Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-23

move Iedully HOtn1ng was placed behind.
| The lever, however, wanted fresh 'spur-
chase, but as the block was balancing On
Its corner or on its center of gravity, SO to
speak-the guard did dot deem it neces-
sary to get fresh purchase, but while the
men held on to the rope he told one OF
them to push it off With his feet, which
ne essayed to do. His pressure Isosened
the lever, which was quickly drawn in.
but he had not given the block sufficient
momentum to fall, and before he could re-
gain the level it fell back and jammed hi.
| legs into shapeless masses of flesh and
| broken bones.
The guard, OF course, was reasonable for
this. and was dismis, ed from the govern
| ment service. AS for the man who lost
his legs, | don't know what become of
him; probably he was compensated in some
| way or other.
In clearing away the earth before open
ing fresh query men have been buried
by sudden Landslide.
A young convict, daring and who often
d1sregarded orders, on one occasion un.
dermlned the bank so that the super
incumbent earth might fall of its own
gravity. Caution had no effect on his
daring, and he was picking away, when
four or five tons of the matter suddenly
| collapsed burying him and two Others.
breaking the legs of a fourth and bruising
one or two others.
The buried ones were quick Y dug out,
but one OF them was lifeless. The Young
convict himself had narrow escape but
ne was fated to die in the convict's garb.
Tor some eighteen months after the incid-
emit Just noted he was taken from his cell to
the hospital corpse.
AN ABNORMAL APPETITE.
could not learn what was the cause of
his death. Probably he had accidentlv
poisoned himself, for he would eat all
| manner OF things, from snails and worms
to boot grease and leather.
| recollect rather exciting incident in
which man received almost fatal in
| juries.
Certain trucks or trolleys are used to
carry the excavated earth down very
small incline to dumping ground, as well
as the rubble or refuse matter of the
quarry.
The attendant of each of these trucks
stand on the buffers at the back of the
vehicle as it runs along, holding in his
hand a skid, or piece of wood or iron,
wherewith to scotch the wheel. or
shaken the speed of the truck before il
reaches its destination.
On the occasion mentioned the atten-
dant of one of the trucks lost control over
1t and 1t went with increasing speed
toward its dumping ground. A yell went
up from his fellow convicts to ''skid'' the
wheel and again to jump Off But he
seemed powerless to do anything. He
va1nly tried to insert his "skid" in the
wheel, and, before he knew it, he was
pitched headlong over the truck into the
sloplng mass of broken rock and earth
the truck following him, rolling over and
over IN its course, striking him with one
OF its wheels as it crushed over him toward
the bottom of the dump.
That was the mos tserious accident of the
kind L had witnessed, although it often
happened that truck would get the
mastery OF It's attendant, but not to such
an extent as to carry him along with it
over the slope.
INCIPIENT MUTINIEs
Then another phase of life arises from
the lncipient mutinies that take place
from one cause or another It is some
what pleasurable to even the most model"
prisoner to listen to crowd of his fellows
singing and shouting in uproar when
something has arisen that has 1rritated
them.
This something is varied thing in it.
self. 1t may be mean and cowardly
guard In charge, or it may mean some
obnoxious order given by the warden, or
1t may mean the derision Of some sneak
ing '.trusty'' who has got one of his fell
lows into trouble, or it may mean the
walllng OF some raw recruit who has got
over his first terror at confinement, or it
may mean nothing more or less than the
pure deviltry of one or two incorrigibIes
who have become DESTROYS of making
things lively for themselves and their
guards.
The ringleaders of these outbreaks are
sought out and punishment is melted out
to them, but after an innocent man is the
selected culprit. The old jailbirds start
the tumult, and knowing the impression
ability of their fellows, allow these latter
to keep it up, while they lapse into
silence or read their Bibles, and of course
the guard never suspects any of them IF
characterization while thus engaged.
Moreover they are full of suggestion, and
being somewhat conversant with the men
in the ring, they soon convince the guard
that, say 64S, started the row.
To get fellow prisoner Unto a
hole is delight to some if not to all
convicts. 1t lightens their own burdens.
L once knew little ''trusty" who had
the run of the corridor, man familiar
with the guard, who, indeed, thought a
great deal of him. He had what he
wanted, from the latest newspaper to the
choicest tobacco, for which things ne
acted as a spy for his guard and melted
the prisoners against him in order that
the guard might appear occasionally with
an lnsnbordinate one before the warden or
prison commissioners.
DOWNFALL OF "TRUsTY."
The ''trusty'' had duplicate keys, with
which ne could get into any cell he desir-
ed, but on one occasion he was caught by
another guard on another corridor ex-
changing words with one of his pals, and
of course he was brought up for punish
ment. Then it was discovered that he and
his guard we're in collision, and he got his
deserts and the guard also.
Such are few of the reflections cast
forth through the gloomy shades of prison
life-reaections that areshades themselves,
but nevertheless of a kind that are, in
deed, brightness, and as such welcomed
by the criminal prisoner.
May they be welcome to others.
JED JUKEs.