The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-04-11
C0NVICTS' SIGNALS.
4 SYSTEM OF TELEG TRAPPING
IN VOGUEIN ALL PRISONS.
Communication in Spite Of the
Closest Surveilance-Priso
ers Keeping Each Other
Fully Informed.

from ntercommunlcatlOn often happen
in penitentaries where the rules arcrigid
and surveillance so close that a convict
is never from under the eye of a guard
or taskmaster, says the Indianapolis
Journal. No matter to what extreme
the rule prohibiting conversation between
the convicts may be enforced. they find
some means by which to inform them
selves Of what is going on or what is to
occur. But, more than this, convict
may conceive the idea of escape or re-
volt, and for him to communicate it to
one he wishes to have as all accomplice
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 necesstatcs thorough eN-
planation of miautia and calls for q sys-
tenn of communication for which limited
use of signs would not answer.
Penitentiary officials have tried again
and again, to obtain wen 3 clue to the
system, but they are no nearer a solution
than when they first began to Investigate
the matter. They know there is a sys-
tenn. and that it rests on signs, but
whether on those made with fingers, eyes
and lips, or the bringing into play Of
other features, or whether it depends on
all together, they do not know. Prison
ers. to curry favor with the officials,
often tell them what they have learned
from other convicts. They go to especial
trouble at times in exposing plots, and
are ready to reveal everything except the
means by which they learned the facts.
No convict has yet given the slightest
. suggestion which would lead to the dis
coYerv of the secret that has deted the
shrewdest detectives 81 have seen,"
said an ex-prison official, two convicts,
six feet apart facing each other. They
did not utter word, nor could discern
the slightest movement of the lips or
eyes, vet knew they were communicate
ing something. They gazed at each
other for minute or two before I had a
chance to interfere. but l am satisfied
that one told the other all he wished to
tell. Three or four of them will be
standing around a stove, or together IN
other places of the prison, and yet with
- sufficient distance between them to lead
one to think that they have nothing in
common, and while there is not the least
sign of conversation observable, they are
talking to each other in their own way
Attorney General Michener, Of Indi-
ana, relates an instance or two showing
the perfection to which the convicts have
carried their system of conveying infor-
nation among themselves. On his first
visit TO Jacksonville Prison to look into
+ the matter of Jack Howard's shortcom-
ings as warden of the Southern prison, he
was sitting in the Office Of the prison one
afternoon, when the deputy warden or
some other subordinate asked him if he
did not wish to 60 through the shops. 1t
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 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 when con-
yict stepped up. and, asking the latter If
he could speak to the gentleman with
him, said, on PERMISSION being given
him: "Yo ou are the Attorney General"
"Yes," was the only repy of that
officer.
"Your name is Michener?'
eyes; but how do you know that? l
have never seen you before"
THAT is true, nor did ever see you
until now, although 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
penitentiary. 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 an
other room, separated from the first by
an intervening room, and with neither OF
which could any person in the third have
direct communication. Here Mr.. Mich
ener was approached by another convict.
who told him about what the first 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 convict
came up to the Attorney General the in
!stant he entered the room. This man
had the identity of the visitor and the
cause of his coming to Jcffersonville as
accurately as the other two. He also
wanted pardon. On the way to another
building the prison Official said to MIR.
Kitchener: Every convict who cared to
know had all 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 siagas.
But there is always some convict who,
though not in the plot, learns all about
it. and tells the details to the officers.
Investigation always brings to light
enough incidents to convin.e us that
their plans are being formed constantly
Warden Patton not long ago had oc-
~casion to order the punishment of con-
wet 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
anyone being near enough to learn what
took place. But three minutes after.
ward every convict of the many h%nd: ed
there knew not only the punishment, and
the kind, but why, and by whom, and at
whose orders it was inflicted. An en-
prison official said recently: ''Not long
,aeo took a convict to Michigan City.