The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-09-26

The Silence that is Broken Only
by the Voice Of Prayer.

\ A0 AAAOANV GAAdV 40 0xOA0A OulY
by the Voice of Prayer.
Did you read the sentence passed
the other day upon John Bardsley,
the defaulting Treasurer of the city
of Philadelphia?
Think of it Fifteen years in SOL
itary confinement at hard labor!
One acquainted with the liberal
prison system of Massachusetts
would no doubt be very much
shocked should he make study of
penelogy as it exists in Pennsylva-
MIA. That two systems so widely
divergent could exist at one and
the same time in two of the oldst
States in the Union is astonishing
in the extreme.
When Bardsley came to the main
door of the Eastern Penientiary
an officer, as in all cases, stepped
forward and tied q handkerchief
securely over his eyes. Every pris-
oner is blindfolded before he enters
even the Office of the prison. He
sees nothing from the time he leaves
the vehicle which conveys him to
the dreaded door until, bathed and
clothed in a prison suit, the hand
kerchief which shuts the light out
from his vision is removed in the
room which henceforth, for so many
years as his sentence designates, is
to be his home, writes, Philadel-
phia correspondent of the Boston
Globe.
Ar official of the Eastern Peni-
tentiary, relating to me the manner
in which convicts are inducted into
their new and dreadful existence,
said: after the convict is blind
folded he is taken to the guard-room
and searched. He doesn't know,
however, whether he is in. the guard,
room or only few steps from the
big door where the handkerchief was
placed over his eyes. Sometimes,
in the case of hardened and incor-
rigible s'crooks' who have served
time in prison before, we purposely
walk the man around and around
through the vast corridors, eventu-
ally bringing him back to the guard
room, which is in reality only a
short distance from the spot where
daylight is shut out from him. We
don't want these fellows to obtain
the least clew Of the geography Of
the prison.
"Such a thing as an escape from
the Eastern Penitentiary would be
one of the most tremendous sensa-
tions that Pennsylvania could be
treated to. | do not recollect that
any man has ever succeeded in get
ting away from here once he was
landed in the cell assigned to his
use.
after the searching process has
been gone through with, the. .pris-
oner is again given a winding, tor
turous walk which brings him to a
bathroom and a barber. Without
removing the bandage from his eyes
he is bathed, has his hair cut, is
shaved and dressed in a regula-
ton prison suit. Then an officer
conducts him to his cell and his
introduction to the life he is to lead
for years is mostly over. 1t only
remains to present him with copy
of the rules and regulations, to bring
him his stint of work and instruct
him as to how that work is to be
performed and how much he is ex-
pected to turn out each day."
The officer said nothing of the
awful, heart breaking rush Of feel
ing that must most surely engulf
any man when the door of his SOL
itary prison home is at last closed
upon him and he is left with him.
self and the intolerable silence to
think and weep and pray and gnash
his teeth on this first evening spent
in that echoing room. @ eq -
There are two doors in each room,
the outer being of iron and the inner
of 3-inch oak plank. These doors
are never opened except at the reg
ular visits of the officer each day,
who comes to bring meals, work or
to remove slops from the convicts'
rooms.
In the morning bundle of over
alls to sew, of shoes to peg, OF up
pers to stitch or of other garments
to be made up, according to the
season of the year and the kind of
work in hand, is tossed in to the
prisoner, who is allowed beside one
chair, plate, a spoon and little
square box in which to keep his
eating utensils. He is also provided
with q comfortable bed OF straw
stuffed in clean tick, which is
changed frequently enough tor SAN
itary purposes.
The prisoner is allowed to speak
to his guard upon any matter hav-
ing reference to his prison needs,
his health, his work. his food, or to
ask for the presence Of the prison
chaplain. Outside of these abso-
lufelv necessary topics he must not