xt7t4b2x6v6s https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt7t4b2x6v6s/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, November 1962 text Kentucky State Penitentiary v.: ill. 28 cm. Call Numbers HV8301 .C37 and 17-C817 20:C279 Castle on the Cumberland, November 1962 1962 1962 2021 true xt7t4b2x6v6s section xt7t4b2x6v6s r

 

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77-) fig ' 0 ON THE

NOVWBH? 15, 1962

  
    

”This, Too, Sihall Pass"

  
  

 

(Eu

  

Volume II Number V

  
   
 
 

IN THIS MONTH'S CASTLE

 

Deputy Warden ' s Page

  
 

Cast le News

 
    
 

The Editorial Side

The Fabulous Fish
of Finny Lake

     
 

Letter to a Reader

 
    
 

Exchange Page

Meet the Prieoners

 
     
 

Tall Tales

  
 
   
 

Dep artment Reports

 
 

Nightkeeper ‘ 3
Report 1886 19

  

The Corner Lot (Fiction)

  
 

Late News

 
    
 

Sta tis tics 8c Movies

The Las t Word

  

   

 

 

 

 

 

F
Volume II, Number v November 15, 1962
CASTLE ON ‘IHE CIMBELRLADD
ADMINISTRATION
: The anorable Bert T. Combs, Governor
l Wilson'W. Wyatt, Lt. Governor W; C. Oakley, Welfare Commissioner
é Marshall Swain, Deputy welfare Commissioner
: Dr. Harold Black, Director of Corrections
PRISON ADMINISTRATION
Luther Thomas, warden Lloyd T. Armstrong, Deputy Warden

Kathlyn Ordway, Business Manager W. T. Baxter, Guard Captain
Reverend Paul Jaggers, Chaplain
Henry E. COWan, Educational $upervisor

William Egbert, Vocational Instructor

 

g WARD OF PARDONS & PAROLES’

 

Dr. Fred.Moffatt, Executive Director
walter Ferguson, Chairman
Simeon Willis, Member Ernest Thompson, Member
CASTLE STAEF

Lawrence Snow, Editor Leonard Rule, Associate Editor

Stanley Brawner, Lithographer

 

, The CASTLE ON'THE CUMBERLAND is published monthly by the inmates of the Kentucky
;~ State Penitentiary at Eddyville. Subscriptions, one dollar a-year, payable by
3 money order at: CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND, Subscriptions Dept., Kentucky State
1‘ Penitentiary; Eddyville, Kentucky, and by inmates at the Chief Clerk's Office.
=£ Articles are solicited, but the CASTLE reserves the right to reject, edit, or
revise any material submitted. Opinions expressed in this magazine do not nec-
essarily reflect those of the administration. Permission is hereby granted to
g reproduce any part of this magazine, provided proper credit ,is given. Where
” possible, a marked copy of the quoting publication is requested.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

77576 acronym use:

By Deputy Warden Lloyd T. Armstrong

 

Capital punishment has been discussed
for the past several years both pro and
con. I have even been asked orally and
through letters my feeling about capital

punishment. I do not think I am pre-
pared to answer this question either
way. In fact, I don‘t believe, due to

my position, that I would be justified
in making a statement of this type.

I have seen quite a lot of condanned men
die in the electric chair.
every case, in my opinion, they were
guilty; however, in one or two cases I
have wondered about their guilt.

I do not believe in capital punishment
on circumstantial evidence, or I don't
believe in capital punishment in cases
where two men are buddies in crime, do
the same crime and one of them winds up

with the death penalty and the other
with a sentence less than death. How=
ever, I do not think that this is the

fault of the courts. It is simply due
to some small counties that have never,
and do not give death penalties, and

then of course, there is a lot of difa
ference in the feelings of the jurors.
Some jurors will qualify themselves as
jurors stating that he or she does not
have any conscientious scruples against
the death penalty, and deep in his or
her heart they know that they would not
participate in the death penalty. In
those cases I do not think that anyone
could point their finger at the judge or
anyone else in the court.

It seems to me that the death penalty
for armed robbery where there was no one
injured is a‘ little bit too severe.
However, if it is the law of the land or
the law of the Commonwealth of Kentucky
I would say that the way to get around
getting the death penalty for armed robe

In almost .

bery would be not to commit the crime.

