xt7wst7dvq63 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7wst7dvq63/data/mets.xml Kentucky 1964 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, June 1964 text Kentucky State Penitentiary v.: ill. 28 cm. Call Numbers HV8301 .C37 and 17-C817 20:C279 Castle on the Cumberland, June 1964 1964 1964 2021 true xt7wst7dvq63 section xt7wst7dvq63
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Volume III, Nutriber XII
ADM TEHSTRATION
“dubs-mum.
CASTLE ON THE C‘slfiBNLAND
The Honorable EDWARD T. BREATHITT, Governor
The Honorable HARRY WATERFIEID, Lt. Governor
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
JOSEPH CANNON, Commiss ioner
MARSHALL SWAIN, Deputy Commissioner
Dr. HAIDID BLACK, Director of Institutions
W. Z. CARTER, Director of Education
BOARD OF PARIDNS 6c PAROLE
Dr. FRED MOFFATT, mecutive Director
WALTER FERGUSON, Chairman
ERNEST THOMPSON, Member
Mrs. LUCILLE HURT, Member
GLEN WADE, Member
PEN'ITE‘NTIARY ADMINISTRATION
LUTHER THOMAS, Warden
morn ARMSTRONG, Deputy Warden
W. 0. IDNG, Captain of the Guard
Rev. H. 13.1%, Protestant Chaplain
Rev. THOMAS CLARK, catholic Chaplain
HENRY E. COWAN, Supt. of Education
WILLIAM EGBERT, Vocational Instructor
IN THIS MONTH‘ES‘ CASTLE
Castle News
Letter to the Editor
The Diabolical Detainer
The Tough Guys
Edit orial
Chaplains' Corner
Barons Page -- Sherrid Wolfe
Exchange Page .
Department Reports
Tall Tales
Sports -- Bill Burton
Statistics a Movies
Cros sword Puz zle
June, 19633,“
11
13
15 :
17
21
25
26
CASTLE STAFF
Cecil R. Springs}, Editor
James McKinney, Art Editor.
John Busby, Multilith Operator
The Castle on the Cumberland is published on the second Monday of every month by
the inmates of the Kentucky State Penitentiary,
Opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect
dollar a year .
Eddyville.
Subs oripti ons , one
those of the" administration. Permission to reprint any part of this magazine is
granted, provided credit is given authorand source.
.. 1..
PENAL CHIEF NOW' CONVINCED HE
Joseph Cannon took
Corrections Commissioner
rankfort Kyo 1;;n
over as State
six months
was ready for rapid reform in the fielde
Now, according to an
Neikirkg published in-
Times, he's convinced he has moved too
fast and tried to do too much in too
short a time for the State's oftu crit—
icized systemo
Cannon is still sowing the seeds of
fichange, "but now we are’ going‘ to give
\more attention "to interpretationg" he
‘says. "we are going' tb‘sell '
and our needs in the deparItment to the
publico" 1-
The Commissioner feels the department's
I new programs can't get too far ahead of
public acceptance." ' '
: While he was optimistic about changes in
.the system when he took office, Cannon
"how talks about "workingswithEg the con~
fines and framework of Iwhat' is pOSb'
sible" .11 J"m.amuv- .‘
'“Translatedg that meanS"Govs "Edward T.
Breathitt's budget did not satisfy the
department's needs and that' his hiring
practices have been restricted It also
Kobliquely referred to Cannon's previous
Icharge that "political intrigue"
1"’ing uSed in the departments” "
Cannon understands the money problems.
