The Articulate Bigamist
Some accomplished con-men have an additional, powerful tool in their arsenal of manipulation - the pen and paper, and the ability to wield it effectively.
Inmate Curtis, an Anamosa resident, was sentenced to the Penitentiary in 1895 to a term of five years for Bigamy. He was a newspaperman by trade, and had traveled widely prior to arriving here. His past finally caught up with him, a past filled with unkept promises, unpaid bills, broken hearts, and several simultaneous wives. The attached pdf file is a fairly lengthy dissertation written by Curtis, who was then editor of the Anamosa Prison Press. It's historical value is clear - he writes about daily life and routine at the Penitentiary in the 1890s. Otherwise, however, the essay is a well-written but self-serving vehicle for Curtis to promote his own agenda.