Premeditated murder is altogether a difn
ferent problem that I would not care to
comment on at this time. Rape is a-
nother one that I had rather not comment
on. I do realize, that in my opinion,
there are inmates in institutions that
are probably there on phoney, stumped-up
charges. This is another subject that
has been discussed for many, many years
and again I would like to say that it is
not the fault of the court because the
courts go by law and evidence but both
premeditated murder and rape, we rea-
lize, are serious charges and the peoPle

who discuss them, in most cases, are
people that are not involved.
I have had people say to me that there

is no such thing as rape because a man
could not rape a woman if she resisted.
This I am not prepared to argue. How-
ever, in most cases, the very person
that says there is no such thing as
rape, if this happened to his mother,
sister, daughter or wife, he would then
think there is such a thing as rape.
So I do not think it is left up to any
individual or any group of individuals
to say whether or not that a woman was
or was not raped or that a person was or
was not premeditatedly' murdered. I
think that all this should be left up to
the law to work out according to the law
and evidence.

I doubt if any judge on any bench gets
any big thrill out of reading the ver-
dict passed down to him by the jury

where the death penalty is involved.
Also, I doubt if any jury gets any
thrill out of participation in a case
where the death penalty is involved.
However, the judge on the bench is only
doing his sworn duty and the jurors are

(Please turn to page 21)

 

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CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAW

 

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@QSFIEE [SENS

HALFWAY TO PAROLE (Via PP News Release}

 

When United States Attorney General
Robert F. Kennedy talks of crime and
crime prevention he likes to mention his
"halfway houses."

His Justice Department has established
three of them, one each in Los Angeles,
Chicago, and New York. Formally they
are called Federal Pro—Release Guidance
Centers.

Mr. McDannell, Director of the pren
release guidance center here in Los
Angeles, says that "To us and to those
in the field of correction this whole
thing represents a new philosophy, a
whole new theory in treating young ofw
fenders. ‘We feel it has been needed for
a long time."

The uhalfway houses," as Attorney Generu
a1 Kennedy prefers to call them, are the
newly established homelike institutions
where the Justice Department is attempt»
ing to better prepare young federal
criminals for the day of parole.

Young convicts from ages 16 to 26 are
sent to one of the three centers near
their original homes three months prior
to their scheduled parole. There, under
the supervision of social workers, they
live, go out into society, hunt jobs
and get accustomed gradually to the sow
ciety to which they are about to return.

After only nine months' existence the
center here has a neareflawless record.
It has released 30 young offenders back
into society.

LACK OF CONVICTS CLOSES CELLEIDCK

Marquette -- Cellblock A, oldest section
of the Marquette, Michigan state prison,
was closed recently for lack of prisone
ers. Greater use of parole and probae
tion has resulted in a general drop in
Michigan's prison population.

KSP WEIGHTLIFTER LIFTING OLYMPIC WEIGHTS
JOB ANDERSON HOLDS SEVERAL IRON RECORDS

A 6~foot, 200wpound inmate here is push»
ing the pigeiron up in weights that many
an Olympic lifter would enyyo

Joe Anderson, 27, is no newcomer to
weightlifting. Beginning to lift in
1951, he has continued to train almost
continuously since that time. Trans:
ferring around the country on a federal
sentence, he broke all weightlifting rem
cords in federal prisons at Terre Haute,
Indiana, Leavenworth, Kansas, and Atlan~
ta, Georgia. He was the champion at
Angola, Iouisiana, and the weightlifting
instructor and trainer at Terre Haute.
One of his finest lifts, performed in
competition against super-heavies in
Atlanta (Joe ranks in the light=heavy
division), was a 3=lift total of 860
pounds.

In Spite of a long layoff from training,
Anderson is the unquestioned champion at
Eddyville Prison. In the military
press, an event in which the contestant
must lift the barebells overhead at arms
length while standing with legs and back
straight, he lifts 270 pounds. In the
snatch (lifting weights from the floor
to the overhead posiiion without a
pause}, he lifts 2h0 pounds; and in the
c1ean=and~jerk (similar to the military
press except that the weight may he
"jumped” overhead with the aid of the
legs), his record is 290 pounds.

