“Men are savages at meals. Give ‘em music.” That was the opinion of Fort Madison State Penitentiary warden James C. Sanders. Sanders was in the position for ten years, 1908 to 1918, and his philosophy about penal systems caused a sensation around the country.
“I am here to be locked up,” E.P. Hessenius proclaimed as he walked into the warden’s office at the Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison in October 1914.