The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-08-24
SUFFERS IN STRIPES
Details in the Life of Hud-
sons Election Crooks
at Trenton.
NO FAVOR SHOWN THEM.
Many Doing Menial Service,
= the Idle Ones Still More
Miserable.
WHAT THEY EAT AND DRINK.
Rum They Have to Forego and
the Prison Fare is Coarse
and Rude.
NO FAVOR SHOWN THEM.
WHAT THEY EAT AND DRINK.
Special to the Jersey CITY Ne,es.

Special to the Jersey CITY Ne,cs.
TRENTON. Aug. "a, 1S92.-You take an
electric car at State and Broad streets and
tell the conductor that you want to go to
the prison. Like most of the conductors
on that line, he is inclined to be consider
ate of your feelings. and after you have
been rushed through several streets, as
only Trenton electric car can rush yeu,
instead Of yelling "The prison" at the top
of his lungs, he comes up to you and
quietly tells you that sit" is down that
way one block, and the main entrance is
around on the other street His directions
are explicit enough, for you have scarcely
walked hundred feet before you catch
a glimpse of the massive brown stone
wall with its little towers Oh each corner,
which inclose the New Jersey State
Prison.
Even ifyou could not see the tips of the
heavily barred windows in the upper
stories Of the buildings which left their
dismal heads just above the wall, you
would know that the place was one of
gleem and depression. Its character is
reflected in the neighborhood. The small
frame houses which you pass appear
moBe dilapidated aud miserable than
those you see few blocks away. The
children who are playing within the shad
ow OF the wall do not seem to have that
buoyant happy air so characteristic of
children, and two of them are in tears.
As you turn the corner into the street
upon which the main entrance is, you
find that an attempt has been made to
dispsrse the gloom little by planting
bright and pretty flowers along the dark
wall. But the low frowning entrance
built after the style of sn ancient tomb
and the sight of TWO miserable creatures,
clad in the red and black striped garb of
the prison, watering the flowers makes
them appear dull and unnatural
THE BALLOT BOZ SUFFERS HOME.
On the other side of that big wall the
twenty-one convicted Hudson county
election officers are expiating their
crimes. You would have to look twice
before you would recognize any OF them.
Their close cropped heads and clean
shaven faces, together with the red and
black striped suit which they wear, make
them appear altogether differenu from the
men who came down here a short time
ago in charge of Sheriff McPhilips and
his deputies.
When Lawyer Peshall was so positive
that he would secure the release of Fal-
lon, Hart and Moschell upon writs of
habeas corpus. these men begged Keeper
Patterson not to shave and crop them.
Their entreaties moved the Keeper and
for three days they retained all their
hair. But at the end of that time. no re-
lease coming. the discipline of the prison
was enforced in their cases as well as that
of the other conyicts.
THE DAILY BoUTINE.
About quarter to six O'Clock In the
morning the great bell of the prison rings
as warning to the prisoners to get up.
Ten minutes later the bell rings again,
and everyone must get up. At half past
six o'clock breakfast is served. In former
years the convicts were marched to a
large room where they took their meals,
but now they eat in their cells. The
bread and black coffee. accompanied by
piece of beef or pork, aud in winter scrap
PIE, the great Philadelphia luxury. which
constitute their breakfast. are brought
to the cells by convicts who are called
runners" The runner is looked upon by
his fellow convicUs as the possessor of one
of.the ''soft thingsn of the prison. He is
not obliged to shuttle out to work in the
humiliating lock step. He runs on er-
rands to all parts of The shops and
buildings. and beside carrying meals to
the prisoners, he whitewashes, scrubs and
sweeps. Martin j. White aud He nry
Spears two of the Hudson county con-
tingent are runners. Joe Buckridge is a
slower runner" and he has to carry
water TO the guards who sit up in th Q
towers at each of the four corners of the
wall ready to shoot any one who attempts
to escape. Joe also has to help keep the
tower clean, remove dirt and ashes, be-
sides running errands for the guards and
keepers.
WHERE THE MEN WORK.
At seven o'clock the big bell rings again.
The keepers cry "work" and turn back
the great strong locks and each convict
steps from his CELL At word of COM
mand he turns. places his right hand on
the shoulder of the man In front of him
and shuff1es off to WORK with the lock
step, the one thing which never allows
him to forget he is convict. AS the
Hudson County men pass out Francis
Whelan goes to the store room where all
the stores of the prison are kept. There
lie assists in unloading the boxes and
barrels and piling them up. Then as
they are needed he gets them out and
takes them to the part of the establish
ment which requires them. Patrick Nc
Grath and Oscar Freibourgh go off with
the repair gang" This gang repairs
everything about the prison which gets
out of order and many of It's members are
skilled mechanics. Those who are not
mechanics have to perform the menial
labor, such as digging excavations and