davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

greater responsibilities compelling the pris-
Oner to be more circumspect in his conduct
at every station of advancement. The per-
quisites belonging to the advanced grade
need not be an additional item in
the expense account. The rewards may be
like those mentioned by Warden Wright.
Such privileges may seem, to persons who
have never been in prison, like poor induce
ments, but to the prisoner they have great
value. The simple fact of belonging to a
higher grade of men would be sufficient
motive to induce most men to strive to reach
the highest class. The great merit of this
plan is the training it gives the prisoner in
perseverance in right direction. A man
to win promotion and hold his place must
first learn self control and then keep close
guard upon his conduct; and it is well I'M
derstOod that man, victim to habits. can
not long follow one line OF conduct without
it becoming fixed upon him. 1t is also we'll
known that the majority of those who find
their way into prison are deficient in the
power of prolonged application to any one
undertaking. The want of this power
causes many men to drift from one thing to
another until they finally become criminals
through sheer encouragement at their own
wOrthlesSness. Those who become GRIM
inals from other causes if they have not
this fault to begin with soon acquire it.
About the only good that Imprisonment can
do for man is to correct this fault, and
there is no better way of doing it than by
the grading system.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

The editors mind was a mass of SQuirm-
ing, kissing serpents. the cOmpOsitors were
swapping and snarlng at each other like
sullen dogs. the DEVILS under lip was on the
sag, in fact there was an evil, miSanthrOpic
spirit pervading the atmosphere of The
MIRROR office when the afternoon mail
came in. Three letters dropped upon our
desk along with a lot of exchanges. The
first contained patent lad" proposal. It
found it's way to the waste basket in a
twinkle. The second letter was ''please
discontinue sending" etc., las Pm not able
to pay any longer" The villain! He had
never paid a cent for the two years he had
received the paper. The third opened, and
what have we? Two new subscribers and
two dollars. Tie sun began to peep out
from behind the clouds The exchanges
came next. The Fargo Sunday Argus was
the first opened. and here is what we found:
One of the best edited, best. made. up and
best printed little papers on the Argus ex-
change list is The PRISON MIRROR, pub
lished by the inmates Of the Minnesota pen.
itentiary at Saltwater. 1t shows that there
is editorial ability and taste of high order
among the unfOrtunates of its strange pub
lication Office.
When we had read the above aloud to
the boys, behold the clouds had been swept
away and the gracious sun was shining
forth in all his splendor.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

The sixth biennial report of the Mime
sofa state reform school shows that there
have been committed to the school since it's
opening % years ago 1.246 children. The
daily average of inmates for the year end
ing July 81. 1890. was 2SO.5. The ages of
the inmates range from two up to twenty.
one years. All those over sixteen years old
secured admittance to the school through
perjury. The physicians report shows that
there was not death within the past year.
The management hopes to be able to re-
move to the new school. now in course of
construction at Red Wing, sometime the
coming fall.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

caused by consumption. The fearful pre-.
valence of the disease is due, no doubt, to
the bad sanitary condition of the old prison.
The board of managers say in their report
that. since the removal of the prisoners to
the new cell block, there has been marked
improvement in health, comfort and con-
duct. Punishments have diminished in
number and duration. The former sullen,
logged, hopeless expression has in a large
measure disappeared, and everything indi.
Gates that the change to more wholesome
quarters has contributed materially to the
physical. mental, and moral we'll being of
the prisoners"
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

HE PRISON MIRROR, published by the
inmates of the State Prison at Saltwater, is
among the brightest of our exchanges. A
recent article on the "Great Cause of
Crime" is significant because of it's source,
the author being an inmate of the prison at
Bismarck. We quote two paragraphs:
What is this cause? What do the prison
records of every state prison in America
say9 Here it is in one word. intemperance.
They may send ministers to preach seven
times week, and supply each prisoner
daily with thousand religious tracts, and
all to no avail so long as the deadly poison
is for all. Close up the whisky dens of
every city, town and village, and then you
can close the state prisons, and one police
man then will accomplish the work which
it now takes twenty to accomplish. %
Church Record.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05
TO THE PUBLIC.

