The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-08-19
DREARY PRISON LIFE.
MuLTlFARIoUs TRICKS OF THE CON-
VlcTs TO KILL TIME.

Tragedies. Behind the Bars-nIen Who De-
Iiberately Main Themselves in Order to
Evade tho Regular Routine of Prison
Life-NIen Who Sham Sickness.
There are many incidents in the prison
life of convicts that are out Of the ordi-
nary, and may be said to form part of
their pleasures, although some are weird
and tragic enough in themselves to be
classed as anything but pleasures. Irec-
ollect on one occasion that was appoint
ed special ''trusty" over tall, lank,
dark featured young southerner who, in
moment of hopeless desperation, had
cut his throat.
Teddy, as we will call him. had been
headstrong boy, and his parents could
not control him, and after a youthful
vagabondage he had enlisted in the reg
ular army, where he was always in trou-
BILE. When under my care in the special.
hospital ward to which he had been sent
he related much of his past life to me,
and 1 learned that he had attempted to
take his life when he was a soldier in the
same manner as he had done in state
prison.
He was not bad sort of fellow, but
being of sensitive nature, as well as
unre asonable, he allowed his gloomy
thoughts to master him, and this would
result in periods of depression and sub
sequent desperation, and he cared not
what he said or did. In fact, he was in
clined to emotional insanity.
One night, while my fellow trusty and
I were engaged in conversation, he lay
on his cot pondering over his gloomy
fate, when something we said aroused
him, and he flew into rage, got up and
grappled me in desperate manner.
quickly flung him back on his cot
and pinioned him, telling my fellow
trusty-a mere boy-to ring up the
guard.
1t was terrible struggle to keep him
in subjection until the guard arrived, for
his frenzy gave him almost superhuman
strength. He quieted down as soon as
the guard arrived and said he was a fool
for getting into such temper, and as
he feared. the straitjacket he promised
to behave himself in the future.
He, however, in another of his frenzied
attacks attempted to tear open the wound
in his throat, and it was by no means an
easy matter to prevent him doing So
But reasonable and sympathetic talk
; generally conquered his excitabiity. He
finally was sent to the insane asylum.
One morning as prayer was being said
in the prison chapel one of the convicts
set up howl and began barking like a
dog, after which he clapped his hands
, one, two, three; one, two, three-and
, this caused general murmur of mixed
merriment and expectation.
, Two guards Immediately passed to the
, end of the form on which he was sitting
and were hustling him out of the chapel
when he flew into rage, struggled with
them and hurled horrible curses at them
| as well as at the officiating chaplain,
!, who was a particularly obnoxious man
4 to the prisoners. Whether the fellow
was insane or not I cannot say. The
f prison authorities thought he was not,
t and he was roundly punished for his
: escapade.
Y On another occasion as we were march
Q ing into the hall for supper one OF the
y convicts gave howl, threw up his arms
9 and dropped dead on the foor-a fellow
convict had stabbed him. There wa,
: some enmity between the two, and it re
y suited in the death of both.
a l was hospital trusty, and long lin
:, of prisoners were being attended to b,
o the doctor for real or imaginary ills On'
: of the prisoners on this particular occa
:; sion had nearly served his term of sen
tence, and he was to have been exam
ined in order that the medical Office
could report on his condition.
I was preparing a dose of common
u stuff for the prisoner standing next bu
one to him when he fell forward on tn
e floor and blood gushed from his moutl
in stream. He had ruptured bloo
: vessel, and in spite of the doctors effort
y the poor fellow died
Malingering is very general metho
Is among prisoners to shirk the monoton
i or the labor consequent on their impris
IL onment. Anything that will relieve th
e tediousness and is at hand is brough
IL into action. One here in the QUAR-
will mash his finger in order that he ma
5, be sent to the hospital
rs Another there will-quite accidental
d ly of course-fan down the corrido
.S steps and sustain such injuries as to il
Is sure quiet time of convalescence on
u hospital diet, and so forth; but the pri
Id on doctor is au fait with all classes {
malingers, and uses his experience
80 treating such as come before him. Con
sequently the good times often antic
ga pated never materialize.
- know one ignorant, soft headed fe
low who became really i'll by eating tt
soap he was allowed with which to pc
~ form his daily ablutions. Often ha
cases come before me where soap eatin
-. had put men into feeble state of heali
J. and lent sickly aspect to their count
=, nances, but this fellow was sick, and I
- mistake.
- After a course of>treatment which w;
u in itself as bad as the cause for it
- vuos h0uovar raat0ro7 and aant in1