St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-10-27
The Minneapolis Workhouse
a Haven for Tramps
and VagS.
1t Grows in Popularity as
Winter Advances and Is
Overcrowded.
An Abundance of Good Food
and Easy Work for a
Few Months.
A Place Where the OuteaSt
Finds a Home Not Alto
gether Bad.


"wago," who is content during the
warm weather to sleep in box car or
under tree, commences to make his
way towards one of the large cities,
where in a warm room of the station
house he can spend his long evenings,
and where he is generally sure of
pretty fair meal i'm one of the numerous
saloons where very bad glass of beer
and a free lunch can be had for the
moderate price of five cents. The
great wheat-grOwing country, OF
which Minneapolis is the central point,
attract large numbers of these birds
of passage every fall. Harvest hands
are always in demand during the season
for cutting the grain, and the steam
thresherS give employment to many OF
this class. While at work they earn
good wages, receiving from $l.25 to 81
per day and their board. As they are
away from the towns and villages which
dot the state while at work, and have
no chance to spend their earnings. they
are generally pretty we'll heeled" when
the work is finished. Many of them are
honest, Woodworking fellows who d.
vide their time between working in
the harvest fields and in the lumber
camps. But the good wages offered
has of late attracted class of men who
roam from place to place, only working
now and then to get money enough to
keep them in liquor and tobacco, and
who are satisfied with a 'hand-out"
from good housewife, who is terror
lied by their fOreboding appearance and
their gruff demand for ''Sumthin' to
eat" Men of this class always spend
the cold months of the year in one OF
the large cities, and they consider them
selves in big luck if by committing
some petty offense they can be commit
ted to one of the numerous refOrmatOry
institutions, where they are sure of
three square meals day, warm room
and good bed to sleep i'll.
In the Workhouse, situated at
Shingle creek, Minneapolis has an
institution which has grown in pop
ularlty among the gentlemen OF
the road who are DESIGNATED as
'sons OF rest" At present the insti-
tuition is crowded, and Supt. West and
Deputy Whalen have their hands full to
find accommodations for the people who
are committed to their care. But all
the inmates of the workhOuse are not
tramps. Many of them are men and
women who have committed the helm
Gus offenSe of getting drunk. and who,
when arraigned in the municipal court,
have not enough money to pay their
fines and are sent up for from
ten to ninety days. according
to the number of times they
have. been guilty of the Offense
changed. Under the system inaugurated
by Judge Emery of doubling the fine
for the second offenSe and again doub
ling that for the third. the population of
fba Rsrnrlyhnncn hos innrpa Spd Unndnr-
fully. Yesterday Warden Whalen said
that when the prisoners were called for
breakfast lie had 131 male and twenty
two female people in the institution.
During the day fifteen were discharged
and five were sent up from the munich
pal court. When the workhouSe was
built accommodations wei e provided for
$50 prisoners, each of whom was sup
posed to occupy separate cells. Of late
the doubling up" system has had to be
adopted and even the room set apart as
a hospital has been utilized as a sleep
ing apartment for the prisoners, while
the sick had to be kept in their cells.
Until recently the wOrkhOuse was
looked upon as haven of rest. Little
or no work being actually performed by
the inmates. This did not suit either
Supt. West or the committee of the
council which has charge of the institu-
ton, and plans are now being fOrmu-
lated to make the place wOrkhOuse in
fact as we'll as in name, and. instead of
enjoying themselves in idlenesS during
the cold weather, the people who are
sent there will have to work if they
want to eat. During the warm weather
the men are put to work on the farm. in
the stone quarry and on the roads. A
few others find employment in the bake
shops, as tailors in the sewing room, and
the few shoemakerS who find their way
into the place are given work in the
shoe shop. On account of the enforced
idleness during the winter many of the
homeless vags are glad to get arrested,
knowing that all they have to do Is to
plead guilty of vagrancy or drunken
ness to insure good home for them
selves for the winter.
Every morning the prisoners sem
fenced to the WOrkhOuSe are turned over
to Supt. West. and the black maria
takes them up to Single creek. There
they are turned over to Warden
Whalen, who takes an accurate deScrip-
ton of the prisoners. The women are
turned over to Matron Taylor. who
takes them to the apartment set aside
for their use. After the description has
been taken the men are marched to the
bath room, Invested of their clothing
and given a thorough Scrubbing. Their
clothes are thrown into large steam
vat and left long enough to preclude the
possibility of the existence of any YER
min. The prisoner is then given
mouse-colored uniform, suit of good.
warm undertaking, stockings. shoes
and hat. Then he is sent to the barber,
who cuts his hair, if too long. and
shaves him. He is then given cell.
which he must keep clean, and the rules
of the Institution are explained to him.
His daily life then begins. At $3.50 the
prisoners march in single file to the din
ing room, where substantial breakfast
consisting of hash made of meat and
potatoes, bread and coffee is served
to them. At 1880 dinner is ready.
Three times week baked beans with
potatoes and bread are served; this bill
of fare, however, is aiternated with a
rich soup consisting of vegetables, rice
and barley. At dark supper of bread
and butter or syrup and tea is given
them. The food is of the best quality.
While the discipline is strict, it is not
harsh, and there is seldom occasion to
inflict punishment for any violation of
the rules.
At the present time about seventy
men are employed at work on the roads,
in the quarry and engaged i'm cutting
the wood which will be burned during
the winter. When the men are engaged
at work outside of the building guards,
armed with Winchester rifles, stand
| watch over them to prevent escapes. 1t
is very seldom, however, that any of
the inmates make the attempt, and
rarely do they succeed. Their comfort
able quarters and easy time, good food
and Just discipline makes the Mime
apolis workhOuse a pleasant place for
the 'shohO'; to SDend the winter