THE PRISON MIRROR is a weekly paper pub
lished in the Minnesota state prison. All matter
published in its columns is contributed by the
inmates. except that properly credited. Its sup
port must come from the outside as every inmate
is given a paper without cost. 1t is published in
the interest Of the prison library and after paying
for the printing outfit, contributed $3.50 to the
library fund the first year. Its objects to en-
courage individual intellectual effort, provide a
healthy journal for the inmates of this and other
prisons, and. above all. to acquaint the outside
world with the needs of the prison by rejecting
its inner life and thus aid the cause of moral ad-
vancement and Prison reform.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

A woman can do great many things
with hair pin. Puck of March 4th con-
tains an interesting article on this subject,
by Mrs. OreI D. Orvis. Cigarette lovers
should read. Breaking Off Cigarettes" by
WillistOn Fish, in the same number. Our
readers will be pleased to learn that Puck
is about to begin series of short stories by
that well-knOwn writer, James L. Ford
They are to be called, Hypnotic Tales"
and will run through eight or ten numbers
of the paper.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

By the biennial report of the Western
penitentiary of Pennsylvania we see that
the prisoners are to be classified in a short
time. Warden Edward S. Wright de-
scribes the plan as follows:
Every inmate who has in the preceding
six months. or who may hereafter comply
with all the rules for that time, will be reg
istered in the first grade. This step will be
entitled to all the privileges. consistent with
law. that can be given, mainly of prison
details. that are inexpensive in character
but greatly valued by the recipients. A
few may be mentioned, light at night one
hour longer, privilege of going to and fro
in double line without lOckstep, clothing of
plain grey without stripes. and the benefits
of the law granting reduction of sentence
for good conduct In the second grade
all will be expected to carefully conform to
rules for six months. These require care
and diligence at work, progress in school.
or cell if under instruction there. and civil
department at all times. The third grade
may be reached for misconduct and VIOLA
ton OF rules. according to scale set forth
in little printed book, given to every in
mate and carefully balanced by fixed sys-
tenn every month";"
IL UilO luSpCCIOIS Say.
''While this is new departure, the board
has long desired it's accomplishment, mas
much as the systematic recognition of merit
under this plan has in view the best inter-
ests of the criminal, by placing him under
conditions most favorable for reformation
of character. the great end and aim of prison
discipline, the attainment of which is of
prime Importance. not only to the prisoner.
but to society at large'
AS was remarked in this paper a few
weeks ago. the reformatory plan of disci-
pline is finding its way into the penitentia
ries. No one can be about large prison
great while without recognizing the neces-
sity OF some kind of classification of the
prisoners in order to bring about the best
possible results of Imprisonment Wehaye
heard this plan objected to on the grounds
that it was founded on sentimentalism, was
expensive, and was wrong in principle mas
much as it offered specific rewards for good
conduct whereas the prisoners should be
forced into good conduct. Now, the grad
ing system as practiced in the prisons of
Great Britain and in few reformatorv
prisons in this country does not call for the
relaxation of strict discipline. but, if we
have been rightly informed, it tends rather
to intensity it. The course of discipline
may change its lines, but it always adds
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

The Connecticut state prison seems to be
a breeding place for consumption germs.
With population of little more than 800
they have eleven consumptive patients in
the hospital and like number in the earlier
stages of the disease who are still able to
perform light duties. OF the % deaths
within the past two years eleven have been
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05
Thieves, Profits.