Anderson is not satisfied with his
lifts. In June of 1963, he will become
eligible for parole and, if he is
granted his freedom, he hopes to find a
Sponsor in weightlifting circles in
Louisville, his home town. With a
Special diet and plenty of hard work
with equipment superior to that he is
presently working with, he feels that he
could add considerably to his lift to=
tal. His long range ambition is to find

a place on an Olympic weightlifting team.

and he is willing to work to make it.

 

TASTLE ON THE CUMBmLAND

Page 2

 

 

  

  
 

BLASTING, DIGGING mNE FOR NEW BUILDING

 

A series of dynamite blasts resounded
through the prison last month as digging
for the new school-gymnasium building's
foundation was completed. The blasting
was necessary to clear shelvings of rock
from some of the 50 caisson holes needed
for the building's footings. The footu
ings will reach down to bedrock to pro~
vide support for the 70~byhlhh foot

building.

By the time this magazine appears, first
pouring of foundation cement will have
been finished, and the tile detail, in
charge of forming the concrete caissons
used for the foundation, will have
finished making approximately 150 of the
big tubes.

Through use of inmate labor and skills,
and through purchase of doors, windows,
plumbing, used brick and a large part of
the structural steel for the building

 

  
  

 

 

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Possible Appearance of Finished EducationalmRecreational Building in N. E. sector -«I

 

Construction of the building, designed

by architect H. Lawrence Casner of
Paducah, will continue throughout the
winter, and the structure should be

ready for occupancy by next summer. Ine
mate labor is being used wherever possi-
ble under the direction of Mr. Casner
and his representative, Mr. Freeland
Harris, Visiting Engineer for the jobo
Mr. M. E. Cummings is superintendent of
construction, and.Mr. In L. Abell is em»
ployed as officer in charge. Inmate Joe
Paulhus also serves as an engineer for
the building.

from the razed Eddyville School, a great

deal of money will be saved the state's
taxpayers. The final cost of the
_building may be less than $h a square

foot. By way of comparison, it costs an
average of approximately $10 a square
foot to erect a family dwelling.- When
completed, the building will pro"
vide space for a much=needed school,
complete with offices and separate,
glass~walled classrooms, and a full"
sized gymnasium and auditoriun. A
stage, bleachers, and toilet facilities
will be included on the second floor.

 

Page 3

CASTLE‘UTFTEE‘CUMBEREKND"

 

 

 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

E

 

FOUR CLERKS ALREADY PLACED BY TYPING
CLASS: DALE CARNEGIE COURSE POSSIBLE

 

Four men who have learned to type at or
better than 50 words a minute have alw
ready been placed in clerical jobs by
the Education Department, says Henry'E.
Cowan, supervisor of education for the
prison. Thirteen other men in the new
typing class are gaining proficiency
rapidly. The class is the first course
other than standard grade-school courses
to be offered in the school.

In other school news, 1h men are now she
rolled in the preparatory GED classes.
Testing for equivalency high=school dips
lomas is expected to be completed some
time before Christmas. A Dale Carnegie
course is also being planned for intere
ested inmates, and anyone wishing to
take the program is urged to sign the
enrollment notices in the shops or to
contact Mr. CoWan at the school. The
course is said to give students more
self-confidence and poise in social and
business situations. Mr. Cowan.empha=
sized that the program is only in the
planning stages, however.

Mr. Cowan also said that he expects
school enrollment to increase now that
summer is over and more young inmates
are free from farm assignments. Average
enrollment at the school is 100. He
commented on the improved attitude and
efforts of the student body.

HEI‘B COME ACROSS FOR KSP IMATES

 

In case you haven't noticed, thereVS an
egg on everyone's breakfast tray these
days =- or at least there was at the
time of this writing. Some mornings
there have been two. And cases of eggs
keep coming in from the farm to the cold
storage room on the hill.

