The gale., 1888-04-14
HOW CONvICTS COMMUNICATES.
mystery of the Prison House-Some
Curious Instances.


Attorney General Michener relates
an incident or two showing the perfec-
ton to which the convicts have carried
their system of conveying information
among themselves. On his first visit
TO Jeffersonville to look into the matter
OF Jack Howard's shortcomings as War
den OF the Southern Prison he was sit
ting III the Office of the prison one after
noon, when the Deputy Warden or some
other official asked him il he did not
wish to go through the shops. It was
something he did not expect to do.
but accepting the invitation, they passed
through the inner gates, crossing the
first cell rooms, out into the courtyard
and across that directly to the shoe fac
tory. They We're not three minutes in
going, nor did they stop anywhere until
they reached the factory. The Attor-
ney General had gone but a few feet in
to the room with the prison officers when
aconvict stepped up, and asking the
latter if he could speak TO the gentleman
with him, said, on permission being Civ
en- him:
"You are the Attorney General2"
"Yes," was the only reply of that
officer.
'sYour name is Michener2"
eyes; but how do you know thata I
have never seen you BEFORE"
"That is true, nor did1 ever see you
until now, although l am from Shelby
county,"
He then went on to tell who he was,
where he lived in the county, and what
he had done to bring him into the pen
itentiary. But the convict gave the
Attorney General further cause for
wonder by telling him that he knew of
his reaching the city the day before, how
many visits he had made to the prison,
and for what purpose. Leaving the
shoe factory the Attorney General and
prison officer went into another room,
separated from the first, and with
neither of which could any person in the
third have direct communication. Here
Mr.. Michener was approached by anoth-
er convict, who told him about what the
first had had done, except he asked him
to see the Governor in his behalf Going
to the foundry, which is considerable
distance from the shoe factory, the third
>onvict came up to the Attorney Gen
eral the instant he entered the room.
The man had the identity of the visitor
and the cause of his coming to Jetfer-
sonville as accurate as the other two.
He also wanted a pardon. On the way
to another building the prison official
said to Mr.. Michener: "Every convict
who cared to know had oil information
about who you are and why You have
come within few minutes after you
came inside of the prison door. The
convicts have no privilege of writing or
speaking to each other, but so perfect is
their system of communicating with each
other that in forming plans to escape
they can agree on time, leaders, methods
and signals. But there is always some
convict, though not in the plot, learns
all about it and tells the details to the
officers. Investigation always brings to
light enough Incidents to convince us
that their plans are being formed con-
stantly. just after Warden Patton took
charge their plans of uniting were dis
covered and thwarted in one day" War
den Patton not long ago had occasion to
0faer the punishment of convict for
the infraction of the rules. The convict,
without the knowledge of his fellows,
was taken to distant part of the prison
where there was not a sign of anv one
being near enough to learn what took
place. But three minutes afterward
every convict of the many hundred there
knew not only the punishment, and the
kind, but why, and by whom and at
whose orders it was inflicted. An ex-
prison official said. recently: 'Not long
ago took convict to Michigan City.
1 reached the prison about o'clock in
the evening, after oil the convicts had
been locked in their cells. No one knew
of my being there but the officer in
charge at that time of night. 1 did not
stay longer than five minutes, but tur,e
ing over my prisoner l went to the hotel
and to bed. When | came down to
breakfast the next morning there was
messenger from the prison stating. tsat
such convict wanted to see me-. A hall
dozen in all wished to have me to come
out to them. How thev knew l was
there nobody knows. Prison officials
are constantly seeing the effects of COM
munication among the convicts, but can
not detect tho system.