An interesting story of crime in a great
metropolis is to be found in the last annual
report (that for 1889 of the Commissioner
of Police for London. The metropolitan
area guarded by the force was 700 square
miles, and for the protection of person and
property Is, 600 men were on the rolls. OF
the men, however. owing to reasons not
detailed. several thousand were continually
unavailable.
At the head of the list of crimes COM
mitted in spite of the public guardians stand
seventeen homicides, the most of which
were plainly deliberate murder, but not a
single capital conviction is recorded against
the names of the criminals. In four cases
the criminals could not be found, one of the
four being Jack the Ripper of Whtechapel.
In other cases the assailant was insane,
some committed suicide, and in few cases
conviction for manslaughter was obtained.
On the whole it was fairly safe to kill a
man in London. quite as safe as in Ken
lucky or any of the American States where
feeling that the criminal "dOne had tO'
commonly influences the jury to acQuit. 1t
is likely that no State shows so serious
failure of justice as this report shows for
London.
In the report on crimes against property,
it is told plainly that stealing does not pay.
Even leaving out of consideration the
awards of punishment melted out to the
thieves, they would scarce have made the
wages of honest labor. Thus. there were
but 400 burglaries and but e. 900 worth of
property gathered in, about e6 per job on
the average. But of this great part was
rooOvQroH xuhi1o II, 70 inn
was obtained by the burglar. Moreover,
these figures represent the loss to the own
ers, not the gain to the thief. No state
ment of the actual cash receipts of the
thieves can be made, but when one consid.
ers the prices at which the thieves must sell
their plumber to the fences. it is reasonable
to suppose that had they all gotten off scot
free of Imprisonment, suffering only from
the loss of the property which was recovered
from them, they would not have made SIS a
job on the average, perhaps not So.
There were about 1, 500 cases of house
breaking, and here the same story is told.
The thieves got property of an estimated
value of Eli. 900 (the owners always est-
mating their losses as high as possible), but
much was recaptured. Even on the basis
of the estimated loss in over half the cases
the value was less than G5. while in only
thrtytwO cases out Of the 15OO did the
value exceed ESQ.
The cases of shopbreaking numbered SIT,
or seventy-three less than in 1883. The
number of burglaries, too. was less than in
1888. and so. too. were the housebreakings
and pocket pickings.
Sir Edward Bradford, who writes the re-
port. says the decrease would be still greater
were it not for the leniency with which ha-
bitual and we'll knOwn criminals are treated
by Judges.
On an average, however, crimes against
property were 13 per cent less numerous in
1889 than in 1SS8.-N. Y. Sun.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

OF 31S prisoners in the Connecticut state
prison 40 are under life sentence. The case
of one of these life prisoners is peculiar as
it stands recorded in the prison report. He
was convicted in 1859. and he is now 81
years old. Here is case for those who
hold that crime is hereditary.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05
Carl PretzeI,s Philosophy.

Der Teller dot vas got plainly Embellishments
in his frame works. der vorldt will dink he has got
efery odder goot qualidy.
Oxberience vas told you dot efery desire which
comes by you, vas have some inclinations to dock
you der wrong way out
Der st. Vitus itch und der wheels of der hooman,
mind vas pooty perpetual motions. don't it-Na-
tional Weekly.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

A man died in the Maine state prison last
October who was serving his eighth term.
He had served altogether forty-one years.
five months and four days. He died of ex.
haustion at the age of seventy four years.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

A hotel keeper captured two burglars in
the act of carrying off 5000 of his cigars
the other night, and he now purposes to
make them ''smOke."
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05

A crowd is not company and faces are
but gallery of pictures. and talk but a
tinkling symbol, where there is no love- =
Bacon.
The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1891-03-05
An UnVarnished Epithet.

Rowne de Bout: So. Tom Knox was talk
ing about me, was he? l suppose he said I
was somewhat of debauchee. eh?
Epson Downes: No; he said you were a
luSh.-Puck.
The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-04-07
PARTLY GONE.

G.. 3. Lamm, Esq, a prominent
fruit grower in the eastern part of
Pettis county. was in the city yester-
day. He said to the reporter
81 had expected to have plenty of
fruit at my place until Saturday
morning. 1 then examined and
found my peaches, plums and cherries
had been blasted by the cold snap.
Yes, they are gone for 1891, but the
apples, small frnits and Of course the
grapes are all right yet. The outlook
for the farming community is good,
although the spring is backward.
Last year the 4th of April they had
their corn planted. / am expecting
when it does come off warm, thit it
will be very seasonable and that vege-
tation will come forward very fest.
The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-04-07
A BOSS LIAR.
A Dying Man Bequeaths Myth.
cal Property to His Bene-
factors.

