The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-04-12
CONVICTED Or LAz|NESS.
Carlyle Harris, the Wife Murderer,
Writes IN . Strange Class
Of Men.

They Prefer Oonnnement ana Loaf
Ing to sobriety and Hard
Work.
OAe Days yaeAtion On Chr,Atls street
Batwena Terms OF Six Months In
ths Tombs.
A subieot always fraught with interest TO
avery man ID the study Of his fellow, writea
Carlyle Harris. the condemned wife muir
dsrsr. TO tho New York Press. The fact
that human nature il everywhere the same,
that all differences as TO character, habit
andsappsarancs Gre Of degree and not OF
kind. door not lessen this Interests; il rather
increasss IL. Upon tho mimic boards a
scens or play may be intense with tale Of
human passion leading TO 4 climax Of grand
dramatic force, but the actor who enthrnls
M with his art, winning both momentary
applause and lasting fame, il he who por-
trays with care and accuracy q phase Of
character, who crsates q man.
Linked to the Immortality OF Shakes
psars's Hamlet 10 the fame Of Booth. Until
our dear old Rip ID forgotten the pleasant
memory OF Jsfferson's smile and pathos5
must live. When Stanley brought from
Africa his story of nsW lands, his tale Of
natures naryals. the public listened; but
when he told of tho pygaiss, Of a nov, Of a
living race, hs won ths nations to enthusi-
MOTTO attention.
Every country has its nationalstypes and
its local types. In the south We have tbs
poor white, and the ''crackcr,n az in our
s'heslsr'' and the tough We also have
the ''self committed man /"
1.-THE ''self sonmittsd MAN. is the most
peculiar type Of all, for he ia seemingly
without that oommonsst instinct Of man
kind-the love Of liberty. He presents him
self al the door Of the Tombs, md asks to
be taken il and made . prisoner OF for .
willis, ray six months, and whom his term
expires pleads for still further imprison-
ment. He is weary Of the fight for bread,
preferring ths gloom Of jail and : daily
ration Of bread Ind soup, with comparative
idlsneas, TO freedom with its rssponsibili-
ties. This Va Gan understand whom the
man il old and infrm. but tho majority Of
these peculiar people are in the prime Of
years and vigor. And yet they are in . way
diseased, either with the leprosy Of laziness
or the fever Of drink.
The maisrity Of the men are sent to the
~workhcuse, for dozens are often committed
in = day, but 4 force of some two score il
alwaya kept here in the Tomba to work va
riously about the premises, and it is of
these mon. aoms Of whom have short per-
sonal histories, that I would toll you.
Such men very naturally pressnt Al aver
age Of lew intelligence, but there ara oxcep-
tions, for skillfnl mechanics sometimes
roach this lswest social level. lose soon their
ambition and self respect and never rise.
In every case drink has boon their ruin.
Again and again they lsavs the prison with
resolutions born ct shame and self disgust.
IRE back again, their swollen eyes and trem-
bling limbs pointing q moral Of human
weakness.
Constantly about the prison are carpen-
tors, painters, plasterers, plumbers; in fact,
nearly every clans OF artisans has its repre-
sentative. These men are kept at work for
q few hours each day upon the repairs al
ways needed somewhere. They labor with
a slownsss that il maddening to watch. I
timed 4 man carrying a pot Of paint down
the corridor this afternoon, and then by
calculation discovered that his pace was a
Mlt0 ia LuE00 AOUID ALA q 1Alls 4ueb6 1u0-
chanios are nristoorats among self.oom-
mitted nsn. The ethers are indelioately
called "buns.n The .bums'' are hope
lessly in the majority They scrub, sweep,
serve the o from = big oaldron with 4
tin dipper and spend the rest OF tho day
are fivs mon on the first corridor to do the
%sorubbing inc s'ooal up'' tho stoves. This
last function il solsnnly performed twice
in the day. Ono man tackles tho CRATE
with a poker; . second 'shakes her down."
the scuttle 10 deity manipulated by 4 third,
away the binders. Ind a fifth sweeps up
the dust raised BY all the others. Then
they sit on the floor in the comforting
neighborhood of a stove and wait for old
age to steal upon them. Their ambition
is q warm Pipe and nothing to
nish tobacco the bum uns brands (rnns!
heaven saws tho markD between the cells.
and in return gets an occasional nickel or
paper of tobacco.
One Of theso individuals sweeps my cell
each morning, makes my bad, ste. For
pend of 25 cents per week, whioh buys his
tobacco and an occasional cup of coffee
from the caterer. His nams 10 Dan, and he
has successfully parted my questions as to
his antecsdenta.
The patriarohal bum ID Julius French, or
sFrsnohy.' This son of toll has content
eddy vsRstated here for moro than twenty
years without = breath OF liberty. It is
rumorsd that he has an1asssd several hun
drsd dollars BY boarding scmi-ooeasional
tips.
Paddy Callahan, captain Of his fellow
inmate fer fftesn years.. Oacs . year he
revela for . day in the mad whirl of Chrystis
street dissipation, but With the morrsw's
sun back. bringing a breath that