He got only oneafourth of what he asked
for the current biennium. He wants to
sweep under the”rng the ~controversy he
got into over the "political intrigue"
accusation, but he is steadfast in his
convictionIthat political patronage has
no place in”a department which requires
high profess1ona1 SklllSo
Cannon came to Kentucky from tho, where”
he was one of the top officials in that
State’s corrections' syStemo AVHe was,
hired by GoIvo IBert Combso« 1%" ‘“=3” -
The National Council on Crime and zDesg1
linquency,
said Kentucky‘s prison system was
ago convinced that KentatEVCZM
article by Bill
The Louisville? 'Kentucky's penal
our goals‘
was be-/
TBeing éunable I
1 in prison has hamperedfi the
in a blistering reportg'hadqi
MUST” NCT "317:0” ‘de 1 11-13111 '
lmedi-
evally conceived. The council recom-
onoad sweeping changeso
K'Cannon foresees, the article continues,
instead of r3volution" in
system instead of pro-
gress by leaps and bounds.
"evolution
Cannon said _several basic improvements
have been made -- a training program is
underway at the prisons, a' classifica-
tion system for prisoners is being. work-
ed out; literacy training program is
under way, and some needed staff members
ar being hiredo In addition, he is
emphasizing more probation and parole
serviceso “* " ' ’ - -
Cannon hopes thatfduringffuture discus-
sions of the corrections department and
its policies} the prisoner will be kept
uppermost in minds
"we should always remember the inmate,"
he says° "Most of them have the capacity
and potential ifII we can do something for
them." ~-- -- 1- - »
STATE OF CAlJFORNIA OK'S
TEMPORARY RELEASES FOR PAROLEES
Inmates in California's gigantic penal
complex no longer have to bUCk the some-
times impossible task of finding a job
while stiLl in prison.?' m 5 -r: '
Senate? Bill-391; recently signed by the
State Governor authorizes the California
Director. of ’Corrections to allow pris-
oners Who have been granted parole to
take a temporary leave from prison to
work out a parole placement program for
themselveso A This means that prisoners
will be able to contact proSpective
employers 'and..findi lodging in person,
..rathersthan_by mailo.mn
ft0«find‘a'job while still
-release of
caused them to remain in
'Passage of
prisoners and
prison after'being'paroled.
”the bill should help tb-eliminate thiso
M::;2h . 1 ,.,,11
.-_—r.——
BAIL 0R JAIL 1v RICH 0R_PO0R
WASHINGTON -4 Article VIII of the U. S.
Constitution, one of the basic 10 Bill
of Rights amendments, consists of these
16 words: "Excessive bail shall not be
required nor excessive fines imposed nor
cruel and unusual punishments inflict-
ed.
for
Union
quickly
Recently, a judge set $75,000 bail
James R. Hoffa, and the Teamsiers
chief remained free when he
pledged the amount.
But, says Jack Vandenberg, United Press
International, via The Courier-Journal,
also recently, 18-year-old Sylvester
Pendarvis spent 15 months in jail in New
York on a car—theft charge because he
was unable to raise $1,600 bail. A
court appointed lawyer finally uncovered
enough evidence to convince the judge
that Pendarvis was innocent.
This is the disturbing situation that
will be the subject of a top—flight
national conference in the near future.
Law-enforcement officials, judges, leg-
islators and Attorney General Robert F.
Kennedy will take a long look at this
question: Does our bail system punish
the poor? As it now Operates, is it a
device that helps mainly the rich?
Kennedy has already taken steps to make
sure that persons charged with federal
crimes are not needlessly held in jail
pending trial. In.March, 1963, he or-
dered all U. S. attorneys and their
assistants to recommend release of de-
fendants on their own recognizance when
no substantial risk is involved. A
Justice Department spokesman said the
order had created no problemso
Kennedy goes on to say, "If bail is set
beyond his means, a man goes to jail,
not because he is guilty, but because he
is poor. This is not equal justice. we
must not equate a man's poverty of re-
sources with his guilt of crime."
The
cessive" bail,
take the time to
bail for a particular
beo
Bill 0f Rights fails to define "cx«
and a judge often cannet
determine what fair
defendant might
Other judges, however, purposely ignore
the Bill of Rights ban on excessive
bail. On the premise that persons
charged with crime Should not be allowed
to roam the streets, they intentionally
set bail that a suspect can not meet in
order to keep him in jail,
HONEST FOLKS, IT'S THE TRUTH!
