Arizona at 100: Convicts turned loose, told to get themselves to Florence prison

June 7, 1912

PHOENIX — Captain Wheeler, sheriff of Cochise County, is a great believer in Gov. Hunt's convict honor system, and in sending a batch of prisoners to the state penitentiary from Cochise County, he anticipated quietly proving the truth of the system without the governor finding the matter out until the men had reached the pen.

He therefore instructed Deputy Sheriff Allie Howe of Cochise, who was in charge of the party, to turn them loose in Phoenix, with instructions to go on down to Florence by themselves and report to the superintendent of the pen and tell him who they were and what they came for.

The plan worked fine, except that part of keeping it from Gov. Hunt. The governor found out, and immediately telephoned the penitentiary to be on the lookout for the men who were to arrive in Florence at 10:25 this morning. The phone line was busy at every attempt to get in touch with Florence, and it was not until too late to tell Superintendent Sims to go to the depot and get the prisoners that he was able to communicate with Florence.

Faithful to promise made to Deputy Sheriff Howe and Capt. Wheeler, the men spent the night in Phoenix without guards, and this morning took the train for Florence and arrived there on time.

Another feature of the trip from Cochise County to Florence is that under ordinary circumstances, two special guards, or maybe three, would have been sent with the party, which was composed of Deputy Sheriff Howe, three prisoners and an insane man by the name of Butler. Instead of having to employ an additional guard to take care of the insane person, who was violent at stages, the prisoners assisted the deputy sheriff in taking care of him, and upon arrival at Phoenix last night he was taken to the asylum.

The unusual thing about the entire trip is that the men were brought from Tombstone without handcuffs and in the custody of but one lone deputy sheriff. In fact, the prisoners evinced no desire than to do the square thing by Capt. Wheeler, who had trusted them, and by Gov. Hunt.

— Arizona Daily Star

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