Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-08-01
LIVERY CRIMINAL CONVICTED IN THE


- District OF Columbia Of a crime punishable
By imprisonment with labor for term exceed
ing one year is sent to some prison outside of
ths District designated By the Attorney Gen
eral- This il done because the government DOS
sesses prison in the District provided as to
properly execute that part Of the sentence whic h
imposes labor. At the present time the Albany
county penitsntiary at Albany, y. Y, Is the
prison so designated. and to that institution the
warden Of the District Jail transports the peni-
Tertiary sentenced criminals of tins community.
A representative OF THE STAR. through the
courtesy of Maj Burke, the warden Of the Dis
tict jail, accompanied the batch Of convicts
sent 20 Albany few days ago in charge Of
Capt. Cole OF the Jail force.
The cOnyicts usually sent 70 Albany IN
patches Of Elk. eight or ten, and patches of six
prisoners are taken there in charge of two OIL
GERS. while another officer is detailed when the
number - more. There are. of course, times
when b1t two or three or even one convict is
sent. she warden being governed entirely IN
this matter by the action OF the courts. The
varrens authority or warrant for forwarding
aprIsOuer Is the record of the case in which
conviction was reached, forwarded to him by
the clerk OF che court after all the DELAYS OF
which the law IL capable have been overcome
and Nhich l. IN substance a resume of the par
tcullr ease in question duly certified under
the seal OF the supreme Court of the District
The TINE OF DEPARTURE KEPT SECRET.
For obvious reasons the exact time at which
batch % prisoners IL TO be started Is kepta
secret by the jail authorities. but the relatives
or friends OF the departing conyicts are invari-
ably Eiyeu opportunity to bid them good
bye. Night Is chosen the time for departure
and as late an hour as possible, for the reason
that the least publicity possible IL desired The
tip from Washington To Albany occupies about
4 - ~
Baltimore and Ohio railroad Is the one usually
taken At this train The STARS representative
vas invited 20 meet the officers in charge of the
couylcts sent one night last week.
Some time before tie hour the Jail van came
rumblIng down New jersey avenue and was
rapidly driven down 70 where the KOyaI Blue
line % yesubuled composing the New
York tram stood. Eight eOuyicts all negroes
composed the batch They were secured by
Handwriting them in pairs and also by placing
very heavy handouts ON the lett ankle of the
men on the right and cOnneCt Ting II to the right
snkle OF the man on his Left Through the
handouts conhning the wrists Of each pair of
cOusIcts a heavy steel chain was run. all, wing
play ~ about three feet between each pair OF
prisoners Thus chain q together iOcOmOtioE
w4sratLer slow and mt tn OF cai nd the chance of
escape rendered simply impossible. for, while a
convict might slip the handouts from his wrist
he would stIli be securely chained BY the ankle
10 the man beside him. As quickly a. the I'M
Peded movements Of the men would allow they
were transferred 10 one OF the passenger
coaches Of the waiting train and seated in the
compartment at the end of the used ordl-
Yaruy a. a smoking room This room comfort
ably STATED The eight prisoners and three Off
GERS IL charge.
GooD-BYEs on TEE PLATFORM
Besore entering the ear the prisoners were
halted on the station platform fo- moment
that their friends and relatives might bid them
goodbye With possibly or two excep-
tons. however. a tall. desperate-lOoking fellow
who occupied the position OF honor in the line
the extreme right seemed 10 be about the only
one IN the batch thought enough Of to be so
remeE! cred. This fellow. who later on proved
10 be the life 90 hls companions was being
sent ON 70 DO four years for highway robbery.
He appeared to be about twenty-five years of
age and was On his first visit to Albany. as in
deed vas the case with every other member OF
the batch His unpleasant position seemed to
have rendered him hero in the minds of his
female friends, for thew not only provided him
With well-stocked baske. CT eatables of which
tie piece de resistance in the shape of two
nicely Drowned spring chickens, bur embraced
him with considerably more than friendly
warmth and devotion The dainties and EN-
braces were cOOlly accepted as mere mat
tiers OF fOrUI we'll fact. and
As he steppei sbOard the car his parting sau-
tation was also ore of undOutted good advice:
If you Niger "orches don't skip 70 home.
u nrst thing you k"O You'll git ninety days.
The starting of TIE tain was the signal for
the sOuyicts TO break into song and "a We
passed out Of the city they sang with the per-
fec; tine Of the negro the old college refrain of
Good bye NV Lover goodbye" From then
until the outskirts OF Baltimore were reached
they gave themselves up 10 singing entirely
stopping for a moment now and then 10 stare
out Of he windows when some unusual sight
was revealed III the bright moonlight Strange
iey " Z pf.s
were q. 4 deeply TcilgIOUs nature. Nearer,
Ny God. to Thee" they sang remarkably well
and they appeared to sing It with devotion
anu feeling worthy of that grand old hymn.
But tho select-o which appeared to be a great
fsyOrlte with them, II certainly was
With the crowds of curious people who
stood almost constantly at the door
anu inside windows of the little compartment
on the way from Washington to Jersey CITY.
was religious one. very prominent refrain
OF which Was, Jesus Viii EOrsake You Never -
The music was of u catchy. swinging nature In
fast march time and seemed as II it might have
been especially written tor such voices SO well
did they sing II.
As tue train passed on again the singing
which the short stop IN Baltimore had inter
rupted. was resumed and with renewed vigor
And IN singing, eating and now and then in
snort cat maps the night passed. A bag
nlled with SANDWICHES l. ALWAYS sent along with
every batch OF eonvicts. and from this and
from tive basket given the highwavrnan fire.
i-ent deiAthus were hOnOreI- some smO hlng
would now and then be INDUCED in by the
prisoners. for whenever some one came to gaze
upon them that person Immediately became
the recipient Of earnest requests Tor a cigar a
Cigarette OF some tobacco and not infrequently
their requests were gratItied. No restriction
was placed upon their smoking. eating sing
Ing BY this officers in charge. every indulgence
consistent with safety and proper decorum
being granted
The CRIMES THEY HAD COMMITTED.
The crimes Of which the prisoners had been
convicted and for which their punishment was
about to begin (for in penitentiary sentences
the term does not begin until the convict ar
riyes at the PRISON. ran from the taking Of
man goods and chattels to the taking of man
NE! And the youngest convict in the batch
boy OF only fifteen years, he claimed. had
been convicted and sentenced to ten years i'm
Prisonment with hard labor for taking the lie
OF another boy. His appearance was one of
youth'al innocence, not one of guilt; and
when, IN answer to the innumerabls in
quiries OF the curious lookers-on en-
route, the crimes and terms Of the
eonvicts were given them by the officers in
not . single instance this boy picked out
- the murderer. One Of the prisoners was
''going up" for false pretenses, one for bigamy
another for assault and the rest for robbery,