One day last December, a man by
the name of David Williams stopped
at the house of VIM. NJ. Roberts, in
Liberty, and asked for shelter. He
said that he had no home that he
was sick with consumption, and that
he wanted a place in which to die.
Death came last night. Williams
claims to nave once resided in Kansas
City. A few hours before his death
he sent for Senator SimraIl, saying he
desired to make his will. 1t was in
favor of Roberts and wife and preten-
ded to bequeath to them a block of
brick buildings at Fourth and Oak
streets in Kansas City and s12.733
deposited to his credit in the First
National bank of Liberty. The de-
ceased stated that he had no relatives
this side of the water and wanted to
reward the people who had been kind
to him. His remains were buried at
Liberty at 4 o'clock yesterday after
noon. Inquiry at the First National
bank in Liberty developed the fact
that Williams did not have s12, 1888
nor any other sum deposited there,
and further investigation proved that
he owned no property at Fourth and
Oak streets In Kansas City.
The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-04-07
A NEAT PAMPHLET.

L. M. MoDsees, proprietor of Lime
stone Valley farm has just had issued
from this Office three hundred pamph.
le.s with genuine Photographic illus
trations and compete pedierees of fine
breeding stock owned by him. Each
pamphlet contains photographs of the
following named animals: "Pied-
mont" a dars bay stallion "Dick
Morgan" a dark bay with black
points and Superior Mammoth" Jr.,
a coal black jack, seven years old, is
hands high and weight 1900. "Su-
perior Mammoth" cost his owner 81
600, took first premium over "Giant,"
w. L. Caldwell's fine jlck, at Spring
field, Kentucky fair, IN 1886, also
first premium over Levy bubbles
world challenge jack, "BrigDolis," at
St. Louis fair, in 1889, also winning
first premiums and sweepstakes at the
fairs held in 1890, in Upton, Sedalia,
Marshall and Pilot Grove.
Mr.. Monsees has shown much en-.
terprise in getting out his pamphlets
and particularly in the use of the ex-
pensive photographs with which they
are embellished.
The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-04-07
Ohio and Main street. The people
awoke to see the safe adorned with a
huge placard which bore the follow
ing legend:
FREEDMANS' !:
BUREAU :

The late General Smith, w. P.
jackson and Bacon Montgomery
were highly incensed at the "out-
rage" and were afraid it would have
a bad effect upon immigration at that
time pouring into central Missouri
from the eastern states.
General Smith, in his GOOD natur-
ed way said it was the work of some
"abominable rebel who ought to be
hung"
jackson and Montgomery were a
little more conservative and would
have been satisfied with having the
perpetrator of the joke sent to the
penitentiary or forced to join Col. Dick
Ritter's gang of registrars a sort
of a body deputized to see that rebe's
got only enough air TO barely exist.
1t was discovered years afterward
that Jno. w. Houx perpetrated the
joke aided and assisted, before the
fact, by Elias Bixby. Both still live.
What appears a very tame and
point'ess incident now was huge
practical joke at that time.
The safe was finally paced in po-
sition and it has done its work faith
fully for twenty-five years. 1t now
goes back to Cincinnati to be bright
ensd up and embelIshed with a
fresh coat of black paint,
streaked with vermilion and ochre
then again it will 60 to some frontier
p'iut to hold the earnings of another
industrious and frugal people similar
to those where 1t made its debut.
The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-04-07
This is Also Your Last Chance
To Buy Genuine
Castile Soap

