Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1868-01-08

n t~ttSrlOAbElt VI Wv Tvs
,sfer who hes recently been in the Fort |
Madison fcnitentiary--infornally makes
the fo'lasinr interesting "rhip basket Of
items: =
AN TxksrLE or nEEoic DxvorrDxrss.
IS fourd IL the case Of an cid woman Of
sixiy fise-the only female now in tie PeH-
itcutiary-spd which furnishes sad cots-
ment upon human life. We tell tia story
IN its common form, and which is genera i
asserted and heliev = be true. il IS, /
10 Jackton Co of ttis State the heuie =
tie wnnsn--the husband II this seualt
III Is vas murdered Suspicion fastened /
ueos hs opn so8. H. order 20 save hef
asn lr9m tie .cagaAnce Vi tAe aw, tac /
molher--this woman went iatO Coatt and
made oath that Il vas 81. thu, committed
TIE deed The consequence vas hat the
son was release and the mother tried, found
guilty, and condemned to be hung Attic
time, the people of the locality ID no, be-
lleve her 10 be the murdercss. aud subse-
quent Developments .ubstan,iaied ,heir
.uppositions, aud they got up a strong pc
titlon praying Gov. Stone 10 grant her
pardon. Ihe reply Of His Exceliency was
that while he WAS willing 10 allow her 10
rob the gallows OF it's Just dues. he could
not consent 10 her thus fohbiug justice and
the Penitentiary. And so she wtnt to her
doom Unemployment for lic-nnd there
che is suiieringy awaiting that III sht which
shall bring her that dresmless t.oep wh.ch
rartakcs cf no trouble. She il not compel
led 10 work, and is not able to When IN
the county lsil under sentence 4 death, she
attempted suicide by cutting the arteries IL
her left arm. l!ei design was frustrated,
but hcr arm is now useless, being sbriveled
and powcrless Siucc her admiltancs into
the Penitcutisry nearly four years ago. SHE
has never been visited by. nor received =
letter from. any a her relatives. Abane on
ed by all Of her blood, u victim 10 heroic
motherly devotion, and with the light of
earth ID seemingly that Of Heaven shut
from her-this suffering woman 10 surely
AZ object Of human pity, and should, if there
be justice Below or Above. be speedily re-
leased from the VI just durancc imposed up
on her in her aged helplessness
In nearly oil Peniteutiaries the convicts
HAVE THEIR HEADS SHAVED,
but hero the case is different, for this dis
grace is not inflicted only when severe pun
i,hInent il necessary. Another peculiar
feature Of the got >rnment Is. that none Of
the officials or qua Is are allowed to carry
armlinridc Of the prison ya'd. This 10 done
for fear that an assault might be made up
on them by the eonvicis, who would then
obtain means for their own release. They
rely solely for protection upon the sentrics
on the wall, who are heavily armed; and IN
each sentry house ale eight muskets kept
loaded ready for use. The main safeguard,
however. 10 the discipline which does not
permit the least communicable between
the convicts. Had they chance for conspir-
IL / together. so that they could agree upon
concerted action, they could easily arm
themselves with tools from its workshops,
and with them dispatch the little band now
guarding them and then effect a. easy re-
lease
OLD AND YOUNG coNvicrs
We desire briefly to note the difference
in tho ages Of the convicts. Several are
gray headed 60, 90 aud 70 in their lame
and oi these, three or four ere murdsiers
The sound old saying. "Od nge ~ honor
able" ia her, made II lie and to look upon
mon 40 near to death and judgment, i'm
Iieusly gonE TO the giaye with their aged
u
sighi which coins tears III tie touier heart
u every feeling human.
aud then again, side by side. with these
uuhonorcd old men, are seen those whose
ella, tcrs Of lite are "; scarcely opened.
/ Boys, fresh and fair, with the roses on tii-ir
cheeks not yet faded out OF the crimson
boom ol childhood nre here ss diseracsd
criminals u. an arc when they shoull he
under The shelterlng 1901 anl PRAYERS aud
care Of taeii father and mother. here are
some ten OF twelve canvicts under II, and
one innocen, looking boy Of ~ is 10 ~
y caring tho CRIMINALS enrb, ard hourly as
sUristed with murdeters ard yiilainy's
chIctest desperadoes for no other cii,ue
than that Vi having stolen some clothing
needed 1t was. probably, but whether SO
or not, the punishment IL fear.ullJ IN
just.
BE il written to the shame OF our state
that 1t has
No kErogM scuooi.
BOYS, good enough in principal, but tyrcs
in judgment, led along by evil associations
or sudden impulse, COMMIT petty theft -
Instead Of d humane aud saving correction,
. lradi { back TO iruth--the Implying lot
ter Of Iowa law sends them 10 to the same
punishment Is that inf cted upsn the older
scholars of crime, murdercrs ruihans. cut
throats and out laws. HE county Jail IL
worse in its influences thsn the peniten-
tlary lor there thy are in daily school
With vi ans, permittei 10 talk them first,
/ INTO n desperate hatred Of the law, and lln-
ally, into defiant AMI voluntary criminals
A. the Penilenuary il IS different, no con
GRAFTON beng allow d, and a stricter dis
cipinc being maintained; but let the dis
horoilng stripes be put upon boy, no diff
ference II but for \ month or year, ard
they will ever remain, resting as ftightful
mark Of iishonor and as Noticeable Ms the
work OF Cam or the inscription on Phidiss'a
SHE'D That little devil which has a tene-
mcnt in every human heart, will kick at
every unjust blow, and uses the blows ~
helrs trip hammer 70 drive its victim deep
er and deeper into perdition.
Ii the State Of Iowa does not wish to sd-
here to the principles Of barbarism, and il
1t does not wish to educate every erring
boy iuto a villain then, for the sake Of i,s
own honor and in recognition Of the do
msuas of that sublime code Of moral ethics
given 10y God on Sinai as guide and chart
for ever Christian human, let it immediate
y establish RrroRM School,
There are, in the Pcnitentiary
ELEVEN LIFE MEMBERS,
most Of them for murder, but one or two for
the no. less outrageous crime Of worldless
cchnlticn
rnR COST OF rng Bull DING
thus far has been . little over one hundred
thousand dollars. We wcrs unable to a.
certain many OF the points Of its origin ard
early history-owing to the fact that the
records Of former years have been Lost
Looking over the roll-book, We noticed that
$50 convicts have had their names on the
present records. The Penitentiarv was first
used as such in the year ls44, and has been
enlarged as the State has grown in popula-
ton.
NATIVITY OF coNvicrs.
Iowa has fsrnished fourteen Of its own
| sons. OF these, Wapelo county furnishes
SIR, and the counties OF Cedar, Keokuk,
Louisa, Scott, Dcs Moines, Boone, Dubuque
ard Van Buren,. one each. The wapeilo-
mans who read this, will please take notice
and hereafter scatter more tracts.
/ ,f -.