xt74mw28d25g https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt74mw28d25g/data/mets.xml  Kentucky  1962 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, January 1962 text Kentucky State Penitentiary v.: ill. 28 cm. Call Numbers HV8301 .C37 and 17-C817 20:C279 Castle on the Cumberland, January 1962 1962 1962 2021 true xt74mw28d25g section xt74mw28d25g  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JANUARY 15,, 1962

 

 

 

 

 

 

“P. {A}L‘

’ z z 1 .._i.._;§;l£.1!;=

  

LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY

 

  

" Volume I, Number VII

 

J a nuarv. 41962:

 

mm ON
AMIMSI‘RATION ‘

HE _ CUMBERLAND

TABIE 0F 00 NTENTS

 

The Honorable Bert T . C ombsé"?
Governor ‘

Wilson'W. wyatt
Lt. Governor

We Go Oakley
Welfare Commissioner

Mar 8 ha 1 l Swa in
Deputy C ommis sit) ner

Dr. Harold Black
Director of Corrections

Luther Thomas
warden

Lloyd T. Armstrong
Deputy Warden

W. T. Baxter
Guard Captain

Kathlyn Ordway'
Bus ine ss Manage 2'

Rev. Paul Jaggers
Chap la in

William Egbert
Vocational
I mtr uctor

-.Henr y In“. Cowan.
Sup erv is or of
Education

~-Paro lo C ommis erionw-

Dr. Fred Moffatt
Eocectriflve Director

Wa lt or .F e rg us 0 n
Ch a irma n

Ernest Thomps on
Member

Simon :1 W5. llis
Member

La‘xilfqzii'deriiFs Page: : 5-,; " "91,.
. Institution News l ' '2':
“The Editorial Side 6
Sports Report ‘ 7
Articles .8.
llkchange Page 10
Meet the Prisoners 11
Tall Tales 12
Department Reports. ‘ 15
Special Poetry Section 16
Deputy Warden's Page 20
~- Crossword 22».

Statistics 6c Movies 23

 

 

STAFF

 

 

Iawrence Snow Harold Arno ld

Editor Associate Editor
Billy Howell Joe White
- Sports Editor Art Editor

“Hughie Hammock

Lithographer Secretary

Charles Garrett ‘

 

 

The CASTIE ON THE CUMBERLAND is published monthly by the inmates of the Kentucky '
one dollar a year, payable by
money order at: CASTIE ON {IT-IE: CIMBELAND, 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-
, essari ly reflect those of the administration.
to reproduce any part of this magazine, provided proper credit is given.

State Pe nitent iary at Eddyvi lle .

Subscriptio ns ,

possible, a marked copy of the quoting publication is requested.

Permission is hereby granted
Where ,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

WARDEN LUTHER THOMAS WISHES TO EXTEND TO
ALL INLATm AND EJPIDYEES OF THIS INSPI-
TH’TIOIFL, AND TO OUR READERS EVERYWIW,
1-1113: BEST WI Sflh' FOR A USEFUL, PROSPER-

OUS, AND HAPP/Y’NEW YEAR.
OLA P '

 

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND ' '

 

 

 

 

Page. 1

  

J‘nfil‘f

 

E 1%” s Ff? (I F I @N Vida/é“

 

/(:5 41.“? I“; :2"

'osentences of three ESP prisoners.

fHREE MEN ass TIME curs

 

of iKentuoky lest
commutation of the
The

The Commonwealth
\month announced the

4{>time cuts came in tune for Christmas.

§\ The three men whose

433?
‘ 3
d

sentences were
Toommutted are: John wayne Medley-, from
life to 6 years; George Newsome, life to
10 years; and Ben Campbell, life without
pardon or parole to ordinary life.

By the time this magazine is publish-
a fourth man may have received news
of a time out also.

m-

RADDO SHOW CONTINUES TO IMPROVE

 

KSP's special broadcast series,
(:me WORLD, continues to improve, with
more and more talent being developed on
the part of the performers. CLOSED
WORLD, which is heard bi-weekly on'WCBL,
Benton (1290),, and which may be heard
weekly in the future, is a half-hour
program made up of music by the inmate
bands and by several really talented vo-
calists.

Most active in the presentation,
which is aired at 1:50 on Sunday after-
noons, have been the Hillbilly Band, the
Rhythm Kings, and the Chapel Quartet and
Choir. Shelby McCallum, State Repre-
sentative and owner of WCBL, does the
moderation, ,with.Assistant WCBI.Manager
James Wilkins_engineering.