Maybe it was the Indian Summer we had
last month. Maybe they're playing music
in the henhouse these days, as some pro=
greesive farmers have been known to do
to increase their egg yield. Maybe the

hens have just taken pity on us. What-
ever the case, however, we appreciate
that egg in the morning, and if Steward
Griffin and others, and the boys who
work in the kitchen, don't get tired of
cooking them for us, we can promise we
won't get tired of eating them. And to
the hens =~ or whoever is responsible _-
many thank83

PleN GARAGE BUSY ON STATE VEHICLES,

 

The KSP auto shop, Operated under the
supervision of Mr. Gary Armstrong, is
keeping busy repairing prisonnowned cars
and trucks these days, according to Joe
weatherford, inmate mechanic at the
garage.

The garage, located under Four Shop, and
connected to the engineering department,
normally employs three men: Weatherford
as mechanic, Nbrman Gregory as bodyband-
fender man, and Morgan Brown as janitor
and helper, and it's said there's a
truck or car to be worked on abnost
every day, giving the boys plenty of val-
uable experience. Weatherford is at the
moment engrossed in learning -body “work
from Gregory, who in turn learns the me»
chanical end of the business from his
pupil.

The latest project undertaken by the
garage consists of a fairly extensive
job of body -work and customizing on a
Ford sedan, a task that should provide
both men with Specialized exPerience rem
quired by the larger body shape. Al-
though they are somewhat handicapped "by
a shortage of certain hand ”tools, the
job is coming along well.

INVEN‘I'OR 0F CROSSWDRDS A CONVICT

 

According to columnist Hal Boyle, Victor
Orvill, credited with inventing the
crossword puzzle, did so to help pass
time while in the penitentiary.

Carved on Orvill‘s tombstone is a cross=
word puzzle blank. The definitions have
been left for future geniuses to fill in.

 

' CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

Fege,h

lE—_ .

 

 Mis cellania

A LESSON FOR ASPIRING WRITERS

 

(Purloined from the READERVS DIGEST)

When you come right down to it, {here is
no law 'lhat says you have to use big
words when you write or talk.

There are lots of small words, and good
ones, that can be made to say all the
things you Want to say, quite as well as
the big ones. It may take a bit more
time to find them at first. But it can
be well worth it, for all of us. Imow
what they mean. Some small words, more
than you might think, are rich with just
the right feel, the right taste, as if

made to help you say a thing the way it’

should be said.

Snall words can be crisP, brief, terse
-.. go to the point, like a knife. They
have a charm all their om. They dance,
twist, turn, singo Like sparks in tle
night they light the way for the eyes of
those who read. They are the grace
notes of prose. You know what they say
the way you know a day is bright and
fair m- at first sight. And you find,
as you read, that you like the way they
say it. Small words are gay. And they
can catch large thoughts and hold them
up for all to see, like rare stones in
rings of gold, or joy in the eyes of a
child. Some make you feel, as well as
sees The cold deep dark of night, the
hot salt sting of tears.

final]: words move with ease where big
words stand still as» or, worse, bog down
and get in the way of what you want to
say. There is not much, in all truth,
that small words will not say an and say
quite well.-

=-= Joseph A. Ecclesine

(This item was originally entitled Word's
of One Syllable. Reason? The author

 

 

included not one word of more than one
syllable. ~ ED?
With today's prices, clothes break the

man I.

DOES CRIME PAY?

A bunch of the inmates were standing around

On the prison compound one day,

Talking of crime (the oonvictVs shop talk),

And whether it really does pay.

They told of their scores in days long gone
by,

And bragged of their tenadollar ties.

They told how "they lived in the finest
hotels,

Ate meals that a gourmet would prize --

How their women were mink and were covered
with jewels,

That they each drove a Cadillac car,

How they sneered with contempt at the jury
and judge,

When brought before j’ustice's bar.

Sure, they were in stir-e, they were forced
to admit,

But their lawyers were working each day;

And with writs, probation, commutation,
parole,

Thede soon have their going-=out day%

An elderly 0 on who had said not a word

While he listened to boasts loud and
crude,

Stood up with a withering glint in his eye

And remarked in a manner subdued:

"Have you thought of the pri cc of a wife' 3
broken heart,

Or a mother who died of your shame?

Was it worth all this time, and your
family“s grief

When they realized that you were to blame?

Can your memories pay you while you are
shut in,

For those years of gazing through bars m-

For the loss of your freedun to be with
your kids,

Or to walk out at night under stars?

