Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1889-02-28
A "pRIsoy SOLITARY
furnishing Refractory Convicts in
the Illinois Penitentiary.

The Prison Solitary, or the "Hole," as
it is termed by the convicts, at Joliet,
ILL.,, is always an object OF great inter
est to the PRISON visitor. That depart
ment is entered through n heavy iron
bouud oak or buried in the stone wall,
beyond which there is pretty yard.
which, in the summer time, is filled
with choice flowers and plants. From
this yard is the entrance to the solitary
and punishment cells. On the stone
tagging of the main hallway is cut in
letters foot high the sentence. sit is
never too late to mend" The cells
are apartments of stone ten feet long,
eight feet wide and ten feet high. At
the end of each cell opposite the door.
and about foot from the ceiling, is "a
grated aud screened window one foot
wide and three feet long. Through this
window comes daylight and fresh air,
but the prisoner cannot look out of it.
The inner door is of iron bars and out
side is blind door Of heavy oak plank.
To this is alta he'd q card, on which is
written the prisoners name, number,
offense and the number of days he res
mains III punishment, which is open to
the inspection of all who pass the cell.
The only furniture ia the cell is pine
board and bucket with lid upon it.
he refractory and unruly are confined
here on diet OF bread and water. here
are hundreds of cases too hard to be sen
sible of elemeney or amenabe to even
so much common sense as a criminal
might be supposed to possess. These,
for their ebullition of wickedness, are
confined to the "Hole" for periods COM
mensnrate with the gravity of their de-
linquencies. The most unruly, it is
found, give in under this treatment,
which does not involve any corporal snf-
fering, hut consists in isolation from all
humanity and an enforced adherence TO
ono spot. The scenes in the solitary are
sad, and it is onlya stout heart that will
remain there very long. Visitors are
seldom shown more than the vacant cells,
but when the blind door is opened and
the conyicts stands revealed. handcuffed
to the iron bars of the inner door, the
ladies' take out their handkerchIeis and
weep, the prisoner turns away his face,
and tho corridor is soon vacated.
man immured in one of these cells
has nothing to do but think, and think
he must, Thinking has been found
great queller Of unruly spirits. When
man can't get away from himself, he
commonly ends by making up his mind
that he is tho worst company he has
ever seen, and after that conclusion the
society of Others, under almost any con-
ceivable restrictions, is eagerly desired.
1t takes some convicts longer than
others to find themselves out; but they
are very likely to stay there until they
do, or to come Lack again and renew
their acquaintance. Prisoners placed
in the solitary for conspiracy, deadly
assault, fighting or any grave offence or
breach OF discipline, are ironed, not as
formerly to the "bull ring" but to the
bars of the cell door, their hands being
passed through the bars and handcuffed
on the outside. careful study of, and
n considerable familiarity with, the con-
duet of the prison is sufficient to CON
vince one that no man sentenced to i'm
prisonment ut Joliet Prison has any
bodily harm to fear. Tho methods of
dealing with offenders, while perfectly
efficient, are notsuch MS to infliet injury.
On leaving the solitary the writer
observed at the gate lending into the
solitary an old man, dressed in the
prison garb, who kept watch of that
gate. He had peculiar smile on his
face, and when closely observed would
shut his eye in a knowing fashion, indi-
eating, if one may Judge correctly, that
he was full of funny things, but dare
not deliver them. .'Old John, F" or "the
Deputy's bulldog" as the convicts call
him, is n peculiar character He was
committed to the prison in 1870, for the
term of his natural life for the murder
of his wife, and he is now about 65 years
old. He is said TO have done the awful
deed in fit of passion, and to have
shown from the start of his prison life
such good disposition that he has
been treated with marked kindness in
return. He has for fifteen years done
nothing but stand watch at the solitary
gate, and amuses himself by keeping
hive of bees in his little flower garden in
his solitary yard. -Broohlga Citizon.