The Sunday tatler and Jersey City express. (Jersey City, N.J.) 1883-1886, 1885-11-22
"BANKERSROW" BROKEN UP
A CLIQUE OF CONFLICTS WHO TRIED TO
RUN THE STATE PRISON.

a CLfxCE OF CONY1C1D WaO IA1ED ~
RUN THE STATE PRISON.
Keeper Laverty Finds the Imprisoned Bank
wreckers and Ex-Politicians Under His
Care, Out. - Ex-Financier Baldwin's
Dinner Basket.-The Prison Contracts
TRENTON, Nov. 21.-" Bankers Row.
which has become a historical part
of the State Prison, is thing of
the past. Keeper Laverty has found it
necessary to break it up to preserve the
discipline of the institution. Bankers Row
in the great "South Hall of the prison.
The spacious cells are there. The snn-
light slants INTO them, with mellower rich
ness than into other parts of the prison.
1t is the choicest place of confinement
within the great grey wallis of the building.
As, one after another, the great thieves of
the community were consigned by the
courts of the State to Keeper Laverty's
care, he made room for them in that Sec
ton of the building. They had been men of
careful breeding, and of high station socially
politically and financially. 1t was not with
them as with the ordinary criminal who
cares only for the weight of the ball at his
heel or for the cutting of the manacles into
his wrist. imprisonment as an abstract
idea. had more potent terrors for them than
all the physical sufferering of the hardened
transgressor. The warm-hearted keeper
could not add to the cruelty of the situa-
ton by unnecessary restrictions, and he
allowed them such liberty as was consistent
with the terms of their several sentence s, and
&c
institution. Social communion would turn
the edge of their punishment; and SO it
happened that in fcourse of time Cashier
Baldwin, the 100000 bank wrecker of
Newark, Henry Marchbank his confederate,
Elk Cashier Hedden of Newark, Ex-Presi-
dent Boyce of the City Bank in Jersey
City, Ex-Senat or Levi D. Jarrard, the Mid
dlesex County defaulter, and others of the
same stamp are grouped together in the
South Hall. Singularly enough most of
them were Republicans. Some had been
Republican leaders; all had been Republi-
can powers. They had the spacious cells and
were permitted to relieve their baroness with
carpets, and wall decorations. Within
hours they were permitted to hold social
converse. They received visits from their
friends, and at times they entertained the
leading Republicans in the State The
prison barber forgot to visit them as often
as he did other convicts; and it is even said
that they prepared their own dainty meals
IN their own hall. The State Prison In
spectors, Republicans like themselves,
overlooked their crimes, and were much in
their company. The Inspectors respected
their opinions, and presently 1t became APP
parent that there was the warmest syEpa-
thy between the managers and themselves.
Last winter the clique of choice convicts
convulsed the State by securing the intro
duction into the Legislature of a bill ssat
would have let them all loose. with half of
the more vicious convicts The willy Jar
rard's own hand drew it, and one of his In
spector friends placed it in the hands of
State Senator for passage. This was only
a single instance of the exercise of
their influence. They waxed in ar
rogance, till they seemed actually to
have assumed to run the State prison.
They denounced Ashmore, their keeper, as
a brute; and he was forthwith given
employment elsewhere by the Inspectors.
When Keeper Layerty demanded that he
be returned to the hall, the influence of the
clique was strong enough to pre-
put an end to the power of
the cabaI. He sent the barber to them,
and their heads were cropped close again.
The trappings were torn from their cells,
and last Monday they were turned out of
their parlor prisons, and assigned to cells
in the several wings of the prison-separ-
ated as far from each other as was possible;
and their cells are now in use as carpenter
shops. Jaria was impudent when the
change was made. He regarded it IN the
light of punishment, and warmly declared
that the Keeper had no right to make the
change. Baldwin was sullen, and for two
days refused to go to the convicts' table.
Keeper Laverty had no idea that he was
starving himself, and, determined to find
out by what means he was sustaining him
self, set watch upon him. The third day
he was caught in his room-he is book
keeper eating lunch from a well filled
basket. He was marched to the Centre"
and Keeper Laverty was called.
"Where did your lunch come from?"
demanded the keeper.
Baldwin gave the name of one of the In
structors. When he was called to the
"Centre," the Instructor denied that he
had supplied the provender. A shopkeeper
who happened to be in the ''Centre," re-
cognized the basket as that of another In
structor. That man, when called to the
"Centre," admitted that he had given Bald
win the lunch. The man was dismissed,
and Baldwin has been eating his meals
at the table with unfailing regularity ever
since.
The others of the convicts bore their
deprivations heroically. Of course when
the Row was broken up, the cabal were
deprived of the society and companionship
of the Republican lights whom they had
been permitted to receive; and there is
much excitement and Indignation among
their friends at the Keepers prompt and
decisive action.
The difference between the Keeper and
the Board of Inspectors is not confined to
the treatment of these ex-Bank officials.
Thete is a serious disagreement over the
shirt, collar and cuff contract. The in
spectors contracted the labor with Downes
& Finch. Keeper Laverty refused to sign
it, as did Governor Albeit, on the ground
that, under the terms, the men could earn
only trifie of what they should earn. The
result approves their Judgment. The men
are obliged to do q third more work than
they used to do, and their earnings average
only about rs cents per day. The inspec-
tors, convinced that they made an error in
awarding the contract, are anxious to di-
vide the responsibility for it with the DEM
ocratic Governor and the Democratic
Keeper and are exhausting their devices
to compel these two to append their sigma
lures to the contract, but SO far without
avail.
ENTERTAINMENT.