December 21, 2025 • 27 mins
On this episode of Our American Stories, every Sunday, Our American Stories host Lee Habeeb speaks with Mitchel "Big Mitch" Rutledge, who has spent more than forty years serving a life sentence in Alabama. Each call traces the shape of faith, regret, and forgiveness inside a place built for punishment.
Mitch opens with a memory that still sets the tone for how he sees prison: a place where you learn to sleep with one eye open and keep your back to the wall. He talks about the people who shaped him on the inside (both good and bad), and shares poems written in their honor.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
This is Lee Habib, and this is our American stories.
This next story is about a friend of mine. We're
close in age, but have little else in common. Mitchell
Rutledge aka Big Mitch, was born black and poor in Georgia.
I was born kind of brown and middle class in
New Jersey. He never met his father. I still talk
(00:33):
to my ninety four year old father every week. He
dropped out of high school in his early teens and
was illiterate into his early twenties. I was surrounded by
books growing up and finished graduate school in my early thirties.
Big Mitch spent the last forty four years of his
life in Alabama prisons for killing a man. But this
(00:55):
is not a story about an innocent man sentenced to
prison for a crime he didn't commit. Big Mitch never
denied the crime or made excuses for it.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
This is the.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Story of my friend's spiritual transformation while serving his life sentence.
It's also about a friendship. Only God could have engineered
a friendship that began with a single Sunday morning call.
Through these weekly conversations, I hope you come to know
and love him as much as I do. Here's our
conversation on March tenth, twenty twenty four, where Mitch begins
(01:31):
by setting the scene for an original poem he later
shares with us, called Den of Jackals. He compares prison
life to living in a den of jackals. Everyone is
out to get someone else, no one can be trusted.
Let's take a listen.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
This is a free call from an incarcerated individual at
Alabama Department of Corrections.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
To accept this pre call.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Press one to refuse this pre call, Press two. Thank
you for using securious. You may start the conversation now.
To Denner Jackers, I wrote that in nineteen ninety six,
February the first, nineteen ninety six, and I wrote it
(02:17):
at a time I was living in Tusail Down the
home in prison. That's where I did thirty one years
at and uh that's where the death row was at
as well. And it was so treacherous in the sense that,
you know, guys, the games that they played with each other,
it was unfair, and it was the dog eat dog,
(02:40):
you know, it's on the strongest survived. And then they
didn't have no rule. Step on one you know, like
in my book I had gotten do called Big Grind.
He said, well, I step on the week. If I
don't step on, somebody else gonna step on. So that's
that's the man and I know him, and that's and
(03:02):
that's the life he lived. And uh and when he
died in prison, you know, people celebrated, you know, it's
you know, people was glad that he was gone. Officers
as well. But anyway, the end of Jackals, I was
sitting down one night after I saw so much go on,
and I knew a lot of the guys and and
(03:25):
I said, well, man, I need to sit down and
writes about this and let people know what I see.
So this is what I came up with. And uh,
everybody knows what Jackos consists of, you know, in the
concept of the Jackals, but I'm talking about two legs.
Jackson saw her. And when I go into it, and
(03:46):
I said, camp fire, I'm talking about, you know, the
living area of where the guys were. They was. You know,
four or five might be in a cell together, a
four or five might be in a cubicle everywhere. Guys
living in the dumbitoria, you're sitting around talking. So I
call that the camp So here go, I'm living in
(04:08):
the den of Jackals. The Jackals I'm speaking of are
ones that walk up right. Every jackal performs dishonest and
they's these for his own on any other's game. It's
a hard fight living this life with the jackals. Every
jackal is trying to step on the other one or
(04:31):
use the other one. It's a game in the Den
of Jackals, the owner rule. There is no rule introducing
young and innocent prey to the laws of the game
that mistreat everything and everyone creates a monster innocent and fairness.
(04:52):
It is only a children and the Dan of Jackals.
The only things they respect are lies envag tell us say, hey,
all of these things are welcome and a delightful pocket
at in a campfire. In the Den of the Jackals,
i am tramped in the Den of Jackals. Life is
(05:14):
only given to the strongest jackals. The weakest loans become prey.