 

 

MYSTMY MACHINE IN MESSHAIL

‘There's' a mystery machine in the
messhall, and a lot of men are wondering
just what it is.

orated and covered with
on the left side of
the messhall, and it is a common sight
to see men peering at, Over, and under
it in an effort to determine just what
it is, and what it's for. (Cont. Page 3)

*The machine,
a tarpaulin, sits

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

JUDGE BAZELDN'GONDEMNS.KMERIQAN .
PENLL SYSTEM IN LOOKL MAGAZINE'

(Condensed from the ME snow OUTLOOK)

 

Uhited States Circuit Judge David L.
Bazolon, regarded as one of the compell-
ing legal minds of our time, has penned
a searching analysis of the failures of
the American.penal system in a recent
issue of 100K Magazine.

“Our system of punishment does not
work," Judge Bazelon states. "It pro-
tects society inadequately, and it sel-
dom reforms crtninals. The latest fig!
ures show that '67 per cent of Federal
prisoners have previously been incarce-
rated. In California, the percentage is
even higher -n 88 per cent. Obviously,
punishment is not a deterrent to these
criminals.

“Smmetimes criminals are reformed by

imprisonment, but not often. And if it
happens at all, it is‘ usually _after a
fairly short ttne in prison. The Dir-

actor of the District of Columbia De-
partment of Corrections, Donald Clemmer,
has found that, although there are ex-
ceptions depending on background and
personality, the over-all reformative
process declines to the point where it
is practically ineffective after 1h
months in jail. The inmate .may later
become a 'model' prisoner, but he does-
n’t improve his prospect for a good life
on the outside.

”Prisons may be a necessary evil as a
last resort -~ for hardened incorrigi-
bles. But we attempt to use them as an
everyday solution. The United States
has a higher proportion of its popula-
tion in jail than any other country in
the world. Prisons solve very little;
often, they make things worse. ,They
breed crime. They breed homosexuality.
My feeling comes to this: society is not
getting the protection it -roquires by
our present system of punishment, and
neither is the prisoner getting the help
he needs.

(Cont. on Page 3}

Page.2

 

  

 

Institution News

 

JUDGE BAZEIDN (com) CALL THE cops:
(Reprinted from The REFORMATORY PILLAR)

 

"We still punish on the basis of was-
THER a man committed a crime, and tend St. Louis (AP? __ St. Louis Paliceman
to disregard WHY- Joseph Wood made this report of a burg-

la
Judge Bazelon went on to say that we ry‘

can "no longer be satisfied With the A burglar crept into the bedroom
simple answer, 'He is a crnnlnal because where Wood and his wife were sleeping,
he has an °Vil mind, and he can be euros and stole the officer's service revol-
only by punishing the evil out of htn.’ ver, badge, identification, and $6 in

cash.
He said that the legal process be—
I

comes a "revolving door for criminals, "“"“’“

and that at some point or another, the FROM THE MOUTHS 0F BABES

community has to be made aware of how a (Condensed‘ from the COURIER JOURNAL
man got the way he is -- so that some- MAGAZINE)

thing can be done about it.“

 

, A small boy was attending a display
Judge Bazelon said that some suggest- of abstract art with his mother. $top~

ed remedies are worth trying. One would - . - .
ping before one particularly distorted
be to allow the prisoner to do useful piece of design, he asked:

work, for which he would be paid, there—

by allowing him to support his depend— " t' t t i t f M ?"
ante. Another would be to let the of~ Wha 3 ha a P 0 ure 0 e 0mmy
fender work in the community, thereby The mother thumbed through her dir--

reducing hlS isolation. and aiding his ectory until she found a description of
eventual return to society. But he em! the picture in question. "That's sup-
phasized that no such remedies would posed to be a cowboy and his range
work in the face of long, punitive senr pony " she said. ‘ '

tences. ’

" l " 'd t b " ' 't ‘t?"

