The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1883-11-09
IN SOLITARY CoNFINEMENT.
The story of = Prisoner Who Was Shut III
-- Nina Years. . 49,.

Taking the pencil he drew a rough sketch
of the interior Of the prison.
ut looks like you are in a we'll when you
stand in the center" continued he when he
had concluded his drawing.
"The guard; who stands In the center
there can see everything that's going on
down every n Of the galleries. Every
n Of those double marks is Tor o gallery
with cells along each aide and o man with q
loaded gun at ench end. They keep
twenty-fouF bloodhounds all the time
in one of the halls. Every one Of the halls
runs into the center circle. SO a man has
place is fixed when going, because you've
got your head all tied up in the black cap.
| got more accustomed to it after I had
been there a year or so. but it was terrible
MOTTO have any one to talk to and to 20 on
from day to day in the same cell. It
breaks the best men down. The brain
goes first. 1t always affects the brain.
When a man is broken down5so that he will
die in a little while ii something is net done
for him, they take him to the hospital and
lat him stay there until he gets stroug
enough to stand it a while longer. ] worked
at the trade OF bottoming chairs; some OF
them make shoes and some cigars. They
are glad to work ct anything when they
na'e jus snut uPtUy themselves. Dnef6
is no talking allowed; no whistling no sn-
If the rules are violated two
guards come into the cell; they
drag you out; you have to hold your hands
above your head. They, catch you by the
shoulders and throw you down. Then they
beat you with their back Jacks. They are
clubs with ropes to them. There ia no
beating allowed but they do it any how.
Then yon are put in the cooler Il is the
deepest dungeon in the place, with scarcely
any light in it. You get exactly three
ounces Of bread a day, and a quart Of wat
er while youa are there, and you stay twenty
one days. Is that the only punishment
No, they have n light box they put you in.
1t has water in it which strikes yon just I'M
running in all the time. You have
to pump with your hands and feet as hard
as you can to keep the water from
getting over your head. I have seen
men who were left until they were broken
down and were nearly drowned.
.ducked' twice. That's what they call it.
was buried for nine years. and linear.
ly forgot how to talk. My throat and
toneue got so / couldn't use them. When
all but my last year was mp they let me out
Of my cell to carry waterto the other pris-
oneIs. l had q wife and child when I went
i'll. One day in 1876 the keeper and an.
other man came to my cell. They read me
a notice that my wife had married again.
Before they got through, the keeper looked
at me and stopped. He pulled the other
man away. Stop said he, he's hur,t
enough He wrs right, but lived through
it. Every day the keeper would come.
open the trap in the door OF my cell, put
in my food, talk to me for a minute or
two and 90 away. It was the
same thing for ten years, day after day.
The grand jury would come into the prison
occasionally and before they came every
thing would be fixed up. But they didn't
see anything. We coula,eonnt time thst
day. Once, every month, too, We got a:
bath. At last the day came for me g ret
out. It was December a last, the day be-
fore Christmas. They took me to the door
aud told me to 90. I stepped ont and
fresh air struck me. I irembled like =
leaf. A beotblack was standing across the
street. He saw me coming and said ssWel-
come out. I had hard work 10 keep from
crying. J wandered around the city hunt
ing worg. / was resolved TO die sooneI
than 90 back.""-St. Louis R~etMDlican.