It's the beast from within their rules and the Den
of Jackals.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Locked up in a harsh environment, as Mitch was and
is for so long, it's easy for a man to
lose his sanity. But with God's lean on, Mitch managed
to not only survive, but to help others thrive.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Because you know you're you're wrestling with so many things,
and you you you're trying to stay focused, but you're
in the center of you. You're in the storm and
you you know, you're just playing and you're trying to
stay focus. You're trying to keep your sanity because being
it is alone, they say you go crazy. Is a
lot of guys, you know, they just lose sight of
(06:01):
a lot of things and then they give up. This
parent takeovers. So it's so many things that attacked you
in here, just ab being in here, and you have
to warn those things off in there. And the only
way I have been able to do that through the
will of God, just through Jesus Christ, just you know,
(06:22):
being the center of my being, Jesus Christ bringing me through.
He's giving me wisdom, notwedge understanding. He giving me faiv well,
he protect me as I walk through here, you know,
he just just I'm up under his umborella. So and
I thank God for that. That's the only way you
can make it in here. As long as I've been
in here here, there's just no joke right here.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
And I'm telling you, and you've been listening to Big
Mitch Rutlets forty five years in prison and This was
our ninth week of conversation. It's about an hour each
week still to this day having that hour conversation. I
won't have that hour conversation and as long as Mitch
is in prison, and hopefully one day much longer conversations
(07:04):
when he's out when we come back. More spiritual insight
from a man who hasn't been in civilian life for
almost his entire adult life. Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch
continues here on Our American Stories, Leehabib here, and I'd
(07:30):
like to encourage you to subscribe to Our American Stories
on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, or wherever you
get our podcasts. Any story you missed or want to
hear again can be found there daily again. Please subscribe
to the Our American Stories podcast on Apple Podcasts, the
(07:51):
iHeartRadio app, or anywhere you get your podcasts. It helps
us keep these great American stories coming. And we're back
with Our American Stories and episode nine of Sunday Mornings
(08:13):
with Big Mitch. While being locked up for over forty
four years, Mitch has met his share of interesting characters
who go by names that are just as strange. Here's
Mitch on one of the more infamous faces to haunt
the prison walls he calls home.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
You have guys with nicknames, you know, all type of nicknames.
Count Tract was one of them. I met him. I
was on with delf Roe. He was in population and
when I got off del for Roe, you know, I
live around him for a minute. But he had a
notorious reputation. You know, it wasn't good. And from my understanding,
(08:56):
you know, he had killed several guys in prison. He
and another guy killed uh younger guy because he a
young guy, wanted to let them rape him, so he
killed him. Uh he was he he was, you know,
and and and even before I came to prison, I
(09:17):
I his reputation, well, you know in prison was uh
one like you know one speak about as sh you know,
Uh you heard his name before you came to prison.
If you was anywhere living around or near the state
of Alabama. Anybody that been to prison in state Alabama,
you know you heard guys talk about a guy name Countractor.
(09:40):
It was always so it was a year every tang.
Even even before I met him. He got things that
I heard about him, and he he was a the
whole thing I could said he was a wicked guy.
He always hugged the wall when he walked. You know,
he never walked in the center of the uh uh
h flow like everybody else. He always stayed close to
(10:03):
wherever wall or inside he was. That's that's where he
he hugged at soo dudes and man, they cond of
tract right there. So I said, oh, that's him so
uh and I looked at him. You know, he was
walking hug in the wall, you know, kind of slim
or real dogs can got kind of slam like about
sixty two something like that. He had h in the
(10:26):
front in the mouth where the two canines. Those teeth
was out on. No teeth there, uh on. The only
things right there the front two teeth, h three or
four teeth before you get to the canines. They was
out at the top. You know. I don't know how
(10:48):
you got the name kind of tractor, but uh that
may have something to do with it. But anyway, I
saw him before. So I'm going on the yard that
particular day and they taking their flow out there. We
got to hang up mind that back. So when we
passed by him, you know, we got the officers with
us and everything.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
You know.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
So he you know, he looked and smile. Well, you know,
I gave the look, the ugliest look I can get him.
It was a sincere ugly look. You don't smile back,
as he ain't no reason to smile back. But uh, yeah,
he had victorious reputation.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Although Mitch en countered many dangerous criminals during his sentence,
there was one man who stood out amongst the rest,
a man who had become an inspiration to Mitch as
he grew in his faith.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Yeah, he got named Big Club. He was about six
foot he but he was. He was.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
He was a humble giant and he didn't leave in guys,
taking advantage of younger guys and uh he uh if
he saw something in your head, try to help you out.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
He was a good guy. His brother, one of his
younger brothers, played football for the University of Alabama, and uh,
but he he was. He was a really really good guy.