"The important thing is that society wel ’ sai he oy, why ain 1
should seek to aid the offender, not "
reject him. When we punish children, we MYSTERY MACHINE GONT
tell them, I love you, but I hate what l' ( . )
you did‘ Do you think the society that According to informed sources close

sends a man to our average prison loves to t e to ow‘s t t for a 0 ‘st 0
him. but hates what he did? That socie- 0110:673’P the machine is tfleuggziiseé
ty says to him, 'You're a failure as a ice-cream maker. We hope it's true.
human being —- and we're going to make _ ‘

you feel it!" ‘ All , , , _ —l

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He stated that institutionalization
is never desirable, only occasionally
necessary. He commented on the fact human behavior to dispense with punish-
that overcrowded institutions often end ment altogether,“ Mr. Bazelon concluded:
up'being run primarily for the organiza— "let us impose only so much as we need
tion --~ "that is, that manageability and and in a Spirit of humility, Springing
good order take precedence over concern from a recognition that we punish be“
for the incarcerated human beings." cause we do not yet know well enough

what else to do.“

 

"Until we have learned enough about

 

Page 3 CASTLE 0N THE CUMBERLAND

 

  

Institution News

 

INDIANA WKRDEN BLASTS SYSTEM

 

‘Ward Lane, warden of the Indiana
State Penitentiary, spoke out strongly
against the Indiana penal system during
a meeting of Indiana's Acheivement
Forum. His remarks were applicable to
most systems in states over the nation.

According to the PENDLETON'REFIECTOR,
Mr. Lane said that only'20% of the men
confined in the prison really belong
there. The others, he said, are either
vagrants or alcoholics or psychotics and
forgers.

"With this number (the remaining 2q%3
we could go about doing a much better
job to return these men to their commune
ities as men who would be capable to
stay out there forever," lane said.

Lane also cited the salary paid pri-
son guards as another weakness of the
penal system.

“A guard is paid $265 a month when he
is hired. Who can live and support a
family on that amount?" Lane went on to
say that such low wages led to corrup-
tion.

He also expressed disapproval of the
way guards are hired without regard to
qualification.

 

LONDON'JUDGB BLASTS STUPIDITY OF JURDRS

 

Justice Sir Richard Elwes, an English
judge, blasted a juror in particular and
the system of selecting jurors in gener-
al, according to an .Associated Press
release in the COURIER JOURNAL.

The outburst took place when a juror
failed to follow instructions against
discussing the case -with anyone. "I
have reached the conclusion you are
stupid," Sir Richard declared, and then
went on to say that he believed there
should be intelligence tests for jurors.

k

CASTLE‘DN THE CUMBERLAND

¥,

A CHRISEMAS STGRY -- ONE MONTH LAIE

 

For some time now, Sister Joseph Mark
and her 7th Grade class at St. Enward's
Catholic school in Jeffersontown, have
been corresponding with The CASTLE.

It all started when Sister Mark
bought a subscription to this magazine.
She liked it, and wrote to tell us so.

A little later, two of the boys sub-
mitted poems to us. we liked the poems
and thought they ShOWed talent, and we
published them because we thought our
readers would enjoy them too. A short
time after that, in response to an ed-
itorial concerning the amount of idle-
ness there is here, the entire class
wrote with suggestions concerning ways
to pass our idle time. Sister Mark even
wrote to the Governor on our behalf. It

was a wonderful expression of concern,
and we appreciated it deeply;
Then came Thanksgiving, and the kids

of the class made up a batch of cards,
addressed to all the men here, and sent
them to us. we put the cards on the
bulletin boards for everyone to see, and
the comments we got Were enthusiastic.

Christmas came then, and with it the
biggest Christmas card we've ever seen
--hand drawn by the class and signed by

(Cont. on Page .5?

"It is very important," he said,"that
juries, be manned by people who have a
minimum standard of intelligence and ed-
ucation. At present, the only qualifi—
cation for jury duty is the (tax) value
of the house in which he lives.

"Barristers Spend many years training
in the art and science of justice...as
do judges...but almost any dolt, any
prejudiced ass, any moron can help make
a mockery of all these closely reasoned
deliberations by a verdict that would
horrify a jackass!"

Page h.

 

 

 

 

 

 Institution News

A CHRISTMAS STORY (CONTi

 

every blessed one of them. The guards
smiled as they handed it to us, ani
every inmate who saw it was touched.

But that wasn't all. A few nights
later, there cane a bundle of beautiful-
ly drawn Christmas cards and letters
from all the children and from Sister
Mark. There was a desk calendar for the
office, too. It was the most heart-
warming thing we'd ever seen.

In fact, it amounted to an act of
love, the kind of love for mankind that
must have been 'meant when it was said
that “Love can change the world.“

 

A. A. HISEORY —~ by Buford Cox

 

The purpose of this article is to
better acquaint you with .Alcoholics
Anonymous, and I think I can accomplish
this best by telling you some of the
things it is not, and by relating some
of its earliest history.

