The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-01-28
A coNvIcT's LIFE.
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The prevalence o. drunkenness in tia
State prison at Auburn oace puzzled The
officers for a kong time. Il was at hrSl
supposed that whisky pAs Brought IL by
some one. bHt 6nally I, was discovered that
distillery was in fun operation within III,
walk II the institution. An eHteFprisina
convict had rigsed worn" In secluded
spot IN the kitchen. and with curn-ueal and
rye was able to produce liquid iha, would
inioxicate whoever drank veEy much If il
The man did thriving business, aud wher
he vas discovered he was making uloRey At
a rapid rate Beer, a. u j. called. i made
even 80 this day. The beverage : brew.
ing % bread crust and Yeast, and i exhil.
Grating if nothing more. The men IN the
kitchen make il and sell il to the prisoners
Al one time euunierfciting was actually
carried on in the prison. limitations were
made 81 silver coins which would readily
deceive unless closely examined Molds
we're made &c plaster Of Paris, and the tess
twenty-five, and fifty cent pieces were plat.
ed in the sadilery hardware shop The
convicts were all well supplied with this
bogus money, and great deal Of il found
it, way into circulation outside
Tho men are not allowed TO carry watches
but great many Of them do. notwithstand.
ing the rule to the contrary. Usually the
watches are kept in leather bags which ara
suspended BY a string about the neck under.
meath the clsahing. A good many of the
prisoners read the newspapers regularly.
How they obtain them is mystery. The
New York dailies reach Auburn at -four
o'clock in the afternoon. and often they will
get into the hands Of the cenVicts the same
evening. or course, each prisoner is not
supplied with paper. One paper viii dc
for dozen men or more.
1t Is supposed that all letters written to
eonviets pass through the hands Of the chap
lain. whose duty it is to see that they con-
tain no mischieyous or improper language.
Half Of the men in the prison send and re-
ceive letters that the chaplain never sees.
These ~go through the underground, as
the officers say. Generally they are taken
in and out by citizen-foremen, whose SYM
pathies the men enlist. Some Of the con-
victs send out for raw steaks, which they
broil at the FORCES and in the furnaces.
Others prefer cake and pie, for which they
will spend every cent they can procure
Sunday affords diversity in prison life.
At six O'Clock, the same as ON a week day,
the convicts leave their cells aud march to
the bucket ground. Thence they proceed
to the messsroom, where the morning meal
of hash is eaten, after which they obtain
their biscuits and return to their cells. At
nine clock they 90 forth again, this time
to the prison chapel. The chapel, as it is
called, is large room-perhaps 100 feet
long and 10 feet wide. At the front end
is platform, in the centre of which is the
chaplain's desk, and on the left are the or
gan and seats for the choir. The audito-
rum is filed with benches In the rear OF
the chapel is a small gallery for the specta.
tors. During the services the guards sit
on the broad sllls Of the windows, which
are several feet from the floor, aud keep
their eyes ON the prisoners. The walls bear
such inscriptions as "Meekness," Faith,
and peace. When the men enter the
sight is a strange one. They march single
file, one behind the other, each man with
his hands upon the sides of the man in front
of him. The movement is the lock-step,