Far as what I mean by being incarcerated, with being
locked up with him, he was about trying to help
(12:20):
the young guys to stay out of trouble and you know,
get your education and stuff like that. He he did that.
So that's first, that's what I eventually reflected on Big
Pluck how he treated us, and when I got myself
situated and and and found God and then got on
(12:42):
a new path and reindivented myself by the grace of God.
And that's what I need, you know, always try to
be a and continue to be a light into a
dog path in which individual is walking, especially in here,
you know. And uh, he was God in environment like that,
(13:02):
you know, and he did and he stopped a lot
of stuff. He stopped a lot of guys from getting raped.
He stopped a lot of stuff, and he just was
a you know, he just was a shining light in
that place. But at the same time, you you you
you had another guy that he called Boogeyman, and Plug
had to stopped him several times, you know, from just
(13:24):
you know, he was just in a a he he
was on something else, you know, he was he was
about something else. He was about on the neggadive pill,
trying to turn young guys out, and all kinds of
other stuff.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
And this next poem of big Mitches that you're about
to hear, well, it humbled me to find out that
our relationship had motivated him to write it. Let's take
a listen.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
The poem that, uh, you motivate. You motivated me to
write his title his Pinshield, And uh, I'm speaking of
about the kingship that that have allowed the kingship that
it is is of Christ. The kingship that that that
(14:09):
individuals that said that they believe in him and that
he's their lord and savior. He and we have a
relationship with him. He's our father. So we have a
kinship with each other. And that kingship is what brought
(14:31):
mister cam it's miss Norman, and every burden of Neigg
ran on you and everyone else to each other lives
and and and uh. That kinship also allowed allowed you
and I to be able to sit here and talk
(14:52):
as we talk and and and relate to each other
because of that particular kingship. So what I did, Uh,
I sat down and I came up with the title kinship.
And I decided to try to elaborate as best as
I could come up with something. So I'm gonna read it.
(15:16):
So that's the kinship that I'm talking about. So the
title is the kinship, A kinship that disregards human wisdom,
a kinship without the meaning of time, a kinship with
profound visions, a kinship that carries the cup of compassion
(15:44):
and mercy, the kinship that has no boundaries, unstoppable, sent
forth to awaken the human spirit in order to allow
them to hear a message. At the same time, a
(16:04):
tin shield was standing the bone pools of a belief,
of a belief grounded on Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
And you've been listening to Big Mitch Rutlet's share stories
and insights from his forty five plus years in prison
ever since his early twenties, and he also did some
time in his late teens, and in the end never
really had a family life and a home life. Prison
has been his home almost his entire adult life. We
(16:40):
get to learn about some of the characters there, Big
Pluck six foot eight, a giant of a man, as
Big Mitch described him, and somebody he said, God sent,
Angel sent, He stopped a lot of stuff. And my
goodness to hear a poem written about well kinship and
(17:00):
the kind of kinship that we who call ourselves Christians
get that sort of shatter every conventional idea about who
your brother and who your sisters are. When we come
back more of this remarkable story Sunday Mornings with Big
Mitch continues here on Our American Stories and we're back
(18:09):
with our American Stories and episode nine of Sunday Mornings
with Big Mitch. Over as many years of reading, learning
and gaining wisdom, Mitch has discovered the profound importance of mindfulness.
Mindfulness not only in mind, but in spirit. Let's take
a listen.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
When you walking through life, be mine for what you're
reaching for, because everything you're reaching for a good for you.
And be mine for what you spend your energy on.
Be mind for who you turn away, because the structure
said be careful for your turn away because you might
(18:51):
be entertained. And I aimedel you never know who God
or sinuate you know, how did in the streets you know,
or even in here you know you got guys walking
around on the door looking for stuff off the ground
to smoke and what have you. And and and guys
oftentimes you know, disregard them as though they are they're nothing.
(19:14):
I don't do that. What I'm gonna do is try
to what I wrote right here is say I'm trying
to carry the cup. I'm a pair of the cup
of compassion and mercy. I got too, and you know
it has been And I will employ anyone to do
that in any situation if you can be mindful, truly
(19:40):
mindful of what you do in life and how you
treat people's.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
One of the great men in one of the great
minds that inspired Mitch throughout his sentence was none other
than doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Here mit share is
a bit of wisdom he learned by studying doctor King's
earlier wor.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Martin Luther King. He said, God have set up the
boundary for everything. He said, Now, oh, when God set
up the boundary of gravity, due to the fact that
it's the instantaneous punishment for that violation, instantly, you understand
(20:23):
that Lord boundary. But he said, God, oh, su st
up the boundary of morale. However, since it's not instantaneously,
man have the tendency to go further and further across
the line of morale and morality until he's just a
(20:45):
ruse sight of God. Now he's standing in president of Satan.