First, Alcoholics Anonymous is not an
organization in the conventional sense
of the word. There are no fees or dues
whatsoever. The only requirement for

membership is an honest desire to stop
drinking.
Since its Beginning in June, 1955, a

wholesale miracle has taken place. The
spark that was to flare into the first
A. A. group was struck at Akron, during
a talk between a New'York stockpbroker
and an .Akron physician. It seems that
some 6 months earlier, the broker had
been relieved of his drink obsession by
a sudden Spiritual experience that fel-
lowed a meeting with an alcoholic friend
who had been in contact with the Oxford
groups of that day. He had also been
greatly helped by the late Dr. William
D. Silkworth, a New York specialist in
alcoholism who is now accounted no less
than a medical saint by .A. A. members,
and whose story of the early days of

Page 5 0mm ON THE cumsmmnn -

this society appears in the Big Book of
alcoholism. Though he could not accept
all the tenets of the Oxford groups, he
was convinced of the need for moral ins
ventory, confession of personality de-
fects, restitution to those harmed,
helpfulness to others, and the necessity
of belief in and dependence upon God.
Prior to his journey to Akron, the bro-
ker had worked hard with many alcoholics
on the theory that only an alcoholic
could help an alcoholic, 'but he had
succeeded only in keeping sober himself.
The broker had gone to Akron on a bus-
iness venture which had collapsed,
leaving htn greatly in fear that he
might start drinking again. He suddenly
realized that in order to save himself
he must carry his message to another
alcoholic. That alcoholic turned out to
be the Akron physician.

The physician had repeatedly tried
spiritual means to resolve his alcoholic
dilemma, but had failed. But when the
broker gave him Dr. Silkworth's descrip-
tion of alcoholism and its helplessness,
the physician began to pursue the
spiritual remedy for his malady with a
willingness he had never before been
able to muster. He sobered, never to
drink again up to the moment of his
death in 1950. This seemed to prove that
one alcoholic could affect another as no
non~alcoholic could. It also indicated
that through strenuous work, one alco-
holic with another, was vital to pere
manent recovery.

Hence the two men set to work almost
frantically upon alcoholics arriving in
the ward of the Akron City Hoopital.
Their very first case, a desperate one,
recovered immediately and became A. A.
Number Three. He never had another
drink. This work at Akron continued
throughout the swuner of 1955. There
were many failures,
occasional heartening success. When the
broker returned to New York in the fall
of 1955, the first A. .A. group had
actually been formed, though no one re-

(Cont. on Page 99

but there was an '

  

 

THE EDITORIAL arm

 

 

 

THE DEATH SENTENCE:
0F FAILURE

A few years ago, in another prison, I
celled directly above a condemned
prisoner. He was a young man, only 22,
and he had been waiting to die for al-
most 2 years.

For months, while he waited for the
day that would end all days for him, we
talked to pass the time away. Death
seldom entered the conversations, for he
was a very simple person, somewhat re-
tarded mentally, and I don't think he
really believed he would be killed.

Finally, the time came for him to
make the trip to the cluttered little
room that served as a storehouse for
license plates except on those days when
executions were scheduled. He ate his
last meal, generously offering to share
it with his friends -- who, of course,
did not accept his offer -- and then
said his goodbyes.

A little later, the usual reports
came back to us there in the lockup. As
usual, the warden, who was required by
law to pull the switch, had done it with
a great deal of reluctance. A guard
captain had become sick during the ex-
ecution, and few of the witnesses were
able to watch the revolting sight all
the way through the traditional three
charges of lethal voltage.

No one, from the judge who sentenced
the man to the warden who pulled the
switch, really wanted to kill him. Yet
they killed him ,anyway, because they
didn't knDW'what else to do. Like all
executions, it was an admission of fail-
ure on the part of society.

There's the other side of the ques—
tion, too. There is, for instance, the

’ 0mm ON THE cmsssuwo

socmr's MISSION

1w

inescapable fact that my friend had
taken another man's life, adding a
measure to the grief of the world. He
had done it for gain, which made his of-
fense a capital one, at least in that
state.

To many people, these facts are
enough to rationalize the second slaying
-- the legal execution of the perpetra-—
tor of the crime. "After all," these
people might say, "the man was a killer,
so why waste sympathy on him?"

