The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1872-05-18
A Remarkable Prison Life.

Remarkable Prison Life.
John Gull, of Stark county, was SEN
fenced to the penitentiary for life, Oc-
tober 81, 1886, his crime being murder
in the second degree. He is now ~
years of age, nearly half of which has
been spent in the penitentiary. In &C
cord with the other papers in the State,
we are in favor of his release. His age
would probably be sufficient guarantee
for his good conduct during the brief
remnant of his natural life. He would
not recognize the world he left thirty
five years age.-Portsniouth Times.
Commenting on the above the New
following remarks:
Probably without a full acquaintance
with the circumstances Of the case, the
Times makes a recommendation sug-
gested by mistaken humanitarianism.
1t would be absolute cruelty to dis
charge 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 prob
ably wouldn't vamouse if rendered lib
erty; indeed, his confinement is merely
nominal, his mental faculties being so
impaired that he cannot appreciate
discipline, and his physical disabilities
being such that he is not valuable in
the workshops. His 1unacy is not Of
the kind requiring restraint, and he is
permitted to wander around the yard
at will apparently happy in imaginary
wealth and dominion. 1t required a
walk of several minutes through the
yard, in company with one of the pris-
on officers, yesterday morning, before
we found the venerable prisoner, lean
ing on his cane and complacently view
ing the busy scenes in the workshops,
all of which he believes he owns. In
his estimation the riches of Crcrsus are
but as drop in the bucket to the enor-
nifty of his possessions and pecuniary
transactions; he could easily pay the
national debt without drawing on his
banker, and could settle the vexed
question of revenue in q tWinkling.
He has long since superseded the State
of Ohio in the proprietorship of the
prison ground, and does an outside
banking business which he counts in
hundreds of tons of dollars.
The most singular part Of his hallu-
cination is his belief that he prosecutes
his immense transactions outside the
walls at night. Nearly every morning
he has stories to tell of the fabulous
NuttutAClSS VI AAOHcy SNlACu VIC AlSuV
before through his own enterprise or
that of his numerous agents. When
asked yesterday morning if he had
been out Monday night, he replied that
he had not, but had sent some of his
men he himself had been below (point-
ing to the ground; the profits of the
nights operations he did not regard as
amounting to nucli-only few tons
Of silver and a cart load or two of gold
had been collected. In consequence of
this meagre business Gull was in Il bad
humor, and not disposed to converse
freely, restlessly moving about and OK
hibiting a desire to move to some other
part Of the yard to superintend some of
his manifold business operations.
This singular man has been in this
demented 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 completely lost. In
his own imagination he has the most
unbounded liberty, and possesses what
the world mainly strives for, wealth
without limit. He would regard the
freedom that the Governor could be-
stow with the most lively contempt.