Wichita eagle., 1890-02-18
MARY GARRETT

But Lne institution winch interests tie larg-
est number of people is tie penitentiary at
! Columbus, the inmates OF which vary from
! 600 20 2COo and represent every grade OF
society and intellect, crime and retribution,
| from the ex-iinancier Harper TO the 13-year-
old colored girl, Carrie Smith, who best a
child to death in pure malice. They also rep
resent every grade i'll crime, but may be di-
vided roughly into three classes: those in
! whom the moral sense seems TO have been
absolutely lacking from the start those whose
lives had apparently been pure and upright
till the commission Of tho one crime for which
they suffer, and the much larger class in
whom good 0nd evil contend fer the mastery
All these are represented in the woman s
department, though there are but thirty-six
female convicts at present. and g woman cor
respondent of The Cincinnati Enquirer re-
Gently gave en- interesting sketch of these.
having interviewed all who would talk
With the women, as with the men, the au-
thorities have to remark the strange paradox
that the worst criminals are often the ''best
prisonels"-that IS, give the least trouble.
Or the thirty-siX but one admitted her guilt
-Vlola Thompson, a Cincinnati girl under
seven years sentence for grand larceny.
Nearly all the women are in for very short
terms, the exceptions being two colored girls
from Cleveland for beating child to death,
Barbara Eckenweiler for numbering her hus-
band, Mary Whitefieid for manslaughter,
Lizzie E<ripgton for infanticide Elsie Jams
ian Indian girl for beating her husband, and
the famous murdoress OF Uledina county,
Mrs. Garrett, who killed her imbecile step
| daughters The Chickasaw Indian girl is. of
| course. a United States prisoner, and sostupid
and retcsnt that it is impossible to decide
whether she has the moral sense or much
sense Of any kind. Lizzie Edrington is but
little better-a ''wait of the bacl,woo,ls'' and
an outcast, who was in the county intirmary
when her child was born and killed But
Barbara Eckenweiler is such fair faced, in
nocent looking German girl that it is almost
impossible to believe her guilty
The demon Of the department, however
is Mrs. Garrett, whose case was lately venti-
lated in the papers. She married an old
farmer who had two grown daughters, who
were feeble minded and gave some trouble
One night the house was fred and the two
girls s,nothered. In their room were found
remnants of dried leaves and grass. apparent
ly piled there TO insure their destruction.
TIE evidence was positive and Mrs. Garrett
was condemned to death, the sentence being
ccmmuted to imprisonment for life. Yet she
is not a bad looking woman, and her manners
are pleasant. Three babies have recently
been born in the place, two of whom remain,
that OF Mrs. Garrett having been taken away
by her husband, who had obtained divorce.
The Oldest prisoner in the place is John
Corder, sentenced in 1865 for life, for murder
IN the second degree. He is also the ''best
prisoner''-cheerful, active and even witty
He is = ''trusty," often permitted to work
outside the walls. Ills case was one OF those
sudden atfairs-a killing by good man, to
the horror OF al who knew him. His cows
had been worried to death by q neighbor's
dogs; in rage about it he met the party he
thought responsible, and murder resulted.
Since this man entered the penitentiary over
14,600 men have served their timo and left.
The discipline Of the place is first class, the
food as good as the average mechanic has at
home: and it is quite n sight to see the men
marching to meals-in line, with lock step
and close order. 1t looks like a great craNt-
ing centipede or long striped worm. Mrs.
Hayes, who visited the place occasionally on
charitable missions while her husband was
governor, said this ''crcepy-crawly appear
ance7 always made hor feel sic1-''t looks so
snalIy, like turning man into a reptile" One
of the best prisoners is Harper, OF Fidelity
bank fame. His wife visits him regularly,
and ne is cheerful, active ard strictly .tten-
tive to rules. Tho sanitary condition OF the
prison is notably good and the death rate is
considerably below the average in the gem
eral population.