The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-13
OBS fIN.fIE JOE CROSBY.
Isolated from his Fellow Convic,s for Fou
weeks for Having Read The sun.


While Keeper McGinty was making hi,
rounds in the hail Of Sing Sing prison one sun.
day six weeks ago he saw Joe Crosby. an old
English thiri ting on his bed IN cell 80. rcud-
ing copy of Tur SuN Of the previous day.
Crosby. whore did YOU got that paper Z" Mo
Gintv inquired
Found it in my COLL"
How lid it como there ?"
! don't know"
A search through The coll brought t. light n
$ rap Of paper. on which was scrawled in dis
suiscd hand
Don icnilt
Where did this come from ?" McGinty
asked.
don't know; found it with the paper"
Head Keeper BiGlns attention was at once
called 10 this breach Of prison discipline. and
Crosby was again catechiz Il with the same re-
suit as before. he was informed that he would
be- punished until he divulged the name OF tho
person who gave him the copy Of TnE SUN. but
ne maintained doegrd silence
Put him in the cooler said Hcad Keeper
Biglin. and Crosby was taken below
Tho term cooler il the apt designation Of
any onr of the nine dark cells ON tho ground
story of the prison hall which are act npari for
the puni~Nw"ut oi refractory prisoners. Each
cell IL nine feet long and three feet wide. Ii has
no window and the door Of suiid iron Hts
tightly To tho massive masonry. Tho only
ventilation Is by mraus ~ small aperture IN
one corner OF the ceiling and by the small
cracks at thrt top and buttomoi the door. Whcrrn
itllr scconnd-hand air from the prison corridor
gets IN; The roolrr contains no furniture
Of any kind. When prisoner is Put in it n
barrel ut sawdust is cmptied on the damp flags
Tor bis bed. the sentence To- the cooler also
means a bread and water diet. which il served
regularly u 4.
Two or three days usually suffice to Suhlugnic
the most obduratr prisoner. and very few care
10 endure the horrors Of the dark hole "A second
time.
Crosby is one IT the pluckiest men ever put
in there. Twice day Head Keeper BElin
visited him in his cell. Crosby would not say a
word. At the end of the week he complained Of
illness.
" Put him on the regular prison fare" Mr..
On this diet Crosby got better. Bielin forgot
to order him back on bread and water for several
DAYS. until he began to wonder how Crosby kept
IN such good condition. Then he Put him back
DAYS. Crosby siill held out without u sign of
Weakening
Give him solitary confinement in his own
cell, was the next order.
In cell Number 80. undergoing his fourth week
~ Isolation. SuN reporter found Crosby on
Friday last l. the man who reads THE SUI
h,gnning 10 w"aken yet r. was the inquiry of
Head Keeper Bigltn.
Come down with me and sec."
Crosby WAS in the rear part uf his cell, indis-
tinrtly visible IN the darkness.
" Crosby :"
"Hrre. sir" camc the answer in a surlv tone.
Have you anything you would ike 10 say TO
me-
" 80 sir; when have | will send for You. sir"
Why IL itsurh a serious thing for man to
read a newspaper p the reporter inquired as
the visitors walked toward Mr.. Bigliu'- Office.
90 II isn't. That Is not the point. The paper was
smuggled IN. II may havebcen wrapped around
a. bottle Of Whiskry or poison. or i may have en-
closed knit" 'r other weapon. There's no toll.
Ing. Wemust guard against such things. or all
discipline l. II an emil Nrdctect these attempts
at smuggling almost every day. and we are
doing all we can io break II up. Crosby has
simply - himself against NJ" prison Il "a 'iune.
II may seem severe To- punish him So long. but
whore would tle discipline Ice II We let him
beat Us -
Do YOU think he will toll ."
les IN time. u Will tax" "A good while per-
maps. but hV Will finally .iVe ia. lie would
yield 'lncr with har~her treatment hut don't
want 90 ho cruel 90 him. We want a. avoid in
Juring a mans health If We can.
AM You get no clue 10 the writer Of the
W. That SUN WIS undoubtedly brought in
hy some # the instructors hanlr- who
come IN 90 teach the prisoners IN the shops,
ILos' people Io "a Lre4i deal %! smug- lin-;. and
xiv" H. much trouble
doe Crosby. the obstinate reader Of The Sun
vs. s'n'"nc, a o. sing sing hy Recorder llaek.
rii on ~. q. 1879. for burglary in %" ihirl
dH-rN' aud - term ~ impri- lnm'nt "Npirrs
90 = Ut. g. lSlI. Hccpino- ui family uf Thieves.
D i- uh. hl- hr iturr ans hr1iurr-ln-law AAN-
ia. 9TH served ln tn Same PRISON..