And the Bible said that that's when God turned him
over to a reprobated mind. And and I and I
try to tell God that be be mindful. You understand,
when you get on top of that roof, if you
fall off of you won't do that no more. You
(21:06):
won't get closed to that no more. But when you're
doing things that you feel, there's no punishment for it
right now because it seems right or good. But God
sat up a boundaries for that. It's mirian, what's ryan,
what's wrong, it's wasn't happen. And if you go too far,
(21:29):
which man oftentimes do and you can't come back, God
just turn your loose. And when God turn your lucies
over with.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Mitch then decided to recite an original poem that he
titled Fighting Life. It's a story of all the obstacles
placed in his path throughout his life, obstacles he had
to fight through or overcome. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
The title of the poem is fighting Life. There we go,
while still in my mother's warm, I was attackted by
life because life had attacked my mother by the condition
Life had her condition to however, hall his life hit
(22:17):
me while I was still in darkness and blind. I
fought my way to the light, opened my eyes and
let out a big yelle to say I am here.
It attacked me through being followless with eight teenage mother, poverty,
a crime field, it environment. I fought through that I
(22:40):
was not counted out. Next, it attacked me through the
lack of education. First, being ignorant of my inner abilities,
self love, responsibilities to my family and environment, the world
outside of my neighborhood. I fought through that I was
(23:02):
not counted out. Next, life attacked me through captivity by
locking me away from the world I knew and loved.
While still in captivity, it attacked through individuals just like
myself with my background poverty, fallow listen. I fought through
(23:24):
that I was not counted out. Then life attacked me
for my sanity, self respect, integrity, mars, hope, safely love.
I fought harder than ever before. I was still not
counted out. Next, life fought me for my life, for
(23:46):
my very soul. We fought for years, and just when
life had me on my back, shoulders on the map,
it appeared it was all over. Life had one. I
came up one again, back on my feet to fight
once more. Then Life looked at me with fear and said,
(24:08):
I am tired of fighting you. I said, I am
not tired of fighting you. Life response was what do
you want from me? I said the same thing Jacob
wanted from the age of God, whom he wrestled with
to daylight. Life said, what is that my blessing? Out
(24:31):
of life, Life said, I attacked you. I attack you
before birth and after birth and all throughout your life.
Yet you will not give up and be counted out.
You have my blessing. You win a lessen to all.
Never let life defeat you, regardless of your situation and circumstances.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
And to close out our conversation on this, MIDS shared
a message to anyone who's falling on hard times or
just needs some words of encouragement.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
You need to just keep tugging on. You can't give up,
you know. You you got to keep believing. You got
to keep hope alive. You can't let it life fight
you for your sanity, for your hope, your love. You
got to hold on to it regardless of the situation.
That's it. That's what I was saying right there. You know,
even though the way I came up, my environment, coming
(25:29):
to prison, all through our life, you can't give up.
And that's why I've written in it. But I just
wrote there for anybody specially guys in this situation right here.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
Because they kept talking about dying and whatever.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
It's just falling off by the way time. But you
can't give up. And people out there right now, you know,
I don't know what they're going through the same way
as you. But whatever you're going through.
Speaker 4 (25:50):
You if you hear that right there or you read
it or hear it, you know, if it period you
here kind of we lead And like I said at
the end of it, you know, by rene and listen,
you listened to all the in life to feats you
regardless of your situation in circumstances. You know where he
(26:11):
had to keep getting in line. I defeat you regardless
of your situation in circumstances.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
And I guess he had read there.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling
by our own Greg Hengler and Reagan Habib. And my goodness,
what Mitch had to say about mindfulness, be mindful of
what you're reaching for is everything you're reaching for might
not be good for you. And be mindful of how
you treat people. So true, God has set up boundaries,
(26:44):
he described having learned that from Reverend Martin Luther King.
I always want to add it's reverend. He was a doctor,
but he had a doctor in theology. God has set
up boundaries for our own good. It's so important to
remember that. And last, he said, don't give up. Fight
for your sanity, fight for your hope, fight for your love.