If this sounds like a fish story, well
and good, that's the way it's supposed
to sound. The following incident hap-
pened to Father Thomas Clark, our Cath-
olic Chaplain, and knowing Father Clark,
that's all the proof necessary to say
that this story is 100 percent correct.
During the latter part of April, Father
Clark and a good friend, decided to do
a bit of good old country fishing. They
proceeded to Bush Lake, near Mexico, Ky.
After reaching the lake, they were un-
decided whether to set sail or not. The
wind was blowing rather hard, and the
waves were rolling. Finally their fish—
ing fever overcame their fears, and they
rented a small flat-bottomed boat, with-
out a motor, and proceeded on their
venture.
According to Father Clark, they had very
good luck considering it was not an
ideal day for fishing. Shortly after
the lunch hour they caught their 12th
fish and decided the wind was blowing
too hard to warrant their staying any
longer.
They started rowing toward the bank.
Mideway to shore, Father Clark heard
a dull thud and looked up. There lay
another fish in the boat: You guessed
it: The wind had blown it into the boat
number thirteen for the day. We don't
really know the size of this 'catch',
but we'll bet a cup of coffee that if
any fish was thrown back into the lake
it was not number thirteen.
-3-
”STRING HOUSECLEANING TIME AT THE CASTLE
Fur the past several days the busiest
‘men on the mountain have been the white-
wash and painting crews. Evidently ”he
orders were, "Anything that don't move,
Paint it." »
fNo. B‘and‘h sheps: were the first to get
Ithe professional touch. The walls,
ceilings, and floors were thoroughly
scrubbed. The ‘ceilings of the shops
were painted white, while the walls were
~.C.:ove"<'ec1 with a cheerful green. Many of
the buildings within the walls have
been whitemwashed, along with all the
curbing and walkeways.
The lawn crews have been busy cutting
grass and planting flowers. Most any
place one looks, you can see beautiful
flowers in bloom. The old Castle has a
pretty dreary look on cold, cloudy win-
‘ter days, but with the coming of spring,
Mother Nature, assisted by several hard
working inmates, have given her a fresh
clean look.’ Funny, but paint, flowers,
and green leafy trees can make your time
‘ almost bearable.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT'S MOBIIE
XwRAY UNIT VISITS CASTLE AGAIN
zp60ple who are realizing the
The
ed the institution during the month of
May for the purpose of x—raying approx-
imately 1200 inmateS‘ and employees of
the Kentucky State Penitentiary.
The 'pictureetaking' jab required 3%
days here, and then the unit m0ved on to
one of the Eh'Western Kentucky counties
that it serves in this territory.
are the main
technicians operating
but if symptoms of any
Symptoms of 'tuberculosis
concern 'of the
this X—Ray unit,
other lung diSeaSe are apparent, the'ex» _
‘posed film is given to the proper agency
for further handling. ‘ ~
some
been discov-
efforts of this unit,
of lung cancer have
Through the
cases
grad,
b’Bm
. .4,
big white trackblwhich was donated.
by the Kentucky Elks Aesociation, VlSlt-,§h
‘ Assistant Superintendent,
vqualities of
LITERACY OR IiLiTERACY? m hy'D. Trodglen
In the present day and age, it is all
but impossible to live without coming
into contact .with the ever increasing
need for Specialization and education.
Many people are trying t: do something
about this need. More schools are open-
ing and an emphasis is being placed on
the vocational phase as wail. In many
places new schools are being opened to
accommodate the over enlaigi ng number of
need for
more and better education.
How does this affect us here at K.S.P.?
The answer is known to many of the peo-
ple in the institution. Few men in the
institution pare not aware of the new
programs being instituted here for the
benefit of the men who could or would
not Itake advantage of schOOling while
younger.
