The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1886-10-27
PRISON PHOTOGRAPHY.
How C1nvictz' Pictures are Taken and
Preserved at JDiiet-A Great Aid in
Reca ptnrlne E.caped Prisoners.


How Convicts' Pictures are Taken and
Preserved at Jpiiet-A Great Aid in
Recaptnring Escaped Prisoners.
In the center Of the great prison yard,
writes Joliet correspondent of the St
Louis Gi05e- Democrat. stands a peculiar
ly-shaped frame building with white
roof, an object Of much curiosity to
prison visitors, WHO ask TO know what
the place IS used for.
This building contains two rooms. the
front one being used as a Ioafing place
Tor extra guards while off duty. It's
walls are completely covered with a
medley OF illustrations, thousands of
them, that have been cut from such
papers and periodicals. as Puck, The
JaGge, Harpsr'S and Lesiie'S. and other
journals. The clippings are neatly cut
ana pasted to the wall, by an ingenious
little negro convict. who has charge OF
tue place in ''trusty.n 4 door in one
corner leads to another room on the
north-this room has high. bare white
walls, excepting an immense skylight,
which covers one-half of the ceiling
This is the prison Photographic
studio. wherein are registered the form
and features OF every prisoner that Is
sent to the Joliet prison, no matter
what be his degree of crime. In this
room he must take his place before the
lightning camera of the prison artist
The room is fitted up with screens and
curtains for rejecting the light down
upon a chair, which is fastened solidly
to the floor directly beneath the sky
light The rays Of light are so strong
that, should prisoner prove unruly
during the operation of having his pie
ture taken, the artist. at a favora BILE
moment. can catch the truthful express
sion of the mans features in the hun
dredth part of u second by simply pres
sing button attached to the camera.
which loosens the drop-shutter, causing
tito flash across the lens. The result is
an instantaneous portrait s. w. Wet
more, assistant clerk of the prison, is
the photographer who takes the convict
pictures, and so far as can be ascertain
ed he enjoys the distinction of being the
only exclusive prison photographer in
the world. The authorities of several
other prisons in this country have re-
Gently commenced photOgraphing their
prisoners, but call in an outside photo
grapher to take the pictures. On Jan
l. 1884, Warden McCIaughry commen-
ced having the pictures OF all new arri-
vais taken, in order TO make the prison
records more complete, and to furnish
a reliable method for the future identi-
ication of professional criminals and
escaped conyicts.
The process in use at the prison is the
best that science has yet invented in
modern photography. The wet-plate
process is too slow and thing of the
past, and so are dry-plates, SO far as
prison photography is concerned. The
Eastman paper negative and roller
holder process is used exclusively at the
prison. the roll of paper is prepared
IN the same manner as glass dry-plate
II. G., the gelatine silver emulsion is
spread on the paper The roll is then
placed in holder with a winding kew
at one end and an empty spool to re-
ceiye the exposed paper at the other end
OF the holder, the paper first passing
behind the lens. and as each picture is
taken, Is wound on the empty spool. In
this way one roll of Eastman's paper
answers the purpose of ninetv-eight
glass dry-plates, 4x5 inches in size, for
making cabinet pictures-or, in other
words, the artist can make the nera-
tiyes of ninety-eight people in success
sion without once leaving the side of
his camera. The paper is then cut into
the right lengths, developed. fixed. and
printed from. just the same as a dry
plate. but the paper is oiled after deyel-
opment, to render it transparent
The Photographic dark room at the
prison is situated in the warden's house,
where the convict negatives are careful
~ filed away, and indexed. Before
fling two prints. are made from each
negative. One copy is given to the re-
ceiYIng and discharging officer of the
prison, for the purpose Of Identification,
and the other Is placed in the photo
! graph cabinet in the warden's office,
which already contains nearly two
| thousand eonyicts' portraits. la case of
| an escape the negative of the fugitive is
| at once hunted up. and in a few hours
| time several hundred copies of the
mans photograph will be sent broad
cast through the mails for his re.
capture.
A quick way of duplicating the photo
| graphs now in use at the prison is by
the bromide of silver paper process. No
sunlight is needed-the printing is done
by a gas-jet in the dark-room-th print
| is then developed and fixed. In this
manner five hundred copies can be
| made from single negative in one
| dav.
William Pile escaped from prison two
years ago. He kept in the country,
| stunning towns and highways until be
bad been gone for several weeks. finally
| hiring out as farm hand way down in
/ Il
| his employer sent him to town after a
load of drain tile, giving him an order
on the station agent for the tile. Pile
went to the station and presented his
order, but the moment the station
agent laid his eyes upon the man he
| thought of photograph of an escap ped
convict he had received several weeks
before. He took the picture from his
| pocket and it fitted Pile exactly. The
| agent had Pile arrested and returned tc
| Joliet. receiving the reward offered fol
| his recapture This was the first town
| Pile had entered since his flight from
the prison.
1t was your correspondent good for
tune to visit the prison on a recent date
| while the prison artist was engaged in
| taking the pictures of 152 new arrivals
-convicfs who had arrived during July
| and August and of Witnessing the
modus operandi of reproducing theil
mugs on paper. Everything was il
| readiness at $50 A. N. Tne artis
handed a list of names to guard anC
| requested him to bring in a gang o
thirty or forty new eonvicts from ths
chair-shop. The officer soon had til,
raw recruits in line and marched then
across the yard to the gallery, where
they Were seated on bench along tn,
wall in the outer room. Capt. Luke
the receiving officer. then took the list o
names. and entering the cperating-roon
where all was ready, the camera anC
chair in position-called out the nam,
of the first man on the list. and th'
guard picking out that man hustled hin
into the room.
..Slt right down here. What's We
name? What's yer register number
See that little red star on the wall
Place yer eyes on that and don't NOV
till tell yer-hold up that head lit
tie"
While this volley was being fired int,
the ears OF the trembling convicr. tn
captain grabbed the man by tn
shoulders-squared MIN back in tn
chair. yanked his head around in tn
direction of the star on the wall. chuck
ed him under the chin to elevate hi
head. and then pulling around a wood
en- arm attached TO the head-rest, an
containing place in which to put som
pasteboard figures to represent tn
prison number of the convict. pushed
! against the mans chest, SO that tn
, number would show in the resuifin
picture. All these manipulations wer
gone through with in moments time
J and then came the omnous click {