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THE JEFFERSONIAN Vol. 111. No. 24 State Sollies Conbict Problem ‘Building 'Roads ALFRED DAMON RJJNYON, in Denber Netos. Trinidad, Colo., May 26. —-Under the gor geous blue and white skies of southern Colo rado, in shadow of the regal Snowy range, sur rounded on every hand by peace and beauty*— and freedom—eighty-eight men, branded by the dread iron of the law as criminals, are working out their own salvation and the solu tion of one of the greatest problems that has ever confronted the state of Colorado. Eighty-eight men, enough to form a big company of soldiers, and every one stamped with the fearful word “convict,” are toil ing peacefully through a magnificent little valley off toward the New Mexican line, where all about them is green and gold, and above them is God’s wide kingdom, and the name of nearly every man, now almost wholly sub merged in an awkward number, has furnished columns of reading matter in the papers of the state in times agone. The peace, the purity and the glorious beauty of their surroundings make it almost inconceivable that among those eighty-eight men moving along the quiet hillsides, with pick and shovel, are outcasts of society; that some of them bear the notoriety of desperate criminals; that some of them have committed the most daring acts of burgulary, of highway robbery and assault; that the hands of some are even stained with the blood of their fellow men. Some Notorious Criminals On Road Work. But it is true. Among the eighty-eight are men whose names have been bywords in the criminal history of Denver, Pueblo and other towns of Colorado, and some have even gained state renown, either through their pro minence or the viciousness of their crimes. Many have been long forgotten in the lapse of time, and their deeds only recur to police memory when some ancient record is being thumbed, or when a parallel case is brought to light. And here they are threading the rugged mountains of southern Colorado with what may eventually become a national high way, doing a useful work, and presenting an answer to the question: “What shall we do with our convicts?” The first attempt to utilize on a large scale the men confined in the state penitentiary at Canon City is being made near Trinidad. It bears the earmarks of a complete success. They are building the road which is expected to be carried out clear across the entire state. Segment in a Great Road Over Three States. New Mexico is building a road across that territory by convict labor. It is nearing the Colorado line, and Colorado has taken up the work and will carry it on to the Wyoming A Weekly Paper Edited by THOS. E. WATSON and J. D. WATSON. Atlanta, Ga., Thursday, June 11. 1908. line. Wyoming is expected to carry it on from there, and eventually it is hoped that a great national highway will be the result. The Colorado convicts have gone at their task in a manner which has already had ma terial results. So far the plan has been an entirely satisfactory one. It is largely up to the convicts themselves. They are working practically upon their honor. Five officers are in charge of the camp, but obviously they can • not be expected to guard eighty-eight con victs, and they do not attempt any close sur veillance. If a man wants to escape it is conceded that he can easily do so—that is, he can get away from the camp. That he may be retaken else where follows as a matter of course. By work ing in the camp he gets a great reduction in his prison sentence, gets back the health con finement has commenced to undermine, and enjoys liberties and freedom unheard of in the management of state prisoners. And if the sentiment of a score of convicts with whom I talked may be taken as indicat ing the sentiment of all, they will not violate their trust to any great extent. Two men have made their escape since the camp was established . That number may be considered a very small percentage. On the face of it, the thing looks like a dangerous experiment, but every indication up to now points to a success. Greatest Fear of the Men Is going Back. To see the convicts at their work, no armed guards anywhere, and no distinguishing badge in the way of clothing, it is hard to realize that they are men who have committed infrac tions of the law; who were regarded as so dangerous to their fellow man that they were sent away to be confined for long terms of years. The greatest fear they have entertained, judging from what was said to me by many of them, is that the state will stop the work for some reason or another, and they will be sent back to Canon City. Credit for establishment of the camp is due to A. A. Willey, for many years night captain at the penitentiary, and one' of the bravest and ablest officers ever connected with the institution. Abe Wiley, as he is known, is a young man, bronzed by the sun, and hardened like an athlete by a life of activity; a picturesque figure, garbed in miner’s half boots, corduroy trousers, a black slouch hat and soft black shirt, who swings his lithe form sideways in his cowboy saddle as he points ®ut the features of the great work he has undertakes. He is well liked by the convicts. He is kind, has a cheery word for every man he passes—and he seems to know them all by name —but he is firm. The camp shows his quality as an executive officer. For location he chose a spot on the banks of a little stream, on the main line of the Santa Fe just this side of Morley, where the railroad climbs the big hill to Raton, and about three or four miles beyond the coal camp of Starkville. This makes the convict camp about eight miles from Trinidad. Camp in a Beautiful Spot; Escape Easy. Early this morning I enlisted the services of Chester E. Stratton, the general manager of the Colorado Telephone company here, who knows the country like a book, and is a personal friend of Wiley, and we made record time behind a fast team over roads which indicate the need of the work the convicts are doing. The camp setting makes a beautiful picture, the snowy tents backgrounded by the green hills, with a dotting of little cottonwood groves here and there. The Santa Fe’s huge “hogs,” maneuvering long trains over the giant divide, are constantly puffing laboriously by, fur nishing an easy avenue for departure by any member of the camp if he desired. The camp was started May 12 last, and it took a vast amount of work to put it in its present shape. The state had an appropria tion of $10,006 to start with, and it took $6,000 to get the thing going. This means that Colorado must somehow raise money to continue the work, and it is understood that it has been done. The counties through which the road will pass must assist to the extent of building the culverts and keeping the road in shape after it is completed. Delay in delivering the lumber for the culverts has kept back Willey’s work for some time, but the lumber arrived while we were inspecting the camp. The guards under Willey’ are D. C. Simp son, Frank Smith, J. E. Pool and B. C. Howe, all old, experienced officers, noted for their ability to handle men kindly but effectively. One large tent is devoted to their sleeping quarters. The convicts are divided into dif ferent gangs for road work and each officer has charge of a g-ang. Officers Do Not Carry Arms; No Idea of Force. Let it be understood in the beginning that there is absolutely no suggestion of force, or of durance about the camp. The officers do (Continued on Page Four.) Price Five Cents.