Letter from Unknown (former inmate) to Sweet
Dublin Core
Title
Letter from Unknown (former inmate) to Sweet
Description
An anonymous ex-inmate sent Governor William Sweet a letter that pertained gruesome details about punishment used frequently in the Colorado State Penitentiary. The anonymous person said that a "big niger" would spank many inmates for minor offenses. A "Mexican" was knocked over the head so many times that he died. The anonymous writer argued that the State spent too much money on Tynan and it was unfair that the Denver Post was on his side.
Transcription:
He’s got a better job than the president has and don’t want to lose it. If the people only knew Mr. Governor Sweet in answer to a little spill from Tynan in the Denver Post I can hardly bear to read the lys for I happen to know the truth because I spent 7 months and 23 days in there. And him to talk about the spanking here used for Punishment and did he show the big niger that used the big leather tug board full of holes that the flesh would push up through. I was in the trusty word all that time and I worked at the cow house and I saw him and that beautiful deputy of his and heard the hollering of that poor fellow that they had tied on the house they call it two rings in the floor to tie their hands and feet to and cracked him all the way to the bell the blood dripping on the ground. Because the fellow wouldn’t tell him where he hid the money he was doing time for. And one other incident I saw the deputy do with my own eyes, him and Billy Green was standing in the big door at the dining room he knocked a fellow down because he hit his hands come unfolded with his cane. And one other incident he hit another mexican on the hand with his cane he died and just went over on the hill died with old age. Yes the people of colorado has spent several 10000 of the dollars that Tom Tynan has got that the poor dam fools don’t know about if he had been in there for 16 years with a ball and chain and some of as good a man that is in the world was out it would be about right. I was put in there because I wouldn’t give up $1100.00 that I wouldn’t rob my little family of.
Transcription:
He’s got a better job than the president has and don’t want to lose it. If the people only knew Mr. Governor Sweet in answer to a little spill from Tynan in the Denver Post I can hardly bear to read the lys for I happen to know the truth because I spent 7 months and 23 days in there. And him to talk about the spanking here used for Punishment and did he show the big niger that used the big leather tug board full of holes that the flesh would push up through. I was in the trusty word all that time and I worked at the cow house and I saw him and that beautiful deputy of his and heard the hollering of that poor fellow that they had tied on the house they call it two rings in the floor to tie their hands and feet to and cracked him all the way to the bell the blood dripping on the ground. Because the fellow wouldn’t tell him where he hid the money he was doing time for. And one other incident I saw the deputy do with my own eyes, him and Billy Green was standing in the big door at the dining room he knocked a fellow down because he hit his hands come unfolded with his cane. And one other incident he hit another mexican on the hand with his cane he died and just went over on the hill died with old age. Yes the people of colorado has spent several 10000 of the dollars that Tom Tynan has got that the poor dam fools don’t know about if he had been in there for 16 years with a ball and chain and some of as good a man that is in the world was out it would be about right. I was put in there because I wouldn’t give up $1100.00 that I wouldn’t rob my little family of.
Source
Unknown to William Sweet , box 1, FF 15, No. 5, William Elery Sweet Collection, MSS.613, History Colorado, Denver, Colorado.
Citation
“Letter from Unknown (former inmate) to Sweet,” Cañon City: Ku Klux Klan and Prisons , accessed November 15, 2026, https://coloradocollege.website/prison/items/show/41.