(27:07):
Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch, Episode nine. Here on our
American Stories.
This is Lee Habib, and this is our American stories.
This next story is about a friend of mine. We're
close in age, but have little else in common. Mitchell
Rutledge aka Big Mitch, was born black and poor in Georgia.
I was born kind of brown and middle class in
New Jersey. He never met his father. I still talk
(00:33):
to my ninety four year old father every week. He
dropped out of high school in his early teens and
was illiterate into his early twenties. I was surrounded by
books growing up and finished graduate school in my early thirties.
Big Mitch spent the last forty four years of his
life in Alabama prisons for killing a man. But this
(00:55):
is not a story about an innocent man sentenced to
prison for a crime he didn't commit. Big Mitch never
denied the crime or made excuses for it.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
This is the.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Story of my friend's spiritual transformation while serving his life sentence.
It's also about a friendship. Only God could have engineered
a friendship that began with a single Sunday morning call.
Through these weekly conversations, I hope you come to know
and love him as much as I do. Here's our
conversation on March tenth, twenty twenty four, where Mitch begins
(01:31):
by setting the scene for an original poem he later
shares with us, called Den of Jackals. He compares prison
life to living in a den of jackals. Everyone is
out to get someone else, no one can be trusted.
Let's take a listen.
Speaker 2 (01:47):
This is a free call from an incarcerated individual at
Alabama Department of Corrections.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
To accept this pre call.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Press one to refuse this pre call, Press two. Thank
you for using securious. You may start the conversation now.
To Denner Jackers, I wrote that in nineteen ninety six,
February the first, nineteen ninety six, and I wrote it
(02:17):
at a time I was living in Tusail Down the
home in prison. That's where I did thirty one years
at and uh that's where the death row was at
as well. And it was so treacherous in the sense that,
you know, guys, the games that they played with each other,
it was unfair, and it was the dog eat dog,
(02:40):
you know, it's on the strongest survived. And then they
didn't have no rule. Step on one you know, like
in my book I had gotten do called Big Grind.
He said, well, I step on the week. If I
don't step on, somebody else gonna step on. So that's
that's the man and I know him, and that's and
(03:02):
that's the life he lived. And uh and when he
died in prison, you know, people celebrated, you know, it's
you know, people was glad that he was gone. Officers
as well. But anyway, the end of Jackals, I was
sitting down one night after I saw so much go on,
and I knew a lot of the guys and and
(03:25):
I said, well, man, I need to sit down and
writes about this and let people know what I see.
So this is what I came up with. And uh,
everybody knows what Jackos consists of, you know, in the
concept of the Jackals, but I'm talking about two legs.
Jackson saw her. And when I go into it, and
(03:46):
I said, camp fire, I'm talking about, you know, the
living area of where the guys were. They was. You know,
four or five might be in a cell together, a
four or five might be in a cubicle everywhere. Guys
living in the dumbitoria, you're sitting around talking. So I
call that the camp So here go, I'm living in
(04:08):
the den of Jackals. The Jackals I'm speaking of are
ones that walk up right. Every jackal performs dishonest and
they's these for his own on any other's game. It's
a hard fight living this life with the jackals. Every
jackal is trying to step on the other one or
(04:31):
use the other one. It's a game in the Den
of Jackals, the owner rule. There is no rule introducing
young and innocent prey to the laws of the game
that mistreat everything and everyone creates a monster innocent and fairness.
(04:52):
It is only a children and the Dan of Jackals.
The only things they respect are lies envag tell us say, hey,
all of these things are welcome and a delightful pocket
at in a campfire. In the Den of the Jackals,
i am tramped in the Den of Jackals. Life is
(05:14):
only given to the strongest jackals. The weakest loans become prey.
It's the beast from within their rules and the Den
of Jackals.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
Locked up in a harsh environment, as Mitch was and
is for so long, it's easy for a man to
lose his sanity. But with God's lean on, Mitch managed
to not only survive, but to help others thrive.
Speaker 2 (05:41):
Because you know you're you're wrestling with so many things,
and you you you're trying to stay focused, but you're
in the center of you. You're in the storm and
you you know, you're just playing and you're trying to
stay focus. You're trying to keep your sanity because being
it is alone, they say you go crazy. Is a
lot of guys, you know, they just lose sight of
(06:01):
a lot of things and then they give up. This
parent takeovers. So it's so many things that attacked you
in here, just ab being in here, and you have
to warn those things off in there. And the only
way I have been able to do that through the
will of God, just through Jesus Christ, just you know,
(06:22):
being the center of my being, Jesus Christ bringing me through.