’Can you honestly say you would stay past

your time
For a million a year to remain?

Of course you would not, any one who agreed,

Would be suspected of being insane.

Iflve stolen my last, it did me no good,
1911 go straight if I get out some day.
The thousands of men in jails such as ours
Are sure proof that crime doesn’t payt”

m Anonymous

 

? Page 5

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

 

—-.———..,

 

 

 

 

, "7 J“, k

  

ewe satire isms eyes

IS PROPOSED CRIME REPORTING BILL OCCASION FOR CHEERS?

A New York judge has proposed a bill that would sharply restrict the right of news-
papers in the reporting of crimes. In part, the proposed law would prevent
newspapers from publishing such material as statements or confessions of the
accused and interviews with witnesses until the defendant had his day in court. It
would also prohibit the press from mentioning the accused's criminal record, if
any} before the trial.

The temptation is to greet such a proposal with hosannas. In almost every court in
the land, the right of the prosecution to refer to a defendant's prior criminal
record is for obvious reasons restricted. Yet in cases that have received any
newspaper publicity at all, many a defendant has been convicted on shaky evidence,
or no evidence at all, merely because the jury members had read in their local
papers what the prosecution was bound not to mention _- that the defendant had a
police record, and therefore "must" be guilty. It has also happened that innocent
men have gone to prison as and to death a- because newspaper accounts of the crime
had all but convicted them before the trial.

Moreover, crime news is by its very nature more apt to be unintentionally distorted
by the press. ‘What is worse, even to us, is the fact that sensational newspaper
stories of crimes often set off a wave of similar crimes. The airplane bombings
and hijackings of recent years» and the rash of kidnappings following the Iindbergh
case are just two examples.

Obviously} reforms are neededs and the proposed law would bring them about, at
least in part. But there is another side to the question. All of us, even
convicts we probably especially convicts me have a stake in the freedun of the
press. A press that is free to criticize, within the linits of the libel laws, any
person or policy it sees fit, and to inform its readers honestly and objectively of
all the news, is vital to the preservation of the other rights and liberties we enr
joy today =9 including the right to a fair trial. The press has that freedom new,
but it hasn't been easily won, and it could be easily lost in a jungle of protect—
ive legislation. Frmn a law prohibiting newspapers from printing the police record
of a person accused of crime to a bill prohibiting the publication of the voting
and performance record of a seeker of public office is only a short step; and from
there to the restriction of the press to criticize any public policy or public
injustice is‘also a short step.

In the interests of fair play and the protection of all citizens, it is obvious
that the press should refrain from publishing material that even the prosecuting
authorities have no right to mention an at least until the defendant has had his
chance at a fair and unbiased trial. But the big question is, should it be brought
about by the publishers, editorsg and broadcasters themselves —- or should it come
through legislation?

CASTLE: ON THE CUMBERLAND Page 6

 

  

THE FABULOUS FISH OF FINNY LAKE

 

By John H. Brandt

 

Finny Lake wasn9t ‘what yoqu call a
favorite Spot of the local sportsmen.
It wasnit one of those "smart" lakes.
Crowded with reeds and snags and floatm
ing logs, it offered no room for watern
skiing, and certainly it'wasnit the most
favorable place to show off your new
plastic boat and that new 60=horsepower
outboard motor. It had no dramatic
scenery, no marinas9 and not even a good
access road. In spite of that. or more
likely because of that. Finny Lake was
alive with whopping largemouth bass and
some of the finest and heaviest channel
cat youlve ever seen. And it was famous
for its plump-legged bullfrogsa whose
throaty croaking could be heard for
miles on a still night.

That's why, when Fred and Maggie Edwards
dropped a hint that theyfld like to try
some of our local frogmgigging, I

offered to take than to Finny. News
Fred and Maggie were regular guys, even
if they were loaded with mazumas but I

had what the story writers call ulterior
motives for taking them gigging. too.
The Edwards were representatives for a
large outaof-town construction firm that
was planning to build a shopping center
and housing tract in our town, and I had

been trying for weeks to get their
signatures on a long Spot-announcement
contract. So, for that matter, had
every other radio station in town as
well as the TV people. With such stiff
competition, I‘d have waded the River
Styx to get them frogwlegs, if that's
what they"d wanted.

