Friday, September 3, 2021
Remembering the Late Gov. Edwin W. Edwards in Sabine Parish
PART VII
A Visit in Prison
Sunday, May 23, 2004
I visited Gov. Edwards in the Federal Prison Medical Center at 3150 Horton Rd. in Ft. Worth, TX on Sunday, May 23, 2004. When I got back to Many, I wrote about our visit for my May 26, 2004 “Observations” column. Just prior to going to press, Edwin’s daughter, Anna, called me and said her father asked that I not write anything about my visit. He said he didn’t want anything published that might hurt him while in prison. I gladly bowed to his wishes but kept a copy of the column. It is published here.
Sunday, I had the good fortune to spend the day with my good friend, former four-time Louisiana Gov. Edwin W. Edwards, who is wrapping up his 19th month of a 10-year sentence, at the Fort Worth Medical Center, a federal prison in Ft. Worth, TX.
He was convicted in a Federal Court in Baton Rouge in May 2000 on charges of racketeering in a riverboat casino corruption trial. There are many who still feel his verdict should not have stood because of numerous circumstances, including questions concerning the actions of the presiding judge. A motion for a new trial has been filed, and the Governor is hopeful that he will get a favorable ruling possibly by the end of June. He reported to the Ft. Worth facility in October 2002.
There is no parole in the Federal Prison system, so the Governor must serve 85 percent (8½ years of his sentence) before he is eligible to leave prison on the merits of good behavior. His only other option is a presidential pardon. A petition drive asking for his release has garnered more than 100,000 signatures. The Governor said it will be used when the timing is right.
It seems that getting into a prison may almost be as hard as getting out. Prior to visiting, I had to be put on a list by the Governor and had to fill out an information sheet. Upon arrival at the prison at 8 a.m., I filled out another form and had my picture taken for the record. At the appointed time, I, along with about 20 visitors were ushered through a free-standing metal detector and then through a hand-wand detector. Following that, each had our hand stamped. We were only allowed to take eyeglasses, wrist watches, car keys and a small sum of money in a plastic bag into the visiting room. In order to visit, a person had to have a picture identification, which the officials kept upon entry. On leaving the visiting room, each person’s ID was returned.
To visit, we were first put into a small holding cell. There was a closed barred door on one end of the room and as we waited, the barred door we had walked through slammed shut while another door opened. We were then led to a nearby building which had a large room filled with probably 75 or so blue chairs lined up in rows. In the room at any given time were one to four guards. There were several rows of vending machines in the room that had everything from drinks, candy and chips to salads and sandwiches.
The prisoners were brought into the room through a couple of doors. I waited for the Governor near one of the doors. Shortly, he was brought in and we immediately smiled to see each other, shook hands and he invited me to have a seat in one of the rows of chairs. He was dressed in a light khaki shirt and pants. He wore white socks and shiny black laced shoes. All prisoners were dressed alike and because of that, visitors were not allowed to wear khaki-colored clothing. His name and prison number were printed on a white tag and attached to both pants and shirt. We noted his name was spelled “Edeards” and his number was 03128-095.
Gov. Edwards looked great. He has lost 20 lbs. since being imprisoned and he has no health problems. He had a prostate problem earlier this year, but is fully recovered from that. He said he walks from two to four miles each day and that he stays busy doing things, both to keep his mind and body active. He will celebrate his 77th birthday on Aug. 7.
As the day progressed, three more of the Governor’s friends came to visit. Visits to a prisoner are determined on a point system, with visits on different days and times accounting for one or two points.
At 11 a.m., Gov. Edwards and the other prisoners were taken into a small courtyard where they were counted. The courtyard had a few picnic tables, a couple of shade trees and a playground for the kids. Anyone who wanted was allowed to go into the courtyard at noon, which we did. We made our way to a picnic table where we stayed and visited until I had to leave at 2 p.m.
The prison is located atop a hill, just a short way north of I-20. It was built in 1935 and houses some 1,530 inmates. The area we saw had three chain link fences around it, each about 12-ft. high. The first fence was laced with six rows of razor wire. The federal prison is not a country club, as some folks imagine. Gov. Edwards receives no special treatment; he gets the same treatment as any other prisoner. The prison guards called him “Edwards.” One of the things about prison life is the boredom, the Governor commented. He gets up at 6:30 every morning and drinks a cup of instant coffee which he prepares the night before; one spoon of coffee and six lumps of sugar. He goes to the hot water fountain for the water. Gov. Edwards said he sure misses having his Community coffee. He next makes his bed, cleans the room he shares with another prisoner and empties the waste basket.
His work day begins when he cleans up the phone bank. He then goes to the TV room where he cleans the tables, chairs, microwaves and windows. Lunch is served between 11 a.m. and noon.
During the afternoon, Gov. Edwards serves as a part-time clerk, delivering documents and filing papers.
During the day, he spends time responding to his personal mail. At present he said he receives about 15 letters per day. He has received as many at 162 in a day and as few as two or three. He usually prepares a generic letter which he sends out, but he normally pens a personal note on each. He is allowed no computer or typewriter; all his writing is by longhand, including the addressing of the envelopes. He said he has about 100 friends who write him on a somewhat regular basis. At one time, the Governor had as many as 20 office personnel to take care of his correspondence; now it’s only him. At 4 p.m. he and the rest of the prisoners report for an inmate count. “You must be in your room and standing to be counted,” he stated. (Three prisoner counts are conducted during the night; at midnight, 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.) Dinner is served between 5-6 p.m. After that, Gov. Edwards resumes work on his mail.
He said he reads a great deal before going to bed. He subscribes to “The Wall Street Journal,” “Readers Digest,” “Forbes” and “Newsweek.” A friend lets him borrow “USA Today” and Ferriday Publisher Sam Hanna sends him the “Concordia Sentinel” and he also receives a paper from Washington Parish. This week, we are adding his name to the “Index” subscription list, so he will be reading Pete Abington’s column each week. Gov. Edwards said he reads daily from the Bible and enjoys reading historical novels. He is currently reading a book entitled “Alaska.”
A matter that greatly irritates Gov. Edwards is that he is not allowed to communicate in any way with his son Stephen, who is serving a seven-year term in the Beaumont, TX Federal Prison. The Governor expressed hope that maybe soon he and Stephen would be put in the same camp where they would be able to see each other.
During our visit, Gov. Edwards asked about several Sabine Parish friends including Tedd Dumas, Judge and Mrs. J. S. Pickett Jr., Attorney Ken Simmons and his wife Phyllis, Sheriff and Mrs. Guffey Lynn Pattison and former District Attorney James L. Davis.
He also asked about newly-elected Speaker of the House Joe Salter of Florien. He had nothing but kind words to say about Rep. Salter.
He said he misses Louisiana cooking, especially boiled crawfish (said he would like to have some of James Cook’s) and crawfish etouffee.
And he reflected on one of his best friends in Sabine Parish, the late Many Mayor Virginia Godfrey.
It was good to see that Gov. Edwards has maintained his keen sense of humor, in spite of his circumstance. He is a survivor and a guy who has learned to roll with the flow. And while being incarcerated is not easy for him, he vows that he will live “to walk out of here.” And we believe he will. It was with a certain amount of sadness that we said good-bye to him. It is not easy to see a friend endure circumstances he doesn’t deserve.
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