He's giving me wisdom, notwedge understanding. He giving me faiv well,
he protect me as I walk through here, you know,
he just just I'm up under his umborella. So and
I thank God for that. That's the only way you
can make it in here. As long as I've been
in here here, there's just no joke right here.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
And I'm telling you, and you've been listening to Big
Mitch Rutlets forty five years in prison and This was
our ninth week of conversation. It's about an hour each
week still to this day having that hour conversation. I
won't have that hour conversation and as long as Mitch
is in prison, and hopefully one day much longer conversations
(07:04):
when he's out when we come back. More spiritual insight
from a man who hasn't been in civilian life for
almost his entire adult life. Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch
continues here on Our American Stories, Leehabib here, and I'd
(07:30):
like to encourage you to subscribe to Our American Stories
on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, Spotify, or wherever you
get our podcasts. Any story you missed or want to
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(07:51):
iHeartRadio app, or anywhere you get your podcasts. It helps
us keep these great American stories coming. And we're back
with Our American Stories and episode nine of Sunday Mornings
(08:13):
with Big Mitch. While being locked up for over forty
four years, Mitch has met his share of interesting characters
who go by names that are just as strange. Here's
Mitch on one of the more infamous faces to haunt
the prison walls he calls home.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
You have guys with nicknames, you know, all type of nicknames.
Count Tract was one of them. I met him. I
was on with delf Roe. He was in population and
when I got off del for Roe, you know, I
live around him for a minute. But he had a
notorious reputation. You know, it wasn't good. And from my understanding,
(08:56):
you know, he had killed several guys in prison. He
and another guy killed uh younger guy because he a
young guy, wanted to let them rape him, so he
killed him. Uh he was he he was, you know,
and and and even before I came to prison, I
(09:17):
I his reputation, well, you know in prison was uh
one like you know one speak about as sh you know,
Uh you heard his name before you came to prison.
If you was anywhere living around or near the state
of Alabama. Anybody that been to prison in state Alabama,
you know you heard guys talk about a guy name Countractor.
(09:40):
It was always so it was a year every tang.
Even even before I met him. He got things that
I heard about him, and he he was a the
whole thing I could said he was a wicked guy.
He always hugged the wall when he walked. You know,
he never walked in the center of the uh uh
h flow like everybody else. He always stayed close to
(10:03):
wherever wall or inside he was. That's that's where he
he hugged at soo dudes and man, they cond of
tract right there. So I said, oh, that's him so
uh and I looked at him. You know, he was
walking hug in the wall, you know, kind of slim
or real dogs can got kind of slam like about
sixty two something like that. He had h in the
(10:26):
front in the mouth where the two canines. Those teeth
was out on. No teeth there, uh on. The only
things right there the front two teeth, h three or
four teeth before you get to the canines. They was
out at the top. You know. I don't know how
(10:48):
you got the name kind of tractor, but uh that
may have something to do with it. But anyway, I
saw him before. So I'm going on the yard that
particular day and they taking their flow out there. We
got to hang up mind that back. So when we
passed by him, you know, we got the officers with
us and everything.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
You know.
Speaker 2 (11:05):
So he you know, he looked and smile. Well, you know,
I gave the look, the ugliest look I can get him.
It was a sincere ugly look. You don't smile back,
as he ain't no reason to smile back. But uh, yeah,
he had victorious reputation.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Although Mitch en countered many dangerous criminals during his sentence,
there was one man who stood out amongst the rest,
a man who had become an inspiration to Mitch as
he grew in his faith.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
Yeah, he got named Big Club. He was about six
foot he but he was. He was.
Speaker 3 (11:47):
He was a humble giant and he didn't leave in guys,
taking advantage of younger guys and uh he uh if
he saw something in your head, try to help you out.
Speaker 2 (11:59):
He was a good guy. His brother, one of his
younger brothers, played football for the University of Alabama, and uh,
but he he was. He was a really really good guy.
Far as what I mean by being incarcerated, with being
locked up with him, he was about trying to help
(12:20):
the young guys to stay out of trouble and you know,
get your education and stuff like that. He he did that.
So that's first, that's what I eventually reflected on Big
Pluck how he treated us, and when I got myself
situated and and and found God and then got on
(12:42):
a new path and reindivented myself by the grace of God.
