The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-05-17


otnerWlse punished. Though strongly
advised to hoard his funds until the day OF
release, he may spend it if he likes. The
regular prison food is better and more
abundant than most of them
HAVE BEEN ACCUSTOMED TO OUTSIDE;
but on certain days market people are al
lowed to come in and sell tobacco, fruit,
dulces, etc., and there is no law to prevent
the men from spending all they can earn in
this way.
Once in three months each prisoner may
have visitors, and then his relatives and
friends, II he has any, flock to see him.
Many of them are glad to have saved up a
respectable sum to give the wife and chill
dren, or the aged parents or young sisters,
VINO. perhaps, have sadly missed their sup
port. Said the superintendent" If prison
er's term is long, it is not uncommon for
MIN to have credit for from $500 to $500.
which is paid him in cash on the day of his
discharge and is wealth to roto. This,
with good trade at his fingers ends and
the thrifty habits he has acquired, makes a
new man of him; and if he gets into mis-
chief again it is due to innate depravity,
rather than to force of circumstances. But
when man has been accustomed to the
QUIET AND ORDER THAT REIGNs HERE,
he has forgotten how to think for himself.
and even his former name has become
strange 10 him. When first turned adrift
into the world, even with money in his
pocket, he feels an overpowering sense of
selplessness; and many come back and beg
to be taken in again.V
But there is another side to the picture
one so dark and terrible that as we contem-
plated 1t the bright day seemed suddenly
over cast, the sun ceased to shine and the
birds to sing. In this splendid ''model''
building there are Shiny, noisome cells
where daylight never enters, in which hu-
man beings are literally buried alive. Hav-
ing heard OF them, we requested to be shown
one OF these cells. The gentlemanly super
lntendent denied there were any such, and
showed US the interior of two or three twi-
light cells, which he said were the worst in
the penitentiary and designed for those con-
demned to SOLITARY confinement" But we
knew better; and later, the judicious in
vestment OF dollar induced a subordinate
to give US glimpse of
wHATswR CAME TO SEE.
Under the massive arches of the enormously
tnlck walls, where perpetual twilight reigns
even In the outside rooms, are inner cells.
Two feet wide by six feet long, destitute Of
a single article of furniture. Until recently
those confined in them were walled IN. the
bricks being cemented in places over the
nVlng tomb. Now there is a thick iron door,
=
all around with huge clamps, exactly as
vaults are closed in the Santiago cemetery !:
and over all the great red seal of the govern
ment Is placed-nOt to be removed until the
man is dead or his sentence has expired
The tiny grated window is covered bV sew
era thicknesses of closely-woven wire net
ting. making dense darkness inside, so that
the prisoner cannot tell night from day.
Inere Is no ventilation, except through this
netting, and no opening whatever to the
tomb. Low down in the iron door close to
the ground is tiny sliding panel foot long
by two or three inches wide, arranged like
double drawer, so that
FOOD AND WATER
may be slipped in on shallow pans and the
refuse returned. Twice in tweptv-four
hours this paneli operated: and if the food
remains untouched certain number of
days it is known the man is dead. and only
then can his door be opened unless his time
has expired. If the food is not eaten for
only two or three days no attention is paid
to 1t, for the prisoner may be shamming;
put beyond given length of time he cannot
live without eating.
Not the faintest sound nor glimmer of
light penetrates these awful walls. In the
same clothes he goes in, unwashed, un-
combed, without even a blanket or hand
fuI OF straw to lie on he languishes in sick
MS condition known to the outside. Hemav
count the tagging hours, sleep, rave, curse.
pray. long for death, dash his brains out. 90
mad II he Hke-nobody knows it. He is
dead to the world, and buried, though liy.
ing. Six months is the usual sentence, and
until lately two years have been the limit.
They told US that but
ONE MAN has EVER BEEN KNOWN TO LIVE A
YEAR,
and the majority do not outlast the second
month. Those that survive the six months
are almost invariably driveling idiots or
dangerous maniacs. The door is always
open at night, when the sentence has ex
pred, because in his enfeebled condition
alter long darkness, the glare of day would
be torture, II not death They expect tn
ind the wretch stone blind, emaciated to
the last degree. unable to stand, hair and
beard grown long and as white as snow. |
nails like talons, and garments rotten with
mould.
One man of education and refinement
kept himself In tolerable condition through
his haif-year Of solitary confinement bv
means OF handful of melon seeds. AS he
was going IN somebody gave him part of a
musk melon. Strange to say, it was not
taken from him, and he carefully boarded
the seeds which he put to variety of in
genlous uses. With them and reckoning
from the number OF times the food pan slid
IN and out he contrived to keep track of the
number of
DAYS OF HIS INCARCERATION;
he invented games of ''solitaire.r which he
played thousands of times in the darkness.
and to vary the dreadful monotony he woul6
throw away the precious handful and grope
around on his hands and knees until thew
were all re-collected. He SAYS that in those
little seeds he is indebted for his almost
miraculous escape from insanity, idlocy or
death. "a
On the day of our visit to the Santiago
penltentlary there was one man in solitary
confinement, under two years sentence
whose time had expired within seven
weeks. 1t was the only case on record and
marvel to all who were acquainted with
IT, A great deal Of speculation is rife as to
what the poor wretch will be like when the |
door will be opened, if he manages to exist
so long-blind no doubt and hopelesslv
ruined in health andintellect. if he does not
die OF the shock of liberation
The most narrowing tale remains tn he
told-one that murdered sleep for us
through many night. We stood outside
THE LIVING TOMB OF A YOUNG SCION
of the Gillian aristocracy-a petted ssmoth.
er's boy" only eighteen years old, who has
been buried In this manner on five wears,
sentence, the longest ever given. Five
years, when rough men accustomed to hard
ships seldom survive two months of it, The
youth is nephew of former minister of
war, and belongs to family of wealth and
highest social standing. He was lieuten-
ant In the regular army, and shot his can
tain. 1t is said to have been deliberate
murder, calling for no clemency except on
the score OF his youth. He was sentenced
to be shot, but through the influence of his
relatives the penalty was changed to one
far worse-death by slow degrees in soli