle. Thus equipped, he is apt to
find all but the most menial and unrewarding of jobs closed to him, at least for
the first years of his freedom. I

He usually faces still another handicap as well: that of entering the job market
and the social world stone broke, completely without possessions or money except
for the suit of work clothes and the five dollar bill given him at the gate. He
must put whatever pride and dignity he has left in his pocket along with the gate
money and take whatever he can get, realizing that it will be a long, hard climb
before he rises above the subsistence level of existence and finds his place in the
sun again.

It is impossible to "blame" the employer for such a situation. The businessman's
first goal is to make a profit. He needs and wants employees who can not only han-
dle the work assigned to them, but who are trustworthy and reliable and who will be
a credit to the company and the community as well. Understandably, the employer
finds it difficult to fit the ex—prisoner into such a picture.

Nbr is there any particular injustice in the situation. We are all equals in the
sense that we live in a world that provides both a natural and a manmade system of
(Please turn to Page 1h)

 

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND ( 6

 

  

"That's it. Take it or leave it," said
Rinaldi.

 

"Twenty bucks? It's worth at least
fifty," exclaimed Johnny.

Ifi/7////////fil} 57—7!

 

 

Rinaldi turned to his son. "Get him,"
he said. "I been in the hocksh0p busi-
ness fifteen years and he's telling me
how to price thingsl" He turned to
Johnny again. "Maybe you should learn
your own business, kid. Maybe then
you'd stay down river."

 

 

 

"I do all right for myself," Johnny said.

"Yeah, all right, he says." Rinaldi
grinned at him. "What was it the last
time, kid? A two-year stretdh in Kings-
ton, eh?"

 

 

 

"Just a little bad luck," Johnny
grinned. "You play the game, you gotta
pay. When you gonna pay, Pop? You been
playing the game a long time."

 

 

THE FENCE

"““‘““‘ "Smart guys don't pay. Brains, kid --

it takes brains."

A Short Story by Jonathan Parks
. 4 , "I got brains, Pep. You just wait.n

/4é5 "Yeah, well, if you got brains, you'll
/Z know when I say twenty bucks, I mean
' twenty bucks," said Rinaldi. "No more
hassling. If you think you can get more

some other place, take the ring and beat
it."

 

 

"Look, Pop," Johnny said. "I need fifty
bucks tonight. I'm taking a little
trip. We done a lot of business to-
gether, so why don't you break down?"

Rinaldi shook his heado "I told you my
price, kid," he said, "and that's it.
Unless you got something else you want
to get off your hands?“

"Damn it, if I had ... wait a minute:

-- I How long you gonna be open tonight?"
2“” /’ I‘ , : "Ten thirty, as usual. Why? Since when

you taking an interest in my hours?"

 

 

A:-

%6’/0 ,JZAfl.S¢A

 

Jonathan'Parks is the prison librarian
CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

 

 

 

 

, ,, ,!7, ,, ,7,7i,, ,, , , W ,fiiifiviii¥

 "Never mind," said Johnnie. "Just give

me the twenty."

Rinaldi laughed and turned to the cash
register. "wa you're getting smart,
kid," he said. "I oughtn't even to mess
with this -- only clear a little chicken

feed on it. But you know me, soft-
hearted, always willing to help an
up-and-coming young fella." He took a

twenty dollar bill from the register and
handed it to Johnnie.

As Johnnie left, Rinaldi's son left off
his dusting and grinned knowingly at his
father. "Gee, Dad," he said admiringly,
"you sure know how to handle these riff-
raff."

"You just watch your old man, son,"
Rinaldi said, "and you'll get ahead in
life." He laughed delightedly. "You
know what this ring will bring, son?
Three hundred bucks -- over two hundred
fifty per cent markup. Not bad, eh?"

Dad?

"Who was that guy, You knew him,

didn‘t you?"

"Just another hoodlum. A petty, twowbit
burglar with no brains." He put the
ring away. "You learn one thing in this
business, son. Keep your morals out of

it. Don't ask no questions where a
thing comes from. Just grab it up, boy.
2.
Johnny walked slowly down the neon
lighted street and stopped under a
corner light. Seven thirty, his watch
said: two hours left of the night, he
calculated. Two hours to find a likely

looking house. He walked on, his hand
caressing the bill Rinaldi had given him
for the ring.

"That cheap, chiseling skunks" he mused.
VTwenty dollars -- and for that I risk
getting five yearsi in the joint." A
sudden anger boiled within him. He saw
himself as he'd been the night before
... creeping stealthily from room to
room in a strange house, his body exud—
ing a cold sweat of fear as he played
the flashlight into drawers -— and for

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

what? So that someone like Rinaldi

could make a couple of hundred:

He turned into a side street and stopped
hesitantly before the door of a bar.
"Why not?" he asked himself. "Hell, you
got two good hours of burglarizing time
left." He went into the bar and took a
stool.

"Double vodka and Squirt," he said to
the bartender, and then put his elbows
on the bar and cupped his chin in his
palm. Somewhere tonight he had to get
thirty more dollars. At least thirty
more ... a ticket to Cincinnati would
set him back at least half a bill. And
here he was drinking on his last twenty:
It was starting again, the same old
thing. Every time he got a few bucks in
his pocket, he ended up in a bar.

isn't it?" the
drink in

“Nice night out tonight,
bartender said, placing the
front of him.

