The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-12-04

curdling anathemas on that ''cOnf0unde6
printah fellah." whom he threatens to kick
to 1.-The demnition bow wowsw His man.
uscripts are marvels OF originality and in
correctness, being crude ideas crOuched in
wrongly spelt. misapplied words, faulty,
jerking rhyme. and strung together in utter
defiance of the rules of grammar. rhyme or
metre.
A very familiar species in our commu-
nifty is that first introduced to the world
by SHAKESPEARE under the cOgnOmen of Sir
John Falstaff." He is the great Il am"
the would be boss of all he surveys.
= hough grossly ignorant. he knows every
thing! You cannot relate an incident. start
an argument, or describe any mechanical or
scientific process. but he Immediately de-
nOunceS it as "bOsh." is ready to go you
one better" and stake his reputation on it.
He invariably uses big words and puts them
in the wrong places. This style of individ-
ual is dogmatc. abusive. an arrant coward,
innately treacherOus. dangerous at all times,
but extra hazardous during the Dog Days
or in the depth of winter as his supply of
Natural Gas" is then ineXhaustible and
uncomfortable.
Another amusing specimen from our
human menagerie is the animal called THE
Walking Interrogation Point" He is per-
petually wanting to know everything
about you and your family. about every
point in your personal history, and every
thing you have done or are going to do: he
is always busy. about others affairs but
very neglectful or ignorant of that which
concerns himself He is the exact opposite
of his argumentative fellow prisoner. who
is known as the know ALL" That man..
if two or three are talking together on any
subject whatever from the price of hand.
~
Zle. invariably knows better than any one
else about it. and is ready to bet anything
his statement is correct.
There is yet one ubiquitous character
common to our community. but which. like
the lively flea. is difficult to catch, and dam
gerOus to handle. He has a finger in every
ones pie, is seen and felt when least ex-
pected; and sticks like leech to his victim
while there is dime to be made out of him.
He is the Fox of our little menagerie. He
worms himself into your confidence before
you are aware of it; finds out everything
you are most DESTROYS to keep hidden; and
makes personal capital and perpetual black
mail out of it. No one is safe from his.
clutches. Offend him, and though you may
be as innocent as an infant, he will coin the
most atrOciOus stories, and relate them with
unblushing assurance. until you will pos
itively rue the day you were born. He is
perfectly posted Tor processes so to be) with
your family history for the last six genera.
tons; and is ever ready to supply any gap
from his prolific imagination. If you are
foolish enough to cOnfide any personal mat.
tiers to him. ne will publish them, with
cancellations and additions. to the author
tiles or to your fellows, at any time that his
vanity. spite, or love of gain may prompt
him to do so. But he is generally caught
Of loo nd h lDrr
ward in the universal execration of all who.
know him.
With the LOafer or Ider. who is constitu-
tiOnally Tired" and boasts that 1.-THE world
owes him living" religiously eschewing
labor OF any kind, we have nothing to do.
He is an incubus on the community, which
must be got rid of at any cost.
So. for the present, we will close our
Portrait Gallery. F. J.G.
CharlestOwn Prison, Mass.