It's an understandable attitude, es-
pecially if those people happened to be
relatives of the victim. But did the
second killing really solve anything?
Did it‘bring the dead man back to life,
or do anything significant to assuage

the grief of his family? Most in ortant
3;" all,“ did 33 preveag 0%?“afig‘1‘ers

Obviously, the threat of the death
sentence doesn‘t prevent capital crimes,
as statisticians in countries and states
that have abolished the death penalty
have discovered. At no time has the
death penalty ever been effective in
preventing capital crimes. As a case in
point, I'm sure you're all familiar with
the oft-told story that in Eng land, when
picking pocket; was punishable by hang-
ing, the pickpockets were busiest in the
very crowds that gathered to watch any
other pickpocket executed!

I believe that most men who habit-
ually'breaks the law are ill in much the
same way that an alcoholic is ill. Just
as an alcoholic seems to have a compul-
sion to drink, so does the criminal
offender have a compulsion to steal. And
just as the possiblity of losing his Job
his friends, his health, and his sanity
does not deter the alcoholic from drink-
ing, neither does the threat of punish-

(COnt. on Page 21)

Page 6

 PflRTS

 

firm

BILEY HOWELL

Sports

Edit or

 

 

Another year of sports has ended at

ESP.

Closing out the year's program was a
special exhibition last month in the
tiny gymnasium. we expected the Show to
be a smashing success, and we had looked
forward to it with anticipation,~ but
somehowg it just didn't come off. we
watched the show from our ringside seat
(a Spot on the floor3, but the old snap
and crackle of sports programs of the
past just wasn't there.

The last football game of the season
was an upset thriller. Carter's magnif-
icent Colts lost by a score of 6-0. In
fairness to the Colts, we must report
that they were plagued by a couple of
last-minute turncoats. Maybe next year
the players will have to sign contracts;
then those last-minutezchangeovers will
be eliminated. (Note, Bill Coley: I'm
talking about the changeovers, not the
playersl}

BUCK PENN, one of our more polished
performers, and a man who excells at
football and wrestling, turned in a fine
perfonmance in the squared circle a
couple of weeks ago. ‘We personally have
worked out with Buck, and know how he
always gives it his very best.

By the way, Buok...how about those
wrinkles in my clothes?

In the past weeks we have been watch-
ing a little man who must weigh at
least 130 pounds} (wet, that is) play
football against giants compared to htn.
But we must say that he has been a great

performance by competing against two op-
ponents ’in consecutive matches during
the show. Ben is the little fighter who
beat the pro from Louisville here at our
gym last year. we‘ believe this boy
could climb the tough ladder to the top
if he were given a chance at the outside
world 0

The next two months will be just
about sportless here at the institution
unless something unexpected turns up.
The cold winter weather means no foot-
ball or basketball, there being no room
in the gym to play basketball. But of
course, we can watch television or shoot
pool until spring comes.

By the way, JOHN'BRENT, I can whip
you and, sum McGDTGHBN both at the same
time.

the sport editor who
made the bludner of the year in pre-
dicting football, we would have to se-
lect Jim Elkins of the PADUCAH SUN DMD-
GRAT for his choice of iMayfield over
Tilghman. But honest, fellas, didn't we
all feel the same way?

If we picked

That's sports for this month.

m

From the advice column in'the LDUISVIIIE
TIMES comes this gem:

DEAR ANN LANDERS: My' wife is such a
perfectionist that she giftdwraps fish.
Don't you think this proves she's off?

asset to the Colts all season. BILL D. J.
COLBY is a little man with a big heart.
BEN GNMPEELL, one of KSP'S all-time DEAR D. J.2 No. Maybe she just does it

greats as a boxer, turned in a nice for the halibutl

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERIAND

' Page 7

 

  

 

 

v. .....
. n, ,-
. l..,. ,. \

1 jgN

HALFWAY HOUSES -- HELP WHEN IT'S NEEDED MOST

EDITOR'S NOTE: Parts of the following item are based on data gleaned from an arti-
cle on halfway houses sent to Jonathan Parks by Chaplain Byran E. Behelman of San

Quentin Prison.

we are grateful to Parks for permission to use his material,and we

regret that we cannot use the original article in its entirety.

