Sacramento daily record-union., 1888-08-04
AN EX-CONVICT.
A DISSERTATION UPON STATE
PRISON AFFAIRS.
Some Alleged Way-Down" History
of Pardon Brokerage, Etc.
Within Prison Walls.

e.
Within Prison Walls.
EDS. REcoRD-USIoN: am an ex-con-
yict, and ifyou happen 10 be of those
magnanimoui paragons of virtue, who, in
viewing fallen brother through your own
infallible vision, see in him but an object
of contumely and aversion, light your
cigar with this manuscript
If, on the other hand, you are not freer
from sin and more righteous than the ac-
cusers of the adulterous woman, and that
benign Being who refused to condemn her,
l have no hesitation in asking you to
peruse calmly and without prejudice the
statement of one who has sinned suffered,
and perhaps repented.
But before proceeding further, | wish to
make the assertion that though branded as
a felon myself, and moving about among
my fellow-men with the horrible consci-
ousness ever raging in my breast that l am
a pariah and outeast from respectable soci-
ETY., | have no sympathy with wilIful.
habitual and premeditated crime. Those
| who are criminal from choice ana that
many such exist is but too evident. are I'M
deserving of pity or mercy But apart
from them our prisons and reformatories
contain some who by fortuitous circum-
stances have been driven or led into
coarses they loathe with unspeakable in
tensity, and from which they would gladly
escape, were not every avenue to reforma-
tion securely closed by the inexorable laws
OF heartless society. And it is in behalf of
such that / claim the right to be heard.
There are but two methods by which
crime can be diminished to any great ex-
tent, and those methods are the reforma-
tion or extermination of the criminal
class. Humanity, religion and all the
nobler attributes of man forbid the latter
and advocate the former with a fervency
that sheds hallowed luster over the dark
and revengeful traits of our natures.
Nations have spent untold millions in
endeayors to prevent crime and rescue the
| fallen. Churches, schools, reformatories
and prisons have been erected and main
tanned for the same purpose, but signally
| failed IN the attainment of their object,
for the simple reason that in too many in
stances the management and control of
such institutions have been intrusted to
careless and Incompetent parties, and the
object of this article is to point out how
negligence and injustice in the treatment
of our malefactors, that in itself amounts
to criminality, is mainly responsible for
large portion of the crime and misery ex-
isting in our midst.
| nd nc nav ,F
gained by bitter experience within the
walls of San Quentin, it is TO that institu-
tlon shall principally refer, and if my re-
marks reflect adversely on its former man
| agement, | trust you will believe that am
not actuated by any feelings of animosity
Or friendship towards either Warden Nc
Comb or ex-Warden Shirley. The former
gentleman have never spoken to in my
life, and the latter | regard as good
natured, harmless sort of an old fogy, en-
tirely deficient in the energy and force of
| character necessary to make either a very
good or bad man.
EXAMPLE Is BETTER THAN PREcEpr.
Those who would teach habits of
| morality and honesty to others should not
only be free from reproach themselves, but.
like Cesar's wife, above suspicion. Yet,
any person who is at all conversant with
the disgraceful system of pardon broker
age that existed in San Quentin during
Shirley's administration, must be convinced
that those who were responsible were
guilty of more gross and iniquitous frauds
than had ever been perpetrated by large
majority of the unfortunate wretches con-
fined within its walls.
The scandalous transactions were in part
ventilated by the press shortly after Gov
ernernor Waterman's inauguration, but
neither that gentleman nor the public can
have an adequate idea Of the extent to
which the monstrous injustice was prac-
ticed during the latter portion of Governor
Stonemans administration. | do not aver
that he was in any way participator in
the fraud or even aware of it, but it is
nevertheless a fact that the sale of pardons
was negotiated by the dozen. and had
Governor Waterman instituted rigorous
inquiry and allowed prisoners to testify.
he would have unearthed a mass of cor
ruption sufficient to contaminate the viIest
slllms on earth. The convicts were all
well informed of those facts, and the effect
ii produced On them can be readily i'm
agined.
For example, they saw j. d. Silvarra.
who was convicted of the brutal murder of
his wife and sentenced to death, but after
wards committed to life imprisonment, pur-
chase his pardon in less than five wears for
the sum of 81 900.
John S. Gray made no secret Of the fact
that he paid 81 800 for his pardon. Smith
got off considerably lighter it only cost
him $780, but Chinaman was luclSier
still He opened tan game IN the prison
and 'coa $40, NTH uhich he bought has uoy
Out, although undergoing life sentence.
There can be no mistake about these
facts, and in the last case, | wrote several
letters for the Chinaman and aided ma
terially in bringing the negotiation to
successful issue, and were it necessary |
could and can produce indisputable proof
of ten or twelve other eases equally IA
grant.
Disgraceful as such Il state of affairs is.
pardon brokerage was not by any means
the worst abuse existing in the prison.
The bartering, lying, stealing, cheating
and crimes of 4 more serious nature that
were practiced among the convicts beg
gars description. Many prisoners who had
a pull with Boss Buckley or some equally
potent magnate in the political arena were
treated more as honered guests than
felons They lived on the fat OF the land,
occupied sumptucus quarters and filled po-
sitions that were complete sinecures, while
other prisoners, who had no political in
fiuence were obliged to treat them with
more difference than the guards or free
men exacted. 1t was far more dangerous
for an ordinary convict to offend one of
those high-toned ielons than an officer of
the prison, as the latter would merely pun
ish the offender in an open manner,
while the former would put up job or
enter some groundlesS complaint against
him that might involve his loss of credits.
l don't know whether the Benhayon
mystery was suicide or deep-laid plot
of murder, but if the latter, could easily
believe that the affair was planned and
executed by some miscreants who had
4 loo rrad tha;- hrrsipacc oe etooy ..:-o1....