Among those who sympathized with the of—
ficials here, and at other institutions,
and with the problem which needed solv-
ing so badly, was Mr. Mayes Berhman,
President of the Behrwood Foundation,
Inc. Mr. Behrman is resPonsible for the
Laubach Course of Study of Film such as
the one presented here at the present.
In February of 1960, thefilhio Stats Re-
formatory was invited to conduct a pilot
program, in literacy education, with the
Laubach Literacy Course
Film. The invitation was accepted and
under the supervision of Mr. D. W. Allen
the Reforma-
tory..became the first correctional in-
stitution to have {the opportunity of
.using and evaluating‘ this program of
instruction.
t Mr. Allen, in his edition ox "An Experi—
ment in Education With the Laubach Eit-
eracy Films"‘ says in the Dedication;
"Dr. Frank C. Laubach, Minister, Teach-
er, and humanitarian whose contributions
and services have unceasingly been di—
rected to the educational. and Spiritual
life.
He has pioneered in the global emancipa-‘
tion of the mind of man; replacing the
darkness of ignorance with the light of
of Study onii”7
understanding.
He has now made 'available the tools,
techniques, and wisdom of his labors,
for the educational betterment of Amer-
ica's millions; those men and women;
youth and_ adult; who are today in need
of another chance in the quest for lit-
eraC yo
Dr. Lee M. Brooks, retired member of the
faculty of the University of North Caro-
lina, where he was a professor for 50
years stated: "This is the first major
breakthrough in a long time in the mat-
ter of rehabilitation of prisoners.“
This course of study includes a series
of 90 films on the basic understanding
of our language, reading, writing, and a
complete basic course at an elementary
level, with books on an elementary level
on related subjects.‘
At the present time we have in operation
here at KoS.P. two classes each of which
consist cf twenty students and plans
have been made to accommodate more men
in the near future. The men in the
class watches the_%'hour film furnished
by the. Behrwood- Foundation, Inc. then
retires to the school building for
classes.
BARONS ' HOLD ELECTION OF OFFICERS
The Barons cf Good Will held a called
meeiing Sunday, May 17; for the purpose
of electing a new group of officers to
head the club for the next six months.
The men elected to office were as fol-
lows: iEddie Arnbld, President; (Eddie
had been serving as
the BaronS)'Gene Henry, Vice-President-;
James Fox is the new Secretary, and Ray
Stone gained a .two vote margin over
George Curry to become the new Treasurcr
of the club.
In brief addreSses by the new' officers,
each stressed the fact that,
their tenure'of office, the extending of
a helping hand to others, coupled with
unity' within the 'club, would be their
main.objectives.
Vice-President of"
during'
It was pointed out at the meeting,’ that
although the officers were elected for a
six months period, this does not mean
that a man cannot be re—elected. Any
officer may remain in office as long as
he is elected by majority of the member-
Ship.
The membership of the Barons now stands
at 155, with several applications for
membership pending. The club has esp
joyed a steady increase in members since
it was organized 1961.
NEW WATER TOWER NEARS COMPLETION
AT KENTUCKY STATE PENITENTIARY ,
Located on the highest point of the
'mountain', another land-mark is being
added at the Eddyville State Prison.
Reaching 155 feet in the air, the erec-
tion of a new water tower is almost com-
pleted.
Preliminary drilling for the structure
was done by Gregg Laboratories in the
early part of 1965, but actual construc-
tion of the tower did not start until h
Weeks ago.
Ward Welch, superin-
cremg the
middle of
According to Mr.
tendent of the construction
work will be finished by the
June. "Our job does not include paint-
ing the tower," said Mr. Welch, but
painting will take only 5 or A days
after we finish the iron work."
The new structure is being built to re-
place the old tower, which had a 200,000
gallon capacity. The new tank has a
capacity of 500,000 gallons, and should
solve the low water pressure problem
here at the prison. The old tower will
be torn down and scraped as soon as the
new tank is put in operation.
The construction, including the painting
is being done by Dorcon, Inc., of war—
ren, Pa.