That night9 I stepped by their apartment
to collect them and their two kids,
Johny a boy of 10 and.Martha, a girl of
11, and we headed for the lake. Fred
had brought a flask of Scotch, and I
bought a case of beer and some soft
drinks and ice cubes at a sporting goods
store on the way out, so we were pre-
pared for any contingency.

But I want to emphasize right here and
now that we did not, at any time that
night. lose our sobriety so completely

as to be seeing things. If we had, the
chances against three adults in the same
boat on the same night having exactly
the same hallucination must be astro-
nomical. And even if we had taken a
nip too much‘9 the ‘EWb kids hadn't
touched a drop of anything stronger than
Coca Cola. and they saw the same thing
we did. I stress this only because

 

Page 7

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

L

  

 

fishermen have acquired such an unde-
served reputation for stretching the
truth.

Anyway, we got out to Finny Lake about
8230. By the time we had loaded the
little wooden tub I used for fishing the
lake with the beer and the tackle and
all, another half hour had passed, and
the frogs were in full voice. With five
people in it, the boat was fairly low in
the water, and I had to open the throt-
tle on the 3-horsepower kicker pretty
wide to make any headway at all. But,
as any frog gigger will tell you, the
noise of an outboard doesn't scare frogs
in the least. Before long we had a fair
bag.

It happened while we were cruising along
a particularly thick stand of reeds out
in the middle of the lake. I was run-
ning the motor, the two kids were in the
bow playing the light on the reeds
looking for eyes, and Fred and Maggie
were sitting on the beer cooler, enjoye
ing themselves immensely in spite of the

leaks and the fish smell in the boat.
Suddenly, off to the right, some thing

heavy and fast boiled out of the lake
and streaked across the bows Everyone
jumped, because the moon was behind the
clouds and we couldn't see what had gone

over the boat. The kids began playing
the-lights over the water, looking for
whatever it had been, and while; they

were at it, another something came
streaking across the back of the boat.

well, Finny Lake is a pretty weird and
Spooky place, even in the daytime, and
our imaginations began to run ‘wild. we
didn't say anything to each other, of
course; because we were all more afraid
of seeming silly than.we were of being
eaten by some monster of the lake. But
nobody objected when I threw the throt—
tle wide open and got out of that part
of the lake as fast as the little boat
could take us.

We cruised around a little more, mostly

because no one Awould brave suggesting
that we call it a night. After a little
bit, when the moon came out frmn behind
the cloudsg we got over our scare a lit-
tle. we even got around to speculating
whether the noises:had been made' by a
muskrat or by one of the' nocturnal
waterbirds that frequented the lake. we
had almost decided to go on with our
frog gigging when it happened again.

This:time, it came from the back of they
boat. There was: that quick boiling of
the water again, and the sensation of
something big and compact and fast whize
zing diagonally the length of the boat.
Whatever it was, it struck IMartha a
glancing blow on the shoulder. She
screamed, on the point of falling into
the water, but John grabbed her just in
time.

She had been scared, but she made a fast
recovery, because. the next minutezshe

cried out in joy, "Look: Look!" and
began plucking at Maggie's sleeve' and
pointing off to the right. we all

looked, and if I live to be a thousand,
I'll never forget the sight we saws

All over that lake, as far as we could
see in the nowhbrilliant moonlight,
there was a weird, pescatorial ballet
going on. Fish of a variety I had never
seen before, silvery and streamlined
in the tricky light, were skipping
across the lake by the hundreds. They
were flying in and out of the water so

fast it was hard to estimate their size
exactly, but the smallest of them
weren't less than two feet long, and

some of them would run four feet or
more. As we watched, they seemed to be
playing in perfect synchronization, each
one completely solemn of face, if fish
can have any expression,_and‘making leng
flat jumps in formation at a speed you'd
have to see to believe. Then, a few of
them here and there across the lake came
streaking straight up out of the water,
going up higher than a man can reach,
and then diving straight down again. To

 

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

 

Page 8

 

  

the right, to the left, straight ahead
and behind, there were fish of lunker
size jumping and leaping, filling the
air with their acrobatics. Two of them,
misjudging their leaps, actually came
into the boat with us, but before we
could grab them, they flipped their big
bodies effortlessly and streaked back
into the water. .