Worth CSC for Zoe a cake.
Large Bars CASTLE Soap regular
price 9Oc, our price 4Oc.
Sc Another lot of 10 to 15c Soaps,
including Turkish Bath Soap, Egyp-
tian Tar Soap and other well known
brands to be sacrificed at DC a cake.
Writing Paper, light weight
writing paper, ruled, 40 sheets
for &c. Heavy weight writing paper
60 sheets for lOc, worth double.
EnvelOpes-White envelopes, good
weight, any size, % for &c.
Dictionaries - Pocket Dictiona-
ries. 5000 words, cloth bound only
13c. Websters Unabridged Diction-
aries now S1.35.
ThermOmeters-They are worth
25c, our price, 10c. Barometer and
thermometer combined, regular price
SOC, our price zoe.
Perfumery -25c Perfumery in
fancy bottles, only 10c. All this and
much more that must be seen TO be
appreciated.
Clocks - Nickel Plated Clocks
with alarm, warranted to keep good
time or money refunded. regulE
price $l.5O, our price, only $1.O0.
Same style clock without alarm, Row
75c.
Backing Best make, small box,
1c, large box worth 15c, now sc.
Clothes Brushes "A new lot reg
ular 25c article, during this sale 10c-
Safety Pins dozen for sc.
ins-1c q paper, best Brass
Pins, sc.
Curling Irons-Singie handles,
&c, double handle, $50; all this and
much more this week.
The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-04-07
Buy a Charter Oak Stove.
They are the best stove made.
j. w. HOuX, ITO West Main st.
BY MORPHINE.

A. D. Morgan, an agent for pianos
and organs. who resides at Holden,
attempted to take his life yesterday,
in Warrensburg, by the morphine
route. Last fall Morgan was SEN
fenced to the penitenIiary for two
years for bIgamy. He obtained new
trial and is out on bail. In his efforts
to keep out of the penitentiary he has
run behind with the organ companies
and they were anxious to get their
pay. Morgan has in the past few
weeks published divorce proceedings
against his first wife. Some think
the man temporarily insane while
others are not 80 charitable.
The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1891-04-07
A SAFES HISTORY.
Its Removal Recalls an Old
Time Practical Joke.

Many of the citizens of Sedalia on
Friday last saw the large safe moved
out of the First National Bank build
ing and taken away. Amid the
thousands OF passers by only very
few we're reminded of a scene of more
than twenty-five years ago.
The safe was bought in Cincinnati
in November, 1866, by Cyrus New
kirk, paying therefor So, 500. At that
time there were no bridges across the
Mississippi and all freight Of what
ever description, bad to be unloaded
from the cars, loaded on wagons, then
pulled on ferry boats, foated to the
other bank and then with difficulty
hauled to the depot on the west side
and there reloaded 90 the cars The
safe in question was loaded on a wagon
at East st. Louis and in hauling it to
the ferry boat the wagon broke down,
and the safe lay on its side on the
landing exposed to the weather for
weeks until wagon could be built
strong enough to hold it up.
It's. advent into Sedalia was in the
fore part of February, 1866. Then
came the "tug of war" to oet it into
position in little box house that
stood on the first lot north of the
present bank building. then the bank
ing house of Sedalia and Central Mis-.
souri,. The freight depot of the
Pacific at that time was about two
hundred feet east of Ohio street, on
the north side of the track. The wri-
ter does not call to mind who had
the contract of putting the
safe into position, but it
took several days, a dozen men and
six yokes of oxen. The street was
mud, of course and almost bottom
less. Pianks were laid on top of the
sticky substance and by slow process
the safe was finally landed in posi-
ton after being stuck in the mud
several times.
Of course, at that time, the whole
populace of the struggling village of
Sedalia viewed the process of moving
the safe several times each day. All
sorts of suggestions as to what it was
for and what it could be used for were
made. Before that time people had
carried their money in their trousers
pockets, given it to their wives, while
Major Beck, then large merchant.
carried his 10 his sock and the lining
of his hat, alternating as be suspected
that some bush whacker had found
out its hiding place.
One morning while the safe was
deep in the mud near the corner OF