A Beautiful Horse Thief

The female department of the penitentiary undoubtedly furnishes the most depraved tpyes of humanity. Primarily the partiality of courts and juries for women characterizes every judical system of civilization, and so it must be a depraved and dangerous woman indeed whom a jury of Americans will sentenoe to penal servitude. Decidedly the most unique personality of the female popnlation of the prison is May Colvin. May is only 18 years old and is a rnstic beauty. Dress her in the gorgeous paraphernalia of Lillian Russell and she "would be a more brilliant beauty than that stage celebrity. She has great blue eyes and a masa of touseled blond hair of Titian tint. Her form is luscious - well rounded and plump- and her cheeks are red with the vigorous life of the Ozarks, whence she came. Her mouth is one :hat an impressionable artist would go wild over, with its cherry red lips of sensuous curves, the whole forming the most perfect Cupid'sbow. And, withal, May is a horse thief and doesn't deny t. Certainly the conflnement in the Denitentiary has brought out her native jeauty that must have been blurred or obscured by her exposure to all sorts of rough weather while fleeing over the slains and mountains of the southwest rom the officers or else no jury could iave ever been induced to give her a nn in prison, especially for so common and plebeian an offense as stealing lorses. But May is not only a horse thief, but a jail breaker as well by her own oon'ession. Her feat in breaking from the lail at Girard, Kan., where she was conflned about two years ago for horse stealing, her escape to Jasper county, Mo. , and her eubsequent capture there and prosecution on an old charge will e recalled by the readers of newspajers. "Well, I have no hard luck story to 11, ' ' was the way May greeted The iepublic representativa "They made no mistake in my case. Nearly everyxdy else in here is innocent, according o their own statement, but I'm not. '.'m here for horse stealing. "When I heard you were here and wanted to see me, I thought you were an officer f rom Girard, Kan. , and wanted to take me back there for breaking out of jail. I'm glad you are not, but I guess they'll come for me as soon asmy rm is out here, which will be in about 14 months if I behave myself. I'vebeen a pretty good girl since I've been here. The reason for it, I guess, is that I laven 't had a chance to be bad. However, I've so managed to break the rules as to be put in the dark room two or liree times. But I'm going to behave myself from now on so I can get the jenefit of the three-fourths rule. "I don't know why I've turned out so bad unless it is that it was just born n me. My mother is a good woman, only 35 years old now, a member of ;he Methodist church and has been married three times. She raised me right, and my father, who is a dentist, was always kind and indulgent to me. ! went to the public schools in Webb City until I was 16, and then the devilment began to erop out in me. I don't mow why either. "Nobody ever taught me any wrong, ''m not like other women, either, in )laming my downfall on any man. "