The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-03-04
A sTRANGE SYSTEM OF SIGNS
How Convicts Communicate in Spite of
Rigid Rules and Close Surveillance.
By Signals That Cannot Be Detected They
Keep Each Other Informed of All that
Occurs About the Prison.

| ries when the rules are rigid and surveillance
| so close that convict is never from under the
eye of guard or taskmaster No matter to
/ what extreme the rule prohibiting conversation
| between convicts may be enforced they find
/ some means by which to inform themselves of
! what is going on what is TO occur But, moro
than this, a convict may conceive the idea Of
escape revolt, and for him to communicate it
to one he wishes TO have accomplish is not
| difficult. They bring others into the plot or
plan until twenty or thirty know It. details for
| the carrying out of which each is assigned his
/ particular part. This necessitates thorough
explanation of minutie, and calls for a system
of communication for which limited of
| signs would not answer. The system, whatever
| it is. involves no doubt elaboration of signs,
aided whenever chance offers the means by
| written communication. The secret use of the
| latter means for expressing ideas and purposes
will not answer for the completeness of informa-
| ton conyfets obtain of what takes place in
| prison walls, for, whether anything occurs in
the Office or the most distant part of the prison,
| within fifteen minutes there is not convict
| who does not know all about it Penitentiary
| officials have tried again and again to
| obtain even a clew to the system. but
| they are5 no nearer solution than when
| they first began to investigate the matter. They
| know there is q system, and that it rests On
| signs, hut whether those made with fingers,
| eyes and lips the bringing into play of other
| features, nr whether it depends all together,
| they do not know. Prisoners, to curry favor
| with the officials, often tell them what they
| have earned from other convicts. They go to
especial trouble at times in exposing plots, and
are readyto reveal everything except the means
by which they learned the facts. No convict
wouldflead to the discovery of the secret that
has defed the shrewdest detectives. 81 have
| seen.p said an ex-Drison official, 1.-TWO convicts
six feet apart, facing each other. They did not
utter1a word, could discern the slightest
movement of the lips eyes, vet knew they
wereeommunicating som ething They gazed at
each other for minute or two before 1 had
chance ee interfere. but am satisfied that
toldttheoothe all he wished to tell Three or
four of them will be standing around stove,
togsther in other places of the prison, and yet
with sufficient distance between them to lead
one to think that they have nothing in common,
but while there is not the least sign of converse
tioniobserable they are talking to each other in
their own way
Attorney-general Kitchener relates an incide emit
or two showing the perfection to which the
yiets have carried their system of conveying in
to Jacksonville to look into the matter of Jack
Towards shortcomings warden of the south
prison he was sitting in the Office of the
prison one afternoon, when the deputy warden
orsome other subordinate asked him if he did
not wish to go through the shops. 1t some
thing he did not expect to do but. accepting the
invitation, they passed through the inner gates,
crossing the first cell rooms. out into the court
yard and that directly to the shoe-factory.
They were not three minutes In going, nor did
they stop anywhere until they reached the
factory. The Attorney-general had gone but
few feet into the room with the prison officers
svAen q convict stepped up, and, asking the
latter if he could speak to the gentleman with
him, said, permission being given him: "You
ere the Attorney general"
YES" was the only reply of that officer
'.Your name is Michener2'
sizes; but how do you know thata 1 have
never seen you before
90 ''Phat is true did I ever you until
nov. although am from Shelby county" He
then went to tell who he was where he lived
lin the county and what he had done to bring
him into the penitentiary. But the convict gave
the Attorney general further for wonder
by telling him that he knew of his reaching the
city the day BEFORE how many visits he had
maize TO the prison and for what purpose
az Leaving the shoe factory, the A .orney- gener-
al and prison officer went into another room,
separated from the first by an intervening
room, and with.neither of which could any per-
son in the third have direct communication.
Here Mr.. Kitchener was approached by another
convict who told him about what the first had
done except ne asked him to see the Governor
in his behalf Going to the foundry. which is a
considerable distance from the shoe fac
tory, the third convict up to
the ~ Attorney general the instant he
entered the room. This man had the identity
ofHthe visitor. aud the cause of his coming to
Jeffersonyille accurateas the other two. He
also wanted pardon Ont heir way TO another
building the prison official said to Mr.. Kitchener,
every convict who cared to know had all in
formation about who you are aud why you have
come within a few minutes after you came in
side of the prison door. The convcts have no
privileges of writing speaking to each other,
but 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 who.
though not in the plot, learns ali about it and
tells the details to the officers. Investigation
always brings TO light enough incidents to con-
vince us that their plans being formed CON-
stantly.f, Just after Warden Patton took charge
their plans of uniting were discovered and
thETarted IN one day."
Warden Patton not long ago had occasion to
order the punishment of a convict for the in
fraction of the rules. The convict, without the
knowledge of his fellows, was taken to a disJtan:
part of the prison where there not sign
of any one being enough to learn what took
place. Butthree minutes afterwards every
victGpf the many hundred there knew not only
the punishment and the kind, but why, and by
whom and at whose orders it inflicted. An
ex-prison nfficial said recently mot long ago
took a convlct to Michigan City / reached the
prison about o'clock in the evening. after all
the convicts had been locked in their cells. No
one knew of my being there but the officer in
charge at9that time Of night did not stay
longer dhans6ve minutes, but turnirg over my
prisoner I.yent to the hotel and to bed. When
/ came down breakfast the next morning
there was a messenger from the prison stating
that such and such convict wanted to SCENE.
half dozen in all wished to have to
out to them. How they knew / was there no.
body knows. Prison officials constantly
seeing the5effeets of communication among tho
convicts bat cannot detect the system"
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