The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1880-10-05
PRISON NOTES.

heh, nuu ~ 10 uOO littie dtnusi0B dS
well as interesting, to note the severity
with which the lines are drawn. For
gers, bank robbers, bank burglars,
" false pretense men" and an exception
al class Of murderers form the supper
ten." Housebreakers, highwaymen
and the like are rated next, while men
convicted of rape and other depraved
crimes must walk In the lower circles
A "high toned" convict would not
deign to converse with a .meaner prison.
er, much less to associate with him. In
a sketch of prison life at Auburn the
Syracuse Courier says;
The aristocrat holds up his head in
the consciousness of his supremacy,
while the lowly one shufiles along in
detected manner. The aristocracy,
strange as it may seem, are not disliked
by the humber prisoners, but on the
contrary are respected. Perhaps the
most aristocratic convict that ever wore
the prison garb was Gilman, the insur-
ance scrip raiser from New York. He
could not find it in his nature to place
himself on level with the beings about
him, and held himself strictly aloof from
them.
One afternoon the writer entered the
Office of the State Agent for Discharged
Convicts, where Gilman was employed
as clerk. The man seemed glad of an
opportunity to converse with some one
from the outside world, and talked long
and earnestly. When Marie Roze sang
to the convicts in the prison chapel,
Gilman who was an adept in the use of
the pen, prepared an embellished card,
bearing quotation from Tennyson,
which was so applicable to person shut
out from the world, that Marie Roze in
quired after the man. She was told of
his position and his offense, and evinced
deep interest in him. She accepted
the card, and returned a graceful express
sion of sympathy.
Joe Coburn, the pugilist, is an aristo-
crat. He occupies the place of Depu-
ty's waiter" A part of his duties is to
apply the paddle to refractory convicts.
Joe's physical developments enables
him to WELD the instrument of correc-
ton with salutary effect. Coburn looks
after the office of the Deputy Agent, or
head keeper, but his task is an easy one
on the whole. The lawyers are looked
upon as "great men' by the prisoners,
and words from their lips find endless
repetition among the other prisoners
Stone, one of the famous Canastota "fire
bugs" is pointed out as a prominent"
convict. He is keen perceptive man,
and exerts great influence over the
men. He is at present serving in the
capacity of chaplain's waiter.
King, a lawyer from New York, a
"life man," is shrewd but deceitful.-
The prisoners respect him, but at the
same time are distrustful of him. "Dan"
Kelly, the bank robber, once escaped
from Auburn prison, but is now carefully
watched. On account of his escape he
is the idol of the convicts, although he
will have nothing to do with them. The
lowest man that ever entered the prison
was an old negro named Frank. He
served half dozen terms, all for rape,
and was despised by every man in the
institution. He died about year ago
while serving a sentence. Envy is a
rank element of prison life.
There are many" desirable situations
even in prison, and the strife among
convicts to secure these places is aston
ishing. The position of waiter is par
ticularly good one. A walters duty
consists of taking care of the shop, Of
flee, hall or wing where employed
There is but little to do, and the convict
is enabled to read, chew tobacco, and
talk to his hearts contents. A place as
attendant in the hospital is one of the
best in the prison. The convict has
many opportunities to secure dish of
milk or some delicacy purchased for the
patients. The men in the hospital live
like kings, so to speak, and enjoy many
advantages that the convicts in the
shops never know. The kitchen is a
place much sought after, as the men can
once in awhile make little dishes for
themselves, such as they would not 9TH
erwise obtain.
There are convicts who possess more
influence with the officers than would
be imagined, and not infrequently they
exercise it in securing position. Gam
bling is carried on to a great degree
The convicts do not use cards, as one
would suppose-those are too liable to
detection. They bet on events, changes