According to Mr. welch, the construction
figure of $65,800, will be paid by the
Department of Finance, State of Kentucky.
.-5_
(LilTOR'S NOTE) Mr. St.oll, writer of the
PAUL'S WORKSHOP, Inc., Louisville, Kentucky.
.LommiSSion on Correctionso
,tain it -~ by- not returning to prisonu
‘ Mr. Luther Thomas
Kentucky State .Penitentiary
‘_ Eddyville, Kentucky
Attn: Editor, Castle on the Cumberland T'
Dear Sir:,
II have read with great interest a number of your articles and
know that you are very much interested, as is the Governor's Com-
mission on Corrections of which I‘am a member, in reducing the
\ Hnumber of.men in the Castle. Many individual letters are written
1,9n behalTV of ,individual Vmen hoping thereby: to shorten their
terms a .
It just could be possible that you could do a lot towards helping
men g.et out. _THE GREATEST SINGLE BARRIER T0 MEN GETTING OUT OF
1 THE CASTLE IS SOCIETY'S FEAR- THAT THEY WILL COME BACK AND THAT
SOCIETY WILL BUFFER FDR WHAT THEY DID THAT CAUSED THEM TO COME
_ .BACK. The Parole Board actually represents society in selecting
amen for parole. Therefore, th.e Board inevitably_is aware of
;,society?s attitude and apprehansions about -the possibility of
parolees committing new crimes. This _realization by the Parole
Board could well affect the judgment of the Board in a borderline
,caseo. . L
‘EVERY MAN WHO COMES BACK MAKES IT HARDER FOR OTHER MEN TO GET OUT
,;‘° A LOT OF OTHER MEN. IT the Parole Board could find ,a magic
W,formula whereby every man could be put oVut a nd none ever comeV
back, thVere wouldnfit be a ne ed for anything except the admission'
unite All the rest could be gone. There are a lot of pretty
smart men in the Castle, smart enough to help find, if not a
. magic formula, a lot of ways in helping to accomplish this. .-
"REDUCE RECIDIVISM" might be a slogan. worth putting up every—
whereo Paste .it in your notebook. Print it in your paper. Put
.up signs everywhere you are permitted-. Achieve the result and
,‘watch how much better luck everybody will have. With the new
legislation a good experience is absolutely necessary._
(Please turn to page 2h)
following lettew is associated with
He is also a member of (1.8 Governor s
We appreciate Mr. Stoll's comments, and siricerely hope
-this publication may be inStrumental in helping men obtain their freedom -- and re—
ms DIABOLICAL DETAINER
by Ken wesley ~- via The Courier
tremendous advances
in the last two decades, The ball and
chain, blackstriped suits, and lead —
tipped canes have long disappeared frbm
the prison scene. Knowledge and under—
standing have wrought many humane and
progressive changes - changes which have
Penology has made
benefited both the prison inmates and
society as a wholeo Yet, despite the
many beneficial innovations, one of the
cruelest practices of that penal area
still remains: The Detainer.
The sewcalled 'detainer' is one of the
most insidious evils in the modern penal
systemo This diabolical little Litem
does more to upset the rehabilitation
appleacart than all the other factors
combinedo It is the cog in the machin~
cry of progressive penology.
let us explore the structure of the de—
tainer system, A person commits a crime
in a certain county in a certain state.
He is arrested, duly_tried , convicted
and sentenced. Subsequently he is con -
fined in a penal institution. Now, ac-
cording to penal authorities, the pur-
pose of such institutions is two-fold..
incarcerate and rehibilitate. Today the
emphasis is on the 'rehabilitate' part,
as penologists manifestly agree that
it is imperative for the protection of
society that the convict be a rehibi-
litated person when he is eventually re-
turned to that society - whether his
return be byi'parole or via the discharge
routeo Therefore, when the criminal
enters the respective penal institution
to which he has been sentenced he is en—
couraged to participate, in the various
programs which the authorities believe
will contribute to his rehibiliation.
