Polson man writes book about famous Montana prisoner

Write what you know, goes the maxim.

Jim Blodgett of Polson happened to know one of the most legendary prisoners ever to serve behind the bars of Montana State Prison.

His new book, “The Life and Legend of Turkey Pete,” (co-authored by Joy Morris) is a compassionate and entertaining compilation of stories and photos from the life of prisoner Paul Eitner.

Convicted of murder in 1918, Eitner received a life sentence. He stayed in the Montana State Prison until his death in 1967. Despite several opportunities for parole, he was estranged from his family, and thus had no one to accept him if he got out.

His sister never told other relatives he was in prison and they were surprised toward the end of his life to receive word he was alive. Though his family never knew of his life in prison, he left an indelible mark on Montana history, as told by Blodgett and Morris.

Blodgett came to know Eitner when he started work as a correctional officer at the prison in 1962, and even served as one of his pall bearers. Blodgett advanced quickly, becoming Deputy Warden in 1968, a position he held for 12 years. He was on hand for the move from the old to the new prison in the late 1970s, and was heavily involved in making the old prison into a museum and writing brochures on its history.

He then worked for Washington State Department of Corrections, including as Superintendent of the state prison in Walla Walla. Blodgett retired and settled in Polson in 2005.

In retirement, Blodgett continued to collect and contribute historical information for the museum, including information about Turkey Pete. Five years ago, he was contacted by Joy Morris, wife of a grandnephew of Eitner, Wesley Morris.

Joy was interested in documenting what could be found about Eitner’s life before prison, and combining that with his prison stories.

Their collaboration resulted in the 2019 book publication.

The story of Turkey Pete (a nickname earned when he sold the prison’s entire flock of turkeys he was tending, for 25 cents each) winds through much of the prison’s history, including strikes and deadly riots in the 1950s, the 1959 earthquake, a boxing team, and 12 wardens.

He was well known for writing “checks,” often for massive amounts, for everything from thanking someone for “running an honest bingo game” to solving world poverty and “purchasing” the prison. He had many friends and is the only prisoner to have received a funeral service inside the prison.

But the “heart of the story,” said Blodgett, is that when somebody gets put into prison, a lot of times, family abandons them, “and sometimes rightfully so,” he says.

But Eitner’s situation “shows that family support is really important. He probably could have gotten out as early as the 1930s, but he had nowhere to go.”

Blodgett stresses a lesson he saw throughout his career: “In order to make a transition from prison to the streets, it’s so critical to have some type of support.”

Blodgett says Eitner was “a good guy,” and never had a violent episode in prison. He suspects there were elements of mental illness that led to the original murder. “There wasn’t mental illness treatment available back then,” he said.

“The Life and Legend of Turkey Pete” is available for sale at Blodgett Creamery in Polson, the Old Prison Museum, and several online sites.