Ten men go to prison for the first
time. Upon their release, three reform,
or at least never find themselves in
trouble with the law again. But, ac-
cording to the closest national esti-
mate, seven of the ten -— 70 per cent -
will find themselves in prison at least
01109 more 9

It would seem to follow that the sew-
en are men 'who did not want to "go
straight“ -- deliberate, professional
crtninals. That just isn't true.

.Anyone who deals with prisoners, as
well as the prisoners themselves, know
from experience that a surprisingly
large number of convicted felons sine
cerely want to refonn, to lead decent,
normal lives. Why don't they? There
are a number of reasons.

First and most important is the fact
that men get into trouble with society
because their thinking is wrong -- be-
cause for one reason or another, prob-
ably because they doubt their abilities
and worth, they lack the ability 'to
remain within the law for any lengthy
period. Prisons may and often do edu-
cate these men, even teach them trades,
but they fail to do anything significant
\to correct their thinking. In fact,

simply being in prison often aggravates
the condition. Therefore, some of the
seven would have found themselves in
trouble again no matter what conditions
they faced outside.

But -- and this is important -- the
problems faced by many released prison-
ers are so great. that it is a wonder
more than seventy per cent do not fail.
For the average long-term prisoner (and
long terms are the rule rather than the

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

exception» leaves prison with nothing
more than the suit of clothes on his
back and a few dollars in his pocket, a
sum ranging from $5 in Kentucky to $50

in Texas. With no more than this, he is
expected to build a new life for himp'
self, even, in.many cases, to "keep up)

with the Joneses“ to some extent, an al-
most necessary evil in our present
social structure.

Now, if our average prisoner manages
semehow to survive the first weeks until
his first paycheck arrives-— and chances
are that first check won't have been too
big to start with -- his problems are
just beginning. First of all, of course
he has to repay the advances for which
he has been forced to ask. He must pay
his back rent, perhaps pay for the extra
clothes it was necessary for him to buy,
one suit of clothes being hardly ade-
quate no matter what kind of work he's
doing. Then, there is the problem of
living until the next payday arrives.
Again he's forced to beg for advances,
and a vicious economic circle begins.
Later, he goes into debt to provide htn-
self with the basic necessities and per-
haps a few of the luxuries that social
status demands. Before long, he's not
only head over heels in debt, but deeply
if illogically resentful that he has
been placed in a situation where it is
necessary for him to hog and scrimp for
the things that other people of his age
and social station have accumulated dur-
ing the time he has wasted in prison.

"Catching up" then becomes almost an
obsession, and the posSibility that he'll
return to crime at this stage is greatly
increased.

(Cont. on Page 9)

Page 8

 

 

 

 ' fl

ARTICLES SECTION

HALFWAY HOUSES (CONT?

 

If he holds out for several years, he
may come out ahead. But usually, the
handicap he started with is so great he
fails, ending up once more behind bars.

But for at least a few released pris—
oners, there is a ray of hope -- the
"halfway houses" that have been estab-
1ished in several large cities, notably
Chicago, Los Angeles, and St. Louis, to
help provide food, clothing, and employb
ment on a nonrprofit basis.

Begun by Father Charles Dismas Clark
and a few other dedicated persons, half-
way houses provide room and board at the
lowest possible rates consistent with
economics. They offer counseling when

it is needed, clothing, and vocat-
ional assistance.
It's not charity. The men pay for

what they get; but no payment is expect-
ed until the men are able to pay. And
it's working, for only a small percent-
age of the men who have been so aided by
the halfway‘ houses have returned to
prison.

The newest of the halfway houses ~-
Father Clark's St. Dismas House was the
first -- is the Allied Fellowship House,
located at 60th and Adeline Streets in
Oakland, California. The guiding spirit
behind Allied Fellowship House is a
minister, Rev. Byron E. Eshelman; but,
significantly, it was a group of ex-
prisoners who provided a large part of
the financial and moral backing for the
project.

Another service provided by the half-
way houses is that of getting paroled
prisoners out of prisons. Prisoners who
have been granted paroles must prove
that they Will be able to support them—

selves before freedom is actually
attained. In most cases, this means a
job, and the problem of finding a job

from within Prison is never easy. How-
ever, in most cases, parole boards will

Page 9

accept the sponsorship of halfway houses
in lieu of a job.

Organizations similar in scope to
predominantly religious halfway
also been established in

the
houses have

several states, including one in Texas
headed up by, of all people, a former
"Public Enemy Number One."

Persons interested in this type of

work are invited to contact Chaplain
Eshelman in care of San Quentin Prison.