And then, just as suddenly as they had
begunf they stopped. The surface of the
lake calmed down quickly, and it was as
if they had never been there. The frogs
began to croak again, the muskrats and
the birds resumed their play, and we
were left to rub our eyes and wonder if
it had really happened at all.

What kind of fish were they? We never
found out, although we went back to that
lake time and time again. We took nets
and tackle, we explored the lake day and
night, but never again did we see those
strange-leoking, incredibly fast fish do
their ballet routine. We caught some
fish -- bass, catfish. and a carp or two
-- but nothing remotely resembling the
Species we had seen. Even the state
Fish and Game Commission was no help to
us. Frankly, they didn“t believe us.

Oh: Did I get the contract? Well, con-
sidering all the time we spent together
on Finny Lake after that frog-hunting
trip ... what do yen think?

 

LOO KING?

Looking for an unusual Christmas gift?
Why not send a year's subscription to
the CASTLE ON' THE CUMBELAND? Just
mail us the names and addresses, with
a money, order (It's only ‘a dollar a
year) and we'll do the rect. Sub—
scriptions incur hands by December
First will receive the Xmas issue.

ADDRESS: CASTIE ON THE CEMBERLAND, Box

128, Eddyville, Kentucky. Do it new!

JOKES AND STUFF

 

B us driver: "Did you get home safe 1y
last ni 5t?"

Passenger: "Why, of course! What a
strangg question! "

Bus dri ver: " Not so strange . Remember

giving that lady your seat?"

Passenger: "Yes."
Busdriver: "well, you two were the only

passengers on the bust"

Deft Definiti one Sectio n:

 

, ACTIVATE -- Make more

 

EXPERT -- Any guy more than 50 miles
from home.

carbons and add

more names to a memo.

EXPEDITE -- Compound confusion with con-
fusion.

METING -- Mass mulling of masterndnds.

INFORMED SOURCE -- Guy who told the guy
you just met.

One of the biggest some. with success
these days is that its recipe is about
the same as that for a nervous breakdown.

 

Did you hear the one about the boy sar-
dine who wanted to marry a girl sardine
because her family was in oil?

 

And they say only a light bulb can stay
out all night and still be bright the
next day.

 

"Clerk, why didn't you call me at 5?"

“Because you didn't retire until 61"

 

Page 9

CASTLE ON THE CUMBERLAND

 

  

EG’FWEB i7@‘ Igflflgfl

Eddyville Prison
November 15, 1962

Dear Mr. Sharer,

You say you are puzzled that the offender will buck seemingly impossible odds to do
things that are illegal and tmnoral and that land him in prison, not once, but two,
three, four, or more times. You are not alone, Mr. Sharer. Emery man who has ever
turned an inquiring mind toward the problem of crime and punishment is equally pun»
zled. All but the most dogmatic of laweenforcement and prison people are puzzled.
Most puzzled of all is the offender himself.

To the world’s relatively nonnal people, such a claim an that the offender is:puz~
zled by his own actions == must seem like utter nonsense. But who knows himself
completely? Who can claim to knew all there is to know __ or even the smallest
part of all there is to know as about the abstract something called the mind? Who,
if challenged to account for all his actions, could give more than surface reasons
for his own behavior? -

There are many men in prison, Mr. Sharer, whose actions seem to have been caused by
alcohol. In fact, probably more prisoners are here as a result of drinking prob-
lama than are not. Yet what causes one man to have trouble with liquor, while the
next man uses:liquor in moderation, or abstains altogether? Some others seem to be
here because their training and their surroundings: conditioned them for nothing
better than a life of crime. Yet as you asked in your letter, why is it that one
man from a bad environment may be*a dismal failure, while the boy next door grows
up to become a tremendous success?

A good many thoughtful men have wondered, aloud and in print,. why humans behave
like humans, but thousands of years of inquiry have produced little more than
labels for behavior, as opposed to reasons for behavior. The same questions that
puzzle you and me today puzzled the Greek thinkers of 2500 years ago, the European
philosophers of a thousand years ago, and the psychiatric pioneers of a century
ag