And that's what I need, you know, always try to
be a and continue to be a light into a
dog path in which individual is walking, especially in here,
you know. And uh, he was God in environment like that,
(13:02):
you know, and he did and he stopped a lot
of stuff. He stopped a lot of guys from getting raped.
He stopped a lot of stuff, and he just was
a you know, he just was a shining light in
that place. But at the same time, you you you
you had another guy that he called Boogeyman, and Plug
had to stopped him several times, you know, from just
(13:24):
you know, he was just in a a he he
was on something else, you know, he was he was
about something else. He was about on the neggadive pill,
trying to turn young guys out, and all kinds of
other stuff.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
And this next poem of big Mitches that you're about
to hear, well, it humbled me to find out that
our relationship had motivated him to write it. Let's take
a listen.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
The poem that, uh, you motivate. You motivated me to
write his title his Pinshield, And uh, I'm speaking of
about the kingship that that have allowed the kingship that
it is is of Christ. The kingship that that that
(14:09):
individuals that said that they believe in him and that
he's their lord and savior. He and we have a
relationship with him. He's our father. So we have a
kinship with each other. And that kingship is what brought
(14:31):
mister cam it's miss Norman, and every burden of Neigg
ran on you and everyone else to each other lives
and and and uh. That kinship also allowed allowed you
and I to be able to sit here and talk
(14:52):
as we talk and and and relate to each other
because of that particular kingship. So what I did, Uh,
I sat down and I came up with the title kinship.
And I decided to try to elaborate as best as
I could come up with something. So I'm gonna read it.
(15:16):
So that's the kinship that I'm talking about. So the
title is the kinship, A kinship that disregards human wisdom,
a kinship without the meaning of time, a kinship with
profound visions, a kinship that carries the cup of compassion
(15:44):
and mercy, the kinship that has no boundaries, unstoppable, sent
forth to awaken the human spirit in order to allow
them to hear a message. At the same time, a
(16:04):
tin shield was standing the bone pools of a belief,
of a belief grounded on Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1 (16:17):
And you've been listening to Big Mitch Rutlet's share stories
and insights from his forty five plus years in prison
ever since his early twenties, and he also did some
time in his late teens, and in the end never
really had a family life and a home life. Prison
has been his home almost his entire adult life. We
(16:40):
get to learn about some of the characters there, Big
Pluck six foot eight, a giant of a man, as
Big Mitch described him, and somebody he said, God sent,
Angel sent, He stopped a lot of stuff. And my
goodness to hear a poem written about well kinship and
(17:00):
the kind of kinship that we who call ourselves Christians
get that sort of shatter every conventional idea about who
your brother and who your sisters are. When we come
back more of this remarkable story Sunday Mornings with Big
Mitch continues here on Our American Stories and we're back
(18:09):
with our American Stories and episode nine of Sunday Mornings
with Big Mitch. Over as many years of reading, learning
and gaining wisdom, Mitch has discovered the profound importance of mindfulness.
Mindfulness not only in mind, but in spirit. Let's take
a listen.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
When you walking through life, be mine for what you're
reaching for, because everything you're reaching for a good for you.
And be mine for what you spend your energy on.
Be mind for who you turn away, because the structure
said be careful for your turn away because you might
(18:51):
be entertained. And I aimedel you never know who God
or sinuate you know, how did in the streets you know,
or even in here you know you got guys walking
around on the door looking for stuff off the ground
to smoke and what have you. And and and guys
oftentimes you know, disregard them as though they are they're nothing.
(19:14):
I don't do that. What I'm gonna do is try
to what I wrote right here is say I'm trying
to carry the cup. I'm a pair of the cup
of compassion and mercy. I got too, and you know
it has been And I will employ anyone to do
that in any situation if you can be mindful, truly
(19:40):
mindful of what you do in life and how you
treat people's.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
One of the great men in one of the great
minds that inspired Mitch throughout his sentence was none other
than doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Here mit share is
a bit of wisdom he learned by studying doctor King's
earlier wor.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Martin Luther King. He said, God have set up the
boundary for everything. He said, Now, oh, when God set
up the boundary of gravity, due to the fact that
it's the instantaneous punishment for that violation, instantly, you understand
(20:23):
that Lord boundary. But he said, God, oh, su st
up the boundary of morale. However, since it's not instantaneously,
man have the tendency to go further and further across
the line of morale and morality until he's just a
(20:45):
ruse sight of God. Now he's standing in president of Satan.
