The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1871-11-21
From the Ohio Statesman, Sth inst.1
LIFE I'M PRISON.
The Ecceniriciiies of a Penilen-
tiary Convict of Thirty
Five Years Service.
a venerable Convict that DONE
want OTt--lmaginary Wealth
and Dosnini0n.

The Portsmouth Times of recent
date contained the following paragraph
concerning a historic character at the
Penitentiary:
"John Gull, Of Stark County, sen,
fenced to the penitentiary for life Octo.
ber 81, 1886, his crime being murder in
the second degree. He is now seventy
two years of age, nearly half Of which
has been spent in the Peniten.iary. In
accord with other papers IN the State,
we are in favor of bis release His age
would probably be sufficient guaran ee
for his good conduct during the brief
remnant of his natural life He won d
not recognize the world he left thirty
five years ago" .,...
Probably without full acquaintance
with the circumstances of the case, tn e
Times makes recommendations sugges-
ted by mistaken humanitarianism. 1t
would be absolute cruelty to discharge
John Gull from the prison, even if the
terms of his Sentence had been fulfilled.
He is one of the established characters
of the institution, and probably wouldn't
vamose if rendered liberty; indeed, his
confinement is merely nominal. his men
tai faculties being so impaired that he
cannot appreciate discipline, and his
physical disabilities being such that he
is not valuable in the workshops His
lunacy is not of the kind requiring re-
straint, and he is permitted to wander
around the yard at will, apparently hap
py in imaginary wealth and dominion
1t required a walk of several minutes
through the yard, in company with one
of the prison officers, yesterday morn
ing before we found the venerable priso-
ner, leaning on his cane and compla
Gently viewing the busy scenes in the
workshops, all of which he believes he
owns. In his estimation the riches of
CrGsus are but as drop in the bucket
to the enormity of his possessions and
peeuniary transactions; he could easily
pay the national debt and relieve Boss
Tweed of his little difficulties without
drawing on his banker, and could settle
the vexed question Of revenue in a
twinkling. He has long since superse
ded the State of Ohio in the proprietor
ship of the prison grounds, and does an
outside banking business which he counts
in hundreds Of tons Of dollars. The
most singular part of his hallucination is
that he prosecutes his immense transac.
tions outside of the walls at night
Nearly every morning he has stories to
tell of the fabulous quantities of money
gained the night before, through his own
enterprise or that of his numerous
agents. When asked yesterday morn
ing if be had been ont Monday nigh, he
replied that he had not, but had sent
some of bis men he himself had been
below pointing to the ground) the
profits of the nights operations he did
not regard as amounting to much-only
a few tons of silver and o cart load or
two of gold had been collected. In con-
sequence Of this meagre business Gull
was in bad humor. and not disposed to
converse freely, restlessly moving about
and exhibiting desire to move to some
other part Of the yard to superintend
some of his manifold business opera
tions. .a- ..
This singular man has been in this de-
mented condition for more than ten
years; although too feeble to work, he
looks as though he might survive ten
years more. If turned out upon the
world he would be cUihpletely lost. In
his own imagination he has the most un-
bounded liberty, and possesses what the
world mainly strives for, wealth without
limit. He would regard the freedom
that the Governor could bestow with the
most lively contempt.