"Real nice," Johnnie agreed, and then,
to keep the bartender talking, to get
away from his own troubles, he continued
the conversation. "Swell band you got
tonight. New here, aren't they?"

They talked for a time about the band,

and at length Johnnie ordered another
drink, giving the bartender the single
bill he had in his pockets. He had the

drink halfway to his mouth and was
watching the bartender fumbling for
change when the thought struck him.

He burst out laughing.

People began to stare at him after a
minute, and the bartender came back with
his change.

"You all right, buddy?" he asked. "Must
have been a great joke."

laughing
a phone

said,
have

"Yeah, it was," Johnny
again. "Listen, do you
here?"

The bartender pointed to a booth in the
corner of the room, and Johnny crossed
to it. Closing the door, he thumbed

8

 through the directory until he found the
name he was looking for. Chevy Chase
.0. 857 Chevy Chase. It was a good adw
dress° He dialed the number indicated
and listened. No answer. He waited un»
til the phone at 857 Chevy Chase rang
twice more, and then hung up. He gave
the bartender a wide grin as he left the
ClUbo

Outside, he hailed a cab and directed
the driver to take him to woodland Park
Auditorium, and when he left the cab, he
tipped the driver a dollar. Lighting a
cigarette, he waited until the cab
disappeared, then started walking into
the Chevy Chase district just across
from the auditorium. It was six blocks
to the 800 block, and he took a good ten
minutes to walk the distance. It was
8210 when he arrived at the house at 837.

Noting with satisfaction the plushness
of the house, which was in keeping with
the smart neighborhood in which it was
situated, he pushed the doorbell. When
there was no answer, he pushed it again
and waited for several minutes. Finally
he put his foot against the window pane
nearest the lock and pushed until it
caved in. Then he walked quickly down
the path and hid himself
'bery. After ten minutes, he walked back
to the door, reached through the broken
pane, and let himself in.

Ignoring the living room with its mam“
moth color television set and other eke
pensive but bulky appliances, he turned
on his pocket flashlight and headed for
the bedrooms. Up the steps, then a
quick check of all the doors
found the master bedroom. and entered it

to make a thorough search.

There was nothing of value in the bedm
room, but Johnny quickly found the
dressing room that led off it. His
light picked out a builtein vanity and
dresser, and he selected a likely look=
ing drawer. Nothing. He picked another
one. This time, a large jewel box of

9

in the shrubm

until he-

inlaid wood rewarded his search. The
beam of his pocket light sparkled and
played over the jewels inside, and his
heart skipped a beat at his find.

After a cursory examination, his heartw
beat returned to normal. Most of the
stuff, however rich looking, was just
well made costume jewelry. But one
piece caught his eye. A woman‘s watch,
it was encrusted with diamonds which he
was sure were real. Slipping it into
his pocket, he also selected a necklace
that looked as if it might bring a good
price, and then turned his attention to
the closets.

It was in the closets that he hit the
jackpot. Setting on a top shelf, pushed
all the way to ‘the back, was a large
leather bag of the kind photographers
carry. An expensive foreign camera, one
he knew to cost at least 500 dollars,
lay in one of the compartments of the
bag. He stuffed it in his pocket and
continued to search the bag. Ignoring a
cheaper camera, he picked out a telew
photo lens and a wide=angle lens and he
pushed the bag back into the closet.

"That”s it," he thought, "that's all I
want from here tonight%" Without
bothering to look further, he left the

house and made his way back to the audi~
torium. The building was closed, but a
small drugstore on the corner was Open,
and he called a cab from there, then
ordered a cup of coffee at the counter.

The next step, he knew, was to take the
stuff to his room to check it for
identification of any kind. But, he
reasoned, why go to all that trouble?
There would be nothing on the camera ex»
cept serial numbers e— and who remembers
a long string of numbers? Just to be
sure, he directed the cabdriver, who are
rived at that moment, to take him to a

bar in the downtown area near the pawn?
ShDPo

At the bar, he ordered a drink, then
made his way to the restroom. Going inn

CASTLE ON ms CUMBERLAND

 

  

to a booth, he checked over the watch
and necklace, then turned his attention
to the camera. Just as he thought, no
marks, no chips, no names engraved on
the case. A cinch, he thought, and then
laughed aloud again at the thought of

what he was going to do.

At 9:50, Johnnie was back at the pawn»
shop. Rinaldi's son was sweeping the
floor, and Rinaldi himself was at the

rear of the room putting some watches in

a showcase. He looked up as Johnnie
entered.
‘ "well, what you got this time, kid?" he

asked.

"Something worth more
twenty bucks," Johnny said, noticing
with satisfaction the greed that came
into Rinaldi's eyes when he pulled the
camera from his pocket. He handed the
pawnbroker the camera and watched as he
examined it.

than a measly

"Yes, a nice little job," Rinaldi said,
turning the camera over in his hands.

"Dad..." interrupted his son.

"Never mind, boy," Rinaldi said, and
then, to Johnny: "Yes, it's a fairly
nice little camera. You hit it about

right, kid. I could give you the fifty
bucks you need for this."

"Come off it, Popt" Johnnie said. "You
know that piece of equipment is worth
five hundred if it's worth a penny. I'd

have to have more than that for it."
He pulled the lenses