Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-02-16
AT THE PRISON.
The KEEPER CLEANING HOUSE
Small Potatoes but Many I'm tho Hear

Small Potatoes but Many in tho Heap.
a representative of the ISTELL1GENGER
Vino made brief visit to the county prison
the other day found number of prisoners,
under direction of Keeper Brrkholder paint
ing, cleaning and Frightening up the ii ont
rooms and corridors, and the painters
handled their brushes with skill and taste.
The Old picture Of Anderson and Richards,
the negro murderers who were the last
persons hanged, has been taken down
from the walls of the front entry where it
had SO long served 10 remind visitors of
their bloody story. The gallows Oh which
they were hanged, which has been pre-
served ever since, is being made up into a
new work bench for the carpenter shop
In the cellar were seen piles of rubbish
and plenty Of dirt, as described in the
keepers address. In an arched ce!lar-way
was pointed cut an immense pile Of pota-
toes. There mast be 800 or 600 bushels
four or five feet deep. The cellar is
small, and the potatoes are heaped up
entirely too Deep and are sprouting rap
idly. Their number, the smaluess of
them, tie manner in which they have
been piled in there, and their i!l-assort-
ment, shows very bad housekeeping. The
keeper las not as yet been able to assert
them, and as the prison cannot consume
them for months to come, their storage
can hardly fail to result in loss to the
county. OF this big pile of little potatoes
lSJ bushels were purchased by Prison In
spcctor Calvin Carter from his relative by
marriage, Will Martin. of Colerain, and
so bushels from another relative by mar.
riage. James Jackson--both lots at $1.OS.
The price was high for such potatoes in
that ncighbDrhOod, but not SO much in
excess OF current market rates as 81 for 81
Shoats
The pump in the prison cello, IS badly
ligced and the labor OF running it is un
necessarily great. A few buckets Of coal
perday would furnish all the necessary
steam power to do this work. An inspec-
ton of the laying q! some Of the smoke
iiues ;tn,. drain pipes in the prison shows
bad workmanship. Many new patches on
the heat pipes were pointed out where
communication was likely ,stahlitLed be-
tween these cells and the cellar---GS of
these holes being found when the new
prison Keeper took charge. la his six
weeks of service he says not 4 hole has
been cut.
In tl.c !,;the house the bakers were seen
turnin!: out their daily product. The
bread looks good and tastes sweet and
toothsomc.
Bummcrs' hall has Il motley crowd of
about 80, but they are clean and the place
is sweet and wholesome compared with its
condition when its horrors were aforetime
described in tic ISTEIIEGENCER All the
same it is a pretty hard place to abide, but
the reckless and varied lot of men in it
seem to be at home. Old Lawyer and
Statesman Henry c. Rogers stalks
around among the jolly begsa
like ghost. Some of the ,ramps
are without shilts but have clean skins
PrOiusely tattooed in gay designs. The
inmates of Bamme: s. hall are of all sizes,
shapes and colors ages and nationalites.
One Of them asked for 4 chew Of tobacco
and when the plug was handed in another
stepped up, took it from the visitor and
disappeared. The door of tho water closet
is cut full Of names. They call it their
hotel register and say they expect soon to
cover lie floor with the names of guests
The jail wall is, rs usual, in bad condi-
ton and part of it is liable to fall at any
time. bloodhound "Bruno" looks gen
tie enough, but one of the prisoners de-
clarcs that in his dreams ho crunchcs DR..
Comrton's leg.