Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-07-16
THE TOMRS BARBER.
WHAT HE SAYS ABOUT THE PERSONS
WHOSE FACES HE LATHERS.
Shaving Twenty Prisoners n Day-A Clean
Shave Means Ten Years on the
Sentence Locked in with
the Prisoner.
New York Mail and Exnress. /


1Yes l am the Tombs barber" saiC
Morris Haber, an intelligent young German
who was found in his barber shop ON Cana
street by u reporter, @and you are the frs
newspaper fellow to find me out although
have held that position for nearly two years
Any other BARRIERS admitted to the prison
No, sir; l am the only one, and was ap
pointed by the commissioners OF charlie:
and correction Salaryi Not any. Ny
earnings consist in what the prisoners give
me, except in cases Of condemned murder
ers, and then the sheriff pays me-
a am allowed to enter the prison at any
time. but usually only go there three day.
of the week, On Mondays, Wednesdays, and
Fridays. | am now shaving about twenty
prisoners day there. and what get aver.
ages about IS a week. No prisoners are
compelled to get shaved, but the greater
number who have any spare change Away.
wish to- This is generally the case with
those VINO are about to go into court They
want to make their best appearance before
the court and jury, and it has come TO be a
common saying among them that clean
shave means ten years off the sentence
"ln winter i so there regularly every
morning at O'Clock and in summer at Z
-,
and bottles in a small handbag, and my
hair-clipping machine in Il leather case.
generally take five or six razors with me
every time. When | get there, the first
thing ! do is to look over the slate and find
the prisoners names marked with an "
This means that they are the ones who are
to go to court. As court always opens at lC
o'clock, and a. have learned from expert.
hax
clean shave ,y the PRISONERS with reference
To their appearance in the courtroom, al
ways Ia c pains T. get through with the
court cases early and as soon as possible,
even leaving my regular customers there
end have severai-until they are out OF the
way.
$50 20 along each row of cells the first
thing, and ask each prisoner whether he
wants a shave or not Sometimes | find a
great many who do and then 1t is lively
work. for have 10 shave them in their
cells and there are no chairs in them for the
men to lit on, consequently | have to shave
them sitting un the edge of their narrow
beds. In each case the keeper locks me in
with The prisoner, and have to call his at
tention 10y knocking on the door when am
done and want t. get out.
even act rudely to me while at my work
there notwithstanding the fact that the
Tombs has an average of from 80 - 2OO
prisoners all the time and from all classes OF
criminals. The prison seems to have a quiet
ing influence on them aud they are more
polite TO me rs "A rule, in saving their good
morning. and good day than many out
sider-. have never lad them ask Ine &c
bring them things they are not permitted &c
have or try u get me to help them to escape
or get the best Of the keepers. As for the
sight of my razDrs stirring up any desperate
thoughts m the minds Of any, Of them, il
they have I've never known of it
The new prisoners seldom talk to me, and
of course don't ask questions Naturally,
the faces are changing I'LL the time, in the
going away of some and coming in Of new
prisoners. Every now and then some new
Conner will greet mo with 'how-dy do.
and ] will find that he is an old offender who
has been in the Tombs before and renlem-
bers me. But they all seem glad TO see me.
for il makes a little change in their prison
life. Those who have been there some time
talk more, and sometimes tell me about
their caSa>, but don't take much interest
in the particulars, naturally, though | give
the poor fellow, all the sympathy can