The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-04-29

Correspondence OF the Herald.
HukrkvIILE, Aprll ~, 1870
Az | stated In my first pontcntary letter,
the prison ut Rusk Is not yet completed, The
walls nro IN full course Of construction, and
the buildings for tho industries TO be crrrl' d
on inside the walls have been contracted for,
The industries In this prison are to be the
same M those at Huntsville, but on more
extensive scale, and with the nd
dition, perhaps of small
FOUNDRY
To utilize what scrap iron may accumulate
from time to time and tho little iron ore ne
cessible Whereabouts. Tho impression II
seems prevails throughout the State that
there Is nm abundance of iron ore immcd-
acly around tho prison at Rusk, and TINT
for that reason the pcniteniary was located
there. Superintendent Goreo informs mo that
IL is mistake TO suppose there is any ore TO
amount to anything in reasonable reach of
the prison. He says all there Is to be found
~ " llltlN WV '''Il'hk Wv h'lN hllN
there, not sufficient in quantity to make il an
object II Is conceded, | believe, that surlhce
ore is inferior in quality, and if it be that, and
there Is but little orc in quantity near the
penitentiary, the question arises, "Why did
the commissioners, appointed ut no little cN-
penso TO the State, to select sites for the
branch penitenharies, select Rusk for one of
them, removed as il is, from any railwa,
line ~ The Inconvenience Of reaching II with
prisoners, and of taking its manufactured
materials to market, certainly should hay,
been offset by some superiority of the Local
ton over Others, which superiority has all
along been supposed to be in an ineXhausti-
bic supply of iron ore aboutit Jefferson, or
Keleyyille, a few miles from Jefferson. wa,
proposed rs the site for this prison,
and either of these two
points are accessible by mul
road, but there is n bountiful supply of NJ
splendid quality of iron ore in theshills Of
that region as wus ever worked in furnace OF
forge. But what cannot be cured must be
endured, and rs the penitentiary has beer
built Mt Rusk, why the best must be made Of
it that can. This branch prison is made to
accommodate
ONE THOUSAND PRISONERS,
BY putting two in n cell, but as this is too
many in the summer time the probabilities
are that only five hundred will be kept there
ordinarily, though in the bad weather OF
winter persons employed on railroads and in
wood camps may be housed there Temporal
rily. This prison is built of the heavy, solid
sandstone so abundant in Rus> county aid
in fact throughout Eastern Texas. For build.
ing purposes it is considered equal even to
granite, being ferruginous and very compact
but heavy. 1t is u handsome stone and gives
the structure massive appearance that re-
minds one of an imaginative turn of mind, of
some old ieudal castle with its irowning turrets
and gloomy donjon keeps in the days of
chivalry when plumed knights in mailed ar
NOR waged fierce war to win lady's smile.
The State owns some
TWELVE ACRES
OF ground at Huntsville at present, though
until last wear it owned only five acres, which
wear about seven acres more immediatel,
adjoining the prison were purchased, includ
ing the residence site of A. j. Ward, late
lessee. Il MS ItSluCuOt was hcoNIONtu Nv uIc III
1878, but rs the walls remained standing. it
was rebuilt and is now an extremely hand
some edifce, occupied as residence by
Colonel T. j. Goree, Superintendent of the
penitentiary. The material used in the va
rious shops and industrial establishments at
Huntsville is principally Of Texas production.
All the wood used in making furniture, OK
cept that for vaneering. is of Texas
growth, and that in the wagon and
carriage factory rs well, except the
hickory, which is procured at the
North. A short time since the prisoners at
Huntsville we're allowed by the superinten-
Z dent and lessees
RARE TREAT.
willoughby Reade, q noted reader rand
character impersonater, volunteered to give
them reading and they were
granted half Saturdays holiday that
thew might hear him. They We're in.
formed that they might laugh and mp
plaud as much Ms they desired. The reader
seemed to put himself en- rapport with his
audience in their yearnings for the recreation
they we're about to enjoy, and seemed to out
do himself in his humorous impersonations
Never had he an audience that more heartily
enioyed his efforts. They laughed at his va.
rious representations of ludicrous characters
and scenes until the tears ran down their
cheeks, and they applauded with vim that
showed their souls were in il. On Sum
day ne read TO them in his
spIendid style passages from the Bible and
from sacred works, which was also a rich
pleasure 10 them This relaxation from
strict prison rules was Of great benefit to
every one Of them. II lightened ihsloads
on their hearts, gave them glimpse of the
outer world, and begat in them the hope ard
determination to become worthy Of The