 

A. A. HISTORY (com FROM PAGE 53

 

alized it at the time.

A second small group promptly took
shape at New York, to be followed in
1957 with the start of a third in Cleve-
land. Besides these, there were scat-
tered alcoholics who had picked up the
basic ideas in.Akron or New York and who
were trying to form groups in other
cities. By late 1937, the number of
members having substantial sobriety time
behind them was enough to convince the
membership that a new light had entered
the dark world of the alcoholic.

It was now time, the struggling
groups thought, to place their message
and unique experience before the world.
This determination bore fruit in the
Spring of 1939 by the publication of a
book. The membership had then reached
about 100 men and women. The fledgling
society, which had been nameless, new
began to be called Alcoholics Anonymous,
from the title of its own book. The
flying-blind period ended and.A. A. en-
tered a new phase of its pioneering
time. Thus, this article opens and
closes with the first chapter in the
history of Alcoholics Anonymous.

 

The hardest tumble a man can take is to
fall over his own bluff:

 

CASTLE ON THE CUMBEBlAfi

 

 

 ’

 

 

 

3’ ' CAsrm ON THE CUMBERLAND

 

The ENCHANI‘ED NEWS, Santa Fe, New Mexico

 

Just received your Chrismas edition, and everyone in this office is
green with envy. We'd nominate this issue as the best we've seen of
the ENCHANPED news, and certainly one of the tops on the Penal Press
oirouit. Especial congratulations on the "'1961 Review,“ a top-notch
job of summation. We’ll rave about this issue for some time to come.
and we're sure the other Penal Press members will be just as enthusi-
astic as we are.

The FOLSOM OBSEWER, Folsom, Califorrfia

 

You, too, are doing a splendid job of coverage in a' newspaper-type
format. It 's a professional job, and all of us here enjoy getting
your publication. Keep it coming.

The ECHO, Huntsville, Texas)

Your newspaper is just plain excellent, and we only wish we had all

the activities you fellows seem to have there. A rodeo yet:

ghe RIVERSIDE, Red Wing, Minna.

To Richard Raymond Raygor, father of "This is the Land," our humble
admiration. It was smooth, polished poetry, and the message was; clear.
We'd like to see more of your stuff, Dieko

The HARBINGEQ, Hutchinson, Kansas

we reoeived our first copy of your publication just the other day, but

we didn't get to keep it long. Too many hands grabbed for it when it

came in. Need we say more?

GAB, LaGrarge, Kentucky

Your publicatiem, too, has just reached us for the first time. Keep

it coming, and how about a really definitive article on the origins

and function of SPADE in the near future?

The CACTUS BIDSSBM, Florence, Arizona

Enjoyed seeing you on the circuito You have a nice paper, and it
should prove interesting, especially to this displaced Arizonieeno-

'1‘ he MENTOR, Wa lpo le , Mas s achus ett_s2

Congratulations on a beautiful. Christmas edition. Rjoyed it much!

Page 10

  

 

 

 

MEET THE ERISDNERS is a regular feature of this magazine designed both to give credit
where credit is due, and to allow our outside readers the opportunity to meetzthose
prisoners who have distinguished themselves hy' their efforts for themselves or for
others, who have interesting trades or hobbies, or who have accomplished unusual
thingso Anyone wishing to nominate a prisoner may do so singly'by contacting the
editor either on the yard or at the CASTLE ON THE GmMBERLdND office°~

ROBERT DUFFY -- One of our more energet- iRAY‘dTUfiE an Married and the father
is and industrious young men.about the ©f 3 girlsg Ray Stone is a man with
hill is Robert Duffyb Duff is 27 years talent and skills to sparse
old and hails from Butler County. Sara
ving a six-spot, heVll wind it up on A tall, stronglyhbuilt man of 53,
March 5th, this year. most of Ray‘s work experience has been.
in the cilfields of the south and mid-
If you are employed in any of the west. Starting as a roughneok, Ray
departments that are frequently in need worked his way up the ladder in fields
of minor repairs (and aren't they'allit, in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and
you're familiar with 01‘ Duff. we asked Tennessee until at last he made driller,
Duffy what the official designation of the most skilled job in the fields —-
his job is, and he told us that he and the highest paido
guessed general yard maintenance would
about cover it. 3 we would like to say
that the term ingeneral" doesn't half It takes 59. Lot of know-how to handle
cover it: ' the men who work on the rigs, and it
- takes a