Yet, soon after his entrance in prison,
another county in the same state,uor in
another state, finds that possibly he
has committed a crime in that particular
step open to them to insure collection;
they file a detainer. This says, in efw
feet, that if and when that particular
person is released from that particular
prison, the authorities of the filing
county or state will send their officers
to pick him up at the prison gate and
transport him to their bailiwick for
trial, possible conviction, and further
imprisonment, The prisoner is apprised
of the placing of this detainer by the
authorities of the holding institutions
What then is his reaction?
What could possibly be his attitude to—
ward the rehibilitation programs offered
by the holding institution? Does he
participate in them? Why should he? He
doesn't need any rehabilitative measures
to prepare him for transfer from one
place of confinement to another. He
cannot, in no wise, see any reason to
attempt self—rehabilitationo The desire
for rehibilitation must be motivated by
a goal; the only goal in his future iS‘
another prison cell in another state;
or perhaps return to the some prison
cell if the detainer happens to be from‘
another county within the Same state.
Now when a person, even a first offend-
er, commits a crime, it is seldom, if
ever, an isolated act. If he is arrests
ed for the crime chances are that some-
where in his past lurks another crime
for which he has never been arrested..
An arrest is usually the culmination of
many crimes. It is these crimes, rising
like ghosts from the past, that continue
to hamper and haunt him through the
medium of the detainer.
Perhaps he sincerely wants to rehabile
itate 'himself. If he realizes the
errors of his ways in the one instance,
it is logical to assume that he realizes
the complete error of his ways in all
instanceso So, in all sincerity, he
seeks rehabilitation - striving to prev
pare himself for a successful re-entry
into societyo But, all to no avail.
areao They, too, want their pound of The detainer provides an effective ,
fleSho Inasmuch as the person is pres» very effective, counteraction to him.
ently confined in a penal institution, .
their pound of flesh is not immediately If a person has sincerely sought re-
forthcoming. So, they take the only habilitation during the initial incar-
-7-
1’;1raticn9’ andp"succeeded9 "then Stood
9 rial for a previously committer crime9
‘Convicted and 1mpr1soned such impris—
'snment would amount' to confi.ning an
3innocent mane If he has been rehabilw
“itated9 then it stands to reason he ‘is
no longer a~ criminalo ' Then9 his 'no
longer being a criminal should be suffim
"cient grounds for the demanding- author=
'i.ties to 'remove their detainero' This
‘paper was initially filed on a criminalo
When the completion of the cycle was
negotiated the demanding authorities rem
ce1 ed in to their custody a nonmcrimm
inalo Therefore9 if they bring
”person to tria19 theyl'will be tryingv a
_nonecriminal for a crimeo Most assured=
'ly justice will be serve€9 But What
_About Human Mercy” 1 ‘ "
From an entirely different
_detainer Works
_angle9 ‘ the
a hardship upon its'rem
cipiento If the percon against whom it
has ’been placed happens to be serving a
'rather lenghty sentence, perhaps without
even the remotest poSSibility of cute
gliving the Original sentence9 then he is
a forced9 by virtue of having a detainer9
to forego the meager privileges Ordi—
narily accOrded in the miserable exiSt=
ance of a. convicto , Because ,of his
[statis I‘pas"'w"anted8 he tcan never be
'the simple reason that he is automate
'ically c1a$sif1ed as a :cuStodial risko
He cannot work on certain jobs within
-the inStitutuon because theSe particular
jobs require‘ a nominal Lexing of super:
~visiono 'He cannot participate in varu
ious programs of the instituticn because
'of his security statuso He is barred
from all these thingso Certainly a cone
victes life is bare enough without a d9”
tainer stripping it even barere
_The really Sinister aspect of the 6e+°iw
nor is that every person is Subject a
pits e.fiecte 'It can be placed by any po
lice department9 constable9 deputy, Or
whatever9 without first having the ap»
provai of the courtso'
Therefore9 as long as this system ”is
practiced indiscriminately the rehabilia
tation programs may as well fold up and
'the ball and chain brought back 1150,31»
we:
9hab1l1tat1on programs are
"that punishment is not on Ly the
A diSpute between‘ the.
