The Red Cloud chief., 1878-04-04

Probably there h more curiosity coo-
corning the prison career of jesse Pom
.roy than any other convict In the inst
tu,ion. Iii. atrocities are known the
world over. and hundreds make the
vain vi.i, Ia the prison TO get . sight as
him. Indeed scarcely . visitor appear
here but who asks for the privilege.
and. strange " II may seem the most
im~portunsie and persistent Of these are
found among the lady visitors. II IL
no uncommon thing Tor the Warden 10
be impor.uned for half an hour NJ y
time by q delegation Of these philan-
,hropic females. and. finding that their
pleadings are useless. they 10 on In .
rage. probably declaring inwArdly that
Pomeroy IL q saint and angel In com
parison with Gen. Chamberlain. This
singular phenomenon Of y fend and
murderer Is even more singulr since his
incarceration for life in a lonely cell
than he WAS in the palmy days u his
atrocities. lie has. in fact. become
quite m exemplary young man. and IL
evidently determined upon acquiring =
thoroughly classical education. He IL
away by himself in q cell In that part
Of the prison known ~ the Upper
Arch" out of the sight Of everything
and everybody, and the only sounda
which greet his ears are the whistles Of
the passing locomotives and rumbling
II the trains. Three times = day only
is the solitude broken BY the appear
ance of q keeper with his meals, and
then not q word passes between them.
II should I've added, In qualification,
how that the chaplain visits him
occasionally, and also that his mother
and brother are allowed interviews
with him every three months. This IL
in accordance with the general rules Of
the prison, all Of which are applicable
70 Pomcroy, with the terrible exception
that his confinement is ~ he solitary
during his natural life. During the
regular working hours he !. employed
making shoe-brushes. bus in this ~
spect he il not the most profitable con-
Wet in the prison. He seems to have
taken to literature rather than to the
mechanic arts. and spends much Of his
time in the acquisition Of knowledge.
SO far as the English branches go he Is
already master, and has now ked
Latin. French and German, and il
making astonishing progress In all
three Of them. II il were not for the
conditions which forbid his mingling
with the rest Of the prisoners II would
not be u bad idea 10 make him PRO
lessor Of Languages Of the institution.
He writes u letter to his mother every
week, and receives one from her regu-
larly in return. The poor woman
brings over her communication every
Saturday. and invariably finds one
awaiting her. The letters which the
Young murderer writes are marvels in
the way Of parental correspondence,
and some Of his descriptions Of his
lonely life are characterized by q sad.
ness which Is indeed narrowing. He
never makes any reference To his crimes,
and when questioned by the officers
about the multitude Of murders and
outrages which he has committed he in
variably answers that no knows moth.
ing whatever about them. He has al
ways shown a great affection for his
mother. and her devotion to him has
shown her IA possess those natural in
stincts which are the charm of pure
womanhOod. She seems to be- an excmp-
larry woman in every respect, never
complaining. but always anxious, and
has the coincidence and sympathy of
every officer Of the prison, rs she
should indeed of the whole community.
- boston Globe.