And the Bible said that that's when God turned him
over to a reprobated mind. And and I and I
try to tell God that be be mindful. You understand,
when you get on top of that roof, if you
fall off of you won't do that no more. You
(21:06):
won't get closed to that no more. But when you're
doing things that you feel, there's no punishment for it
right now because it seems right or good. But God
sat up a boundaries for that. It's mirian, what's ryan,
what's wrong, it's wasn't happen. And if you go too far,
(21:29):
which man oftentimes do and you can't come back, God
just turn your loose. And when God turn your lucies
over with.
Speaker 1 (21:38):
Mitch then decided to recite an original poem that he
titled Fighting Life. It's a story of all the obstacles
placed in his path throughout his life, obstacles he had
to fight through or overcome. Let's take a listen.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
The title of the poem is fighting Life. There we go,
while still in my mother's warm, I was attackted by
life because life had attacked my mother by the condition
Life had her condition to however, hall his life hit
(22:17):
me while I was still in darkness and blind. I
fought my way to the light, opened my eyes and
let out a big yelle to say I am here.
It attacked me through being followless with eight teenage mother, poverty,
a crime field, it environment. I fought through that I
(22:40):
was not counted out. Next, it attacked me through the
lack of education. First, being ignorant of my inner abilities,
self love, responsibilities to my family and environment, the world
outside of my neighborhood. I fought through that I was
(23:02):
not counted out. Next, life attacked me through captivity by
locking me away from the world I knew and loved.
While still in captivity, it attacked through individuals just like
myself with my background poverty, fallow listen. I fought through
(23:24):
that I was not counted out. Then life attacked me
for my sanity, self respect, integrity, mars, hope, safely love.
I fought harder than ever before. I was still not
counted out. Next, life fought me for my life, for
(23:46):
my very soul. We fought for years, and just when
life had me on my back, shoulders on the map,
it appeared it was all over. Life had one. I
came up one again, back on my feet to fight
once more. Then Life looked at me with fear and said,
(24:08):
I am tired of fighting you. I said, I am
not tired of fighting you. Life response was what do
you want from me? I said the same thing Jacob
wanted from the age of God, whom he wrestled with
to daylight. Life said, what is that my blessing? Out
(24:31):
of life, Life said, I attacked you. I attack you
before birth and after birth and all throughout your life.
Yet you will not give up and be counted out.
You have my blessing. You win a lessen to all.
Never let life defeat you, regardless of your situation and circumstances.
Speaker 1 (24:57):
And to close out our conversation on this, MIDS shared
a message to anyone who's falling on hard times or
just needs some words of encouragement.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
You need to just keep tugging on. You can't give up,
you know. You you got to keep believing. You got
to keep hope alive. You can't let it life fight
you for your sanity, for your hope, your love. You
got to hold on to it regardless of the situation.
That's it. That's what I was saying right there. You know,
even though the way I came up, my environment, coming
(25:29):
to prison, all through our life, you can't give up.
And that's why I've written in it. But I just
wrote there for anybody specially guys in this situation right here.
Speaker 4 (25:37):
Because they kept talking about dying and whatever.
Speaker 2 (25:39):
It's just falling off by the way time. But you
can't give up. And people out there right now, you know,
I don't know what they're going through the same way
as you. But whatever you're going through.
Speaker 4 (25:50):
You if you hear that right there or you read
it or hear it, you know, if it period you
here kind of we lead And like I said at
the end of it, you know, by rene and listen,
you listened to all the in life to feats you
regardless of your situation in circumstances. You know where he
(26:11):
had to keep getting in line. I defeat you regardless
of your situation in circumstances.
Speaker 2 (26:17):
And I guess he had read there.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
And a terrific job on the production editing and storytelling
by our own Greg Hengler and Reagan Habib. And my goodness,
what Mitch had to say about mindfulness, be mindful of
what you're reaching for is everything you're reaching for might
not be good for you. And be mindful of how
you treat people. So true, God has set up boundaries,
(26:44):
he described having learned that from Reverend Martin Luther King.
I always want to add it's reverend. He was a doctor,
but he had a doctor in theology. God has set
up boundaries for our own good. It's so important to
remember that. And last, he said, don't give up. Fight
for your sanity, fight for your hope, fight for your love.
(27:07):
Sunday Mornings with Big Mitch, Episode nine. Here on our
American Stories.
Host
Lee Habeeb
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