The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-08-09
LIFE IN SING SING.
Its Tough but industrious
Inhabitants.
IRON RULES OF THE PRISON.
Days Work Among the convicts-
Their Food and Habits A
world Within World.
IRON RULES OF THE PRISON
A Convict's Prison Life.

are paired. Life in Sing Sing is not
| what it was, and for this keepers and
convicts are devout,y thankful. Prison.
ers are no longer treated as if they were
brutes, and they have shown that kind
ness is not thrown away on them.
There are ten dark cells in the prison.
Under the old regime these cells were
seldom empty, and the sound of the
paddle and the curses of the poor
wretches on whom it was being laid
could be heard at all hours. The paddle
has gone out of fashion. 1t has been
superseded by punishment as effica-
cious as it is simple.
The punishment most in vogue for
prisoners who refuse to obey orders is
an invention of the Chief Keeper Two
uprights with slots in them, are fastened
against the wall about three feet apart.
Fitting neatly into the space between
them is broad board, which can be
moved up or down on the principle of
an elevator. In the centre of the board
is steel hook. The candidate for pun.
ishment is handcuffed. He is stood up
in front of the board. The chain which
fastens the hand cuffs is thrown over
the iron hook in the board Then the
latter is gradually raised until the victim
is standing On tip toes, with his whole
weight depending on his wrists. Around
the latter are the thin steel cuffs, which
cut into the flesh without drawing blood.
The pain is excruciating, and is in
creased, if that were possible. by the
efforts of the victim to change his posi-
zion in a vain attempt to lessen the
agony. The toughest criminal in the
prison has never taken second dose of
rnis punishment. The first trial is
always sufficient The victim is lowered
upon crying Enough Few have been
,ble 10 endure the pain for more than
mir seconds, Dut one man stood it for
a nliurte and twenty-five seconds. When
ne Was lowered il was found that he had
bitten his lower lIpthruugn in his efforts
10 Withstand the punishment without
giving tongue To his agony.
During tLe DAY the difference betw
The lot OF q keeper and that OF prisoner
Is very slight. and IS, if anything, IN
favor Of the prisoner. The latter Is en-
DlOA Mll4c tie hcGDtI Ou Il
raised platform in the centre of huge
apartment in which hundreds of desper-
ate men are at work. and upon these
men the keeper is compelled to keep his
eyes at all times. During the day there
is no rest for him. He stands with his
hand much of the time on the handle of
a revolver, with every sense alert. Not
a motion of the thrOng under his eyes
escapes his attention. Conversation
between the men is forbidden, and the
sound of human voice is seldom heard
form morning until night in the busy
workshop of the great prison. Compar
atively few of the prisoners are unein- !
ployed. Nine hundred and twenty-nine |
of them are ngaged in stove making. |
Three hundred stoves of various sizes !
and patterns are made every day in Sing I
Sing. They are sent to all parts OF the |
worldalmost,a and every prisoner engaged |
in making them is presented with plug
Of tobacco at the close. of each week.
This is customary on all contract work.
Two hundred dozen of shirts are was he'd
;tarched and ironed in the prison per
lay. Some of the prisoners become
expert ironers, and two or
-hree out of 100 men employed in this
department are so deXterous that their
asks are invariably finished before noon.
When employed on certain kinds OF
work prisoners are given a task, They
AN work quickly or slowly so long as
he task is finished when the whistle
blows for knocking off. If they finish
heir tasks three or four hours before
The regular hour for stopping work they
ire allowed TO retire 10 their cells, where
hey can read or smoke or go to sleep.
Three hundred men are engaged in max
ng boots and shoes. They make 2.3C0
pairs per day, or nearly ~ pairs per
nan. The boots and shoes are all made
With the aid of machinery. One machlue
makes wooden pegs and drives them
nto place in the shoe or boot about
ifty times as fast as an expert workman
,ould do the work. 1t keeps man busy
o supply this pegging machine with
oles. Another machine makes steel
crews. cuts them off proper length
md screws them III place in couHtless
oles in an hour. One mans task is to
nut heels on l, S00pairS OF boots per day.
lie begins work at Z o'clock i'll the morn
ng. has an hour for dinner, and has
finished his task at >
'clock. He does it with the aid OF L :
which heels pair of shoes IN
ess time than an ordinary girl can WINK, !
ven if she be in a great hurry and its
last chance.
The prisoners make their own clothes
hey also make their own tobacco, both
moking and chewing. The head man
D the tobacco department among the
onvicts is Steve Raymond. He has the !
istinction of being the only man who :
ras ever sentenced 10 Imprisonment for ,,
lie in this State for forgery. There are ,
t present in Sing Sing sixty-fiYe muir
erers serving life sentences. Two
birds OF them killed their wives.
An inmate of Sing Sing kno 5 just
That TO expect thirty minutes after his
rival in the prison. He is instructed (.
o obey the keepers and the rules: to
mind his own business and interfere
nth no one, and to do an honest days 4
york. If these instructions are ol eyed
is life will be as comfortable as 1t is
ossible to make ii lder / CT M tai ces !
OF exactly cheerful, but which might
. worse He ris III the morning a.
x o'clock, and brt lfast at ESQ The
zeal consists of hash, bread and coffee. I
t seven O. clock he goes to his work and 6
ticks at it until noon when he marches z
Ito the huge dining room, which IS to
Y 200 feet The dinner service IS OF TN.
he quality of the food is good. and no {
ne is stinted. The evening meal con :
IS If bread az d coffee. 1t is Sc we'd 70 I
le men in Their cells. The b. "a