Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1889-03-02
PRISON LANGUAGE,
How Convicts Communicate in Spite
the Most Rigid Discipline.

How Convicts Communicate in Spite o
the Most Rigid Discipline.
Incidents that must necessarily follow
from INSTRUMENTATION often happen in
penitentiaries where the rules are rigid
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 pro-
hIbltlng conversation between convicts may
be enforced, they find some means by
which to inform themselves Of what is GO
ing on or what is to occur. But, more than
this, convict may conceive the idea of
escape or revolt, and for him to commuui-
cate 1t TO one he wishes to have as an &C
compiice 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 a thorough explanation
of minutse and calls for a system of COM
munication for which limited use of signs
would not answer. The system, whatever
II is, involves, no doubt, an elaboration of
signs, aided whenever chance offers the
means by written communication. The
secret use OF the latter means for express
ing ideas and purposes will not answer for
the completeness of information opyicts Oh
tain OF what takes place in prison walls, for,
whether any thing occurs in the Office or the
most distant part of the prison, within if
teen minutes there is not a convict who
does not know all about it. Penitentlarv
officials have tried again and again to OBJ
tam even clew 10 the system. but they
are no nearer a solution than when thew
first began TO investigate the matter. They
know there is system, and that il rests on
signs, but whether on those made with
fingers, eyes and lips, or the bringi into
play OF other features, or whether il de-
ponds on all together, they DO not know
PRISONERS, TO curry favor with the officials,
often tell them what they have learned
from other convicts. They go 10 the especial
trouble at times In exposing plots. and are
READY TO reveal every thing except the
means by which they learned the facts. No
convict has yet given the slightest sugges-
ton which would lead to the discovery of
the secret that has defled the shrewdest de-
tecuves- Il have SEEM" said an ex-prison
oncial, 1.-TWO convicts, six feet apart, facing
each other. They did not utter word, nor
could L discern the slightest move
ment OF the lips or eyes, yet knew
they were communicating something.
They gazed al each other for a moment or
wv bciOi0 L iAuu d CLLaLlCe 70 interfere, Dull
an satisfied that one told the other all he
wished TO tell
Attorney-General Kitchener relates an in
cldent or two showing the perfection to
which the colvicts have carried their sys-
TEN Of conveying information among them |
selves. On hi. first visit 10 Jeffersonville 10
look into the matter of Jack Towards short |
coming as Warden of the Southern prison |
he was sitting in the Office of the prison one /
AFTERNOON, when the Deputy Warden or some |
olAer subordinate asked him II he did not /
WISH 20 go through the shops. Il was some /
snlAS ne dld not expect TO 10, but, accepting I
she invitation, they passed through the inner 4
gates, crossing the first cell-rooms, out into |
,ae courtyard and across that directly TO /
me shoe factory They were not three /
minutes in going. nor did they ssnn any, /