The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-12-09
Where and How the General Govern
ment Keeps Its Prisoners.

hC obAlta 1laOCC
takes good care of its prisoners. |
don't mean simply those now and
then locked up for contempt by
some Congressional committee for
refusing to answer its questions, and
who notoriously live on strawber-
ries, green peas and reed birds in
mid winter. l speak OF ordinary
prisoners convicted OF crime under a
Federal law by a Federal Court, and
sentenced as Federal convicts. The
Government owns no penitentiaries,
therefore it has to board its convicts
at different State penitentiaries. The
Attorney General, who has charge
of Federal prisoners, makes contracts
through his agents with different
State prisons under which Federal
prisoners are received at so much
head per annum. The Attorney
General is very careful in selecting
prisons to which Federal prisoners
are to be sent. None but the best
will do. They must not only be Sc
cure, but they must be clean and
wholesome, well lighted and heated,
well supplied with good food and
under humane management. No
State prison where hogging is in
vogue can ever get any Federal pris-
oners. Every year the Attorney
General, not content with each
States inspection of its prisoners,
sends the General Agent Of the De-
partment of Justice TO examine ev-
cry Federal prisoner and the prison
in which he is confined. This tour
of inspection is no easy one. 1t
takes in nearly all the States east OF
the Mississippi and north OF the Ohio
River. Other representatives OF the
Department inspect prisons west of
the Mississippi. The United States
send no prisoners to Southern pris-
ons for the simple reason that they
are regarded as unfit. Federal con-
victs in Arkansas, for instance, are
sent to Detroit, Michigan. Major
Strong, the General Agent, and his
assistant, Howard Perry, are just
back from this annual tour of in
spection. They accomplished it in
the very short space OF two weeks.
They did this by travelling day and
night, with scarcely any breathing
spells. There was no Junketing
about this trip, and it was model
to Government inspectors. In the
course of their tour they saw 5000
convicts. Every Federal prisoner Is
examined privately on these tours,
and out of hearing of the prison Of
ficials is asked about his life in the
prison. If he complains of the
treatment he receives his complaints
are investigated. If they prove well
founded he is removed from that
prison to another. But in the last
tour Of inspection not single COM
plant of this sort was received. The
inspectors were struck with the ex-
cellence and abundance of the food
furnished the prisoners. In many
of the prisons the prisoners are al
lowed to help themselves to bread.
1t is said to be wonderful how much
bread some of them can eat. A ne
gro in a Delaware prison, a big.
strapping fellow, took ten thick
slices Of bread one morning-a great
armful. The Warden, who happen
ed to be standing by. said: "You'
can only have as much of the bread
as you can eat; you mustn't waste
it." Thereupon the darky sat down,
and then and there ate every one Of
the ten slices and then asked for
more" Unlike our old friend Oliver.
he got more, too. | rTas speaking
of this to an old gentleman who
used to be United States Commits
sioner in South Carolina, and he
said: "Yes, the Northern prisons
afford the Southern darky such lux
ury as he has never known. | re-
member that when | was in South
Carolina was instrumental in hav-
ing a, great big negro, black as the
top of your hat, sent to the peniten-
tiary at Auburn, New York. for as
sault with intent to kill. After he
had been convicted and sentenced
he swore that when he got out of
prison he would come right back
and kill me. When his sentence
expired he did come right back, and
| got revolver of the self-cocking
variety, and kept it in an open draw
er of my desk when | was in my
office, and in my side pocket when
| wasn't. Two OF three days after
he got back the big. black buck came
walking into my office. | was about
to draw my revolver when l saw
that he was smiling and holding out
mis- hand as though he wanted to
shake hands with me As he adj
vanced toward me he said: Use
powerful 'bliged to you. Mr. Jones,
for sendin' me 10 Auburn nebber
had so good time in nv life before;
got fat, learned a trade and quit
drinkin'. Amt nebber goin' ter
drink any more, and by that time
he had heartily shaken my hand.
And from that time we were the
baSf of friondc