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Story
December 18, 1952
The Prison Mirror
Stillwater, Washington County, Minnesota
What is this article about?
A narrator observes 17-year-old inmate Bob Pett arrive at prison deeply depressed and withdrawn, possibly grieving a lost friend or troubled by confinement. Weeks later, Pett is seen laughing and tanned in the yard, revived by playing football, restoring his appetite for life.
Clipping
OCR Quality
100%
Excellent
Full Text
Maybe he had lost a dear friend. He looked that way. Sunk down deep, lost in himself and the throes of misery. I saw him the day he arrived and a few days later when he was assigned to the Print Shop.
He didn't talk, didn't listen, did nothing - just worked or sat staring at the wall.
I never found anything on the wall to hold my attention, but he did. He was far away, of course, but he felt the pressure of the walls and steel just the same.
Maybe that's what bothered him, this 17-year old lad. Perhaps it was something outside he couldn't do anything about.
Then it happened.
A few weeks ago I saw him on the yard. He had acquired a tan - and he was laughing. Actually laughing!
I dunno? Maybe there is magic in a football: just kicking and catching it. It made Bob Pett smile and has given him an appetite for living. Sometimes it takes so little to do that even here.
He didn't talk, didn't listen, did nothing - just worked or sat staring at the wall.
I never found anything on the wall to hold my attention, but he did. He was far away, of course, but he felt the pressure of the walls and steel just the same.
Maybe that's what bothered him, this 17-year old lad. Perhaps it was something outside he couldn't do anything about.
Then it happened.
A few weeks ago I saw him on the yard. He had acquired a tan - and he was laughing. Actually laughing!
I dunno? Maybe there is magic in a football: just kicking and catching it. It made Bob Pett smile and has given him an appetite for living. Sometimes it takes so little to do that even here.
What sub-type of article is it?
Biography
Personal Triumph
What themes does it cover?
Misfortune
Recovery
Triumph
What keywords are associated?
Prison Inmate
Emotional Recovery
Football Joy
Youth Depression
What entities or persons were involved?
Bob Pett
Where did it happen?
Prison
Story Details
Key Persons
Bob Pett
Location
Prison
Story Details
Seventeen-year-old inmate Bob Pett arrives depressed and withdrawn, staring at walls in misery, possibly grieving or affected by confinement. Weeks later, he laughs and gains a tan playing football in the yard, regaining his will to live.