this '
'sentences.were the
' intention of resigning9
'the Richmond County CommiSSioner's
'was the
:himself and the commissioners. "I have a
[jobs
{Ascordlng to the
,m¢rat t urpitude is
pardoned to hold any office of honor or
‘truste ' ,
istencep The continuance of this prac-
tice, as is9 proves9-beyond the shadow
of a doubt tha.t rehabilitation9 and re-
Earcial; and
primary
pu. pose9 but the only purpose of our
_penal institutionso
HEXeCONVIcT NOW WARDEN
:via we‘Presidio
Richmond County9
Georgia9'commiSsioners and the Warden of
the countyls Work camp has revealed that
the Warden had a previous criminal rec-
lord
The' Augusta Chronicle has disclosed,
and Warden Millard Fa Gooding has con-
"firmed9 that_ he had previously been
sentenced to prison for between 19 and
20 years9 and again for lifeo Both
result' of service
s tation. robber ice 0
who says that he has no
commented that
knew
of his record and that its disclosure,
outcome of a dispute between.
Warden Gooding9
I have done a good
" says‘Gooding°
clear conscienceo .
I Will not resign9
Georgia statutes any
person Convicted of a ”crime" involving
forbidden, unless
(A later report states that Gooding has
had his life sentence commuted to time
fserved by the Georgia State Pardon and
jParole Board who also granted him a Parr
Also
now
don to restore his civil rightso
Richmond County Commissioners have
jagreéa to let Gooding retain his job as
warden of the county work camp. )
THE TOUGH GUYS —- by Joe Lucas
via MP News
The toughest men in the wrrld' can be
found inside any prison. If you don't
believe this ask them. As one of the
bunch, I know they are tough, cruel,
heartless, inconsiderate, without com—
passion, and just about anything else
you'd like to call them, and I intend
to back these charges up with document-
ed proof.
Prisoners in general are so indifferent
to mankind that they volunteer to serve
as human guinea pigs in cancer research,
donate an occasional eye, skin, and just
about anything elSe which tends to prove
that they don't give a hoot about their
fellow mano These same jokers (pris—
oners) volunteered for malaria experi-
ments at the big clink at Joliet, and
this resulted in finding a cure for
the diseaseo Other prisoners were so
contemptous of society that they risked
their necks to test survival kits for
‘National Defense purposes.
Let us take a quick look at the hard
guys at the State Penitentiary in Ill-
inois, these being the ones who volun-
teered to contract malaria during the
Second 'World 'War. A few years later
they goofed up again by lining up to
test a new vaccine, one as yet uncer—
tain, but one that was soon to become
known as. "Salk Polio Vaccine". Perhaps
you‘ve Lhad your shot or sugar limp?
Well, if the needle from the former
smarted a bit, you can always lay the
blame for it on those doggone tough guys
who made it possible just to get even
with their fellow man.
And let us not forget those tough in-
mates who were so unpatriotic as to
participate in two Civil Defense sur—
vival tests; one a 50 day test during
which time they ate only a new type of
highly concentrated cookie called "Ne-
braskit" three times a day. The.second
was a hundred day test, and in this one
the inmates used a Specially develOped
wheat germ. In both instances, except
for an unqualified amount of water, this
was all the food they were allowed to
consume during that $0 and 100 day para
iod. The men involved, although losing
little weight and experiencing little
evidence of hunger, said that what they
missed the most was the flavor; of food
and the enjoyment of eating a meal.
The first thought that seems to enter a
head when a new drug is to
Where can we find enough
human guinea pigs to prove our product?
