The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-02-18
PRINCES OR PRISONERS.
A Few Interesting Facts Noted at
the State Prison.
A COMFORTABLE HOME FOR ALL.
A Condition of Anairs That VIII Bear
Investigation-No Fault of the omciais
That Premium IL Put Upon Crime, Hut
the Sentiment Of Society.

Are these men princes or paupers
That is the thought that occurred to
the writer as he stood with Warden Wall
and watched the 300 inmates of the state
prison marching to their cells for the
night.
Their actions indica ei perfect con-
tentment, and The most OF them were
evidently we'll satisfied with their lot In
life. Nearly every man of them was
dressed warmly in clean, gray. cloth
suit. A few OF the hardened incorrig gi-
bles were dressed in red rs distinguish
ing mark of obstinacy and disobedience.
The prison is "snotlessly Clean. The
windows let in n flood of the afternoon
light The stone floors re-echoed the
tramp OF the men, must OF whom are
better fed, better clothed and better
housed than they ever were before In
their life They have all the comforts OF
life except that OF liberty. They have all
the necessities of life, and better FOOD
than the great majority OF the industri-
Gus working classes who are self support
ing. IL they are i'll "A skilled physician
attends their wants. Their cells are
warm, comfortable, aud in many cases
tastefully decorated.
Their bill Of fare does not vary much
from day to day but there is no limit In
the allowance TO any man. Each one can
eat all he wants. On Sunday, breakfast
consists or baked beans brown breai,
pork, white bread AMI coffee. For din-
ner. meat, vegetable hash. bolied rlce'
barley, gravy, bread and coffes MOD,
day, breakfast. boiled Goldfish, white and
brown bread and coffee; dinner, corned
beef, potatoes, cabba !e. turnips, beets,
(swt ct corn, squash. tomatoes III season)
white bread and coffee. For supper.
| bread, coffee, mush and molhsses.
Few OF the taxpayers are aware OF the
conditions that surround the criminal
classes, but perhaps few Will wonder,
many of the prisoners are criminals Dy
choice. Fully 90 per cent OF the
| inmates of the State prison are
men who deliberately commit petty
crimes because they prefer the
| easy and comfortable life OF the prison TO
that OF toll ana caring for their families
outside. Two illustrations VIII suthce
| Ga Thurs lay man was discharged. lie
| ~ a weaver by trade, and IL he chose to
| do so could earn SIS to $40 week at his
| trade. He came first TO the state prison
| about 1875. Since then he has been In
| and out about twenty times Each time
| he has committed some crime ami been
returned within q few days or weeks OF
| his liber tion. Daring the last eighteen
| years, except three years spent IN the
| Massachusetts, relormatory, he mas been
| la this prison. His last offence was steal
| ing scent mug.
Another man was recently liberated,
ana has been intoxicated most OF the
time since. IL is known to the prison Of
| icials that this man earned, ana was
paid, $24 just before her death, and yet he
reiuse.l to take his SISTERS body from tue
morgue aud give it decent burial.
| These are only samples or the cr1ml-
uals that frequent the prison. Anything
like work is abhorreut TO them. They
| know tnaJ the prison is place OF refuge.
and they seek It's doors year after year to
be cared for at the pubic expense.
The idea that the state should sup
port these men" said "A citizen this morn
ing, 'is preposterous. We hear contin-
ally these sentimeutalists who preach
prison reform, and Try - believe that
habitual criminals should he reformed.
The reformatory idea is the veriest hum
bug, 50 far as ii concerns the great y, ass
OF such men. 1t is imp JssiOle To cure a
man of mental disease, which is not
only Inherited but is fOsteged by the wish
| and Lifelong experience of such men.
Why should they be treated like princes,
fed, cloth q, armed and doc ored, while
the families they have deliberately de-
serted starve anu freezer That Is charity at
the wrong end, with vengeance. IL offers
premium TO crime. To put 1t briefly our
state prison is made so comfortable that
IL offers an alluriug home to all The in-
ebriates and oHcasts OF society who are
too shiftess to work and 10 wnom slight
crime furnishes "a means Of escape from
the duties or he family aud citizenship
Why should the people he taxed TO sup
port criminals Ia comfort while their de-
pendent ones are left IN wanti
) There ought To be som. way Of max
ing these fellows work, ami giving their
wages to their families. That would be
"A reform worth accomplishing IL wou ID
at oucs relieve society OF being taxed To
support pr,sJns and also of being con
tinually importuned by the starving
families who are ueserteo by thes men.
, LAS mater Of fact. our penal III
> stitutions are not wnat they pretend to
be- They are the resort of the iaZy How
| common this sort If thing Is will be
shown from the following rdct from
. he Name ate report on state priso d $,
/ referring TO the Kennebec prison.
; THE jail has been admirably man.
{ aged 10y Su.riH Stevens. Tue prisoners
y have been kept in clo,e confinement for
: twenty-five out of the twenty-tour hours
: with most satisfactory results. Before
. \ Mr.. Stevens came the inmates averaged
100: now they number less than thirty
"Iu Waldo county tue jail is overruu
{ with tramps and tue committee recon-
mended that something be done to max,
the jail less attractive o the oficas OF
society. A diet of Goldfish crackers aut
, water was suggested.
"What is true OF Maine is rue of Rhod
Island. There are inuumerable WAYS il
which these men could be kept a, suci
harI work that tn would real q pun
isned for committing crimes instead o