They always seem to wind up at some
State or Federal Prison. The inmates
are waiting, telling each other how they
don't intend to help people on "the
outside", but the conversation usually
takes place while they're standing in
line to volunteer for the exPeriment.
laboratory's
be tested is:
In 1958, in Atlanta, Georgia the call
went out for hOO square inches of human
skin. Five year old Linda Kay Cleckley
had been severely burned and needed
immediate skin grafts. ‘Within 30 min»
utes, 250 men at the Federal prison
in Atlanta had volunteered. Ten were
chosen to give the ho square inches that
would add up the amount needed for Linda
Kay to live and to lead a' normal life.
The result of this skin graft? Let the
little girl's letter Speak for her:
Hello Friends: This is Linda Kay. I
want to wish each and every one of you a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I
still think of you and I ask God to be
good to you. I am sending you one of my
picture. I hope all of you will be free
soon. Maby some of you are already I
hopes. I live you all. Lave always
Linda Kay Cleckly.
Not all stories have happy endings. At
Ocala, a Canadian prison, Bobby Graham
donated his eyes to a child who couldn't
see from birth. The father of the boy
refused his son sight because he would-
n't allow him to see life through the
eyes of a convict. Fortunately, another
child's parents weren't so blinded by
prejudice, and their son can see today,
thanks to a condemned prisoner.
These are the tough guys-- the ones
who go to church on Sundays, treat their
friends well, and whose hearts are so
.39.-
HT band is composed of eight inmate
1loused that tHey Spends“their free
-<:1me writing home to tell the folks9
wives and kidsg not to worry; the same
men who continue~to remain human no mate
ter how many -Walls you build around
theme Suckers for a hard luck ‘storys
chumps who willingly risk their worth-
’less‘lives ‘to help find ‘malaria cures,
flirt with Q fever, tick fever, and come
mit just about every other crime of de»
oency in the book an all under the guise
' of toughnesso
I
We sculd go on and on, but the time has
come for us to find‘ something else to
I gripe about While we*'await our turn in
line to volunteer for'ita But before we
leave we would like to leave this part»
ing shot to all you tough guys who wear
the mask of prisoners; Skay toughs this
'is the way for you to retain that
'which you think you lack, ‘dignity-w
Iand compassionwuo ' ‘ - 1
SAYE WERE YOU THERE? .
by wayne Stephenson
; THE EDPEFUL Aer GROUP 'celebrated their
" second open. House Dayg Sundayy May 10
lgéh at Eddyville Prisono ' ,
May 10th was a day that fortymnine (h9)
inmates had looked forward to for some
weekso This was the’day that old friends
_woul d meet and new friendships could be
cu.ltivatedo'
‘At 102 °OO AoMe the outside 'guests begin
1 to arriveo The welcome addreSs was giv~
‘ an and all were invited to partake of
the coffee and have fellowship before
lunchs
' During the lunch period 'muSic was‘furm
Iiinished by The Hilltoppers Bando ‘This
musim
country*“and
These bays are-‘as‘goods
than' most~ sowcalled
”ciansI who specialize“ in
westernfmusicq
ifv not betteré
*hillbilly" bands 'that 'are
radio and TV todayo 'The'outside guests
were amazed that such talent cOuld be
found within these wallso Gene Kirby»
f, the leader of the group, says that'someu 4
' day he hopes to have a band on the out-
greaterg but the priCe is better) our
£0118 stands
runfreeg it is
At these meetings.
~ theloutsideq The
:The love- and understanding of these men
. surpass any other group of peeple I have
At 2500 the meeting was overo
'WiS hes
. othero
>~seen on the faces of inmates, if one was
"One may wonder
£1 willing to
=, their parto
-;‘w ard to this NEW WAY OF LIFE.
.ter how you may feels?
I'I_IIGIDdII°_"_ . 1
'heardv on ””
thanks to the * job well
Toppers fer a
doneo ‘
It has been my privilege and pleasure of
attending several of these meetingso As
on the side line and views
the association betw