The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1893-08-17

"A speaker at the last Chautauqua meeting
declared that he never saw Chinaman show
a pigtail at the polls. We however never yet
saw one who failed to show pigtal at the poll
The city fire department did noble work at
last weeks little blaze They kept steady
stream going on the stone wall of the foundry
They had to run stream to secure their pay from
the city.
Officer Windolph, Mrs. Windolph, and Miss
Nellie N. Barsness of Starbuck, Mimi, paid us
a short but pleasant visit Tuesday; Miss Bars
ness ordered twenty-six weekly reflections sent
to her home.
Dame burden visited us Sunday and her
earnest, loving voice pleaded with us to "Open
the door," saying: 81 For the needy shall not al
ways be forgotten; the expectation of the poor
shall not perish forever
The saddest bodily affection is the loss of
sight. And sad it is too to pass cell on the gal
leries of an evening whose occupant, by slOth,
has deprived himself of that mental sight, the
knowledge of letters.
A young lady visitor in our office Monday
when told that the last MIRROR was entirely
prison product, said: you've got some smart
ones in here.'' We rather supposed the smart
ones were on the outside still.
Officer Barrett brought to visit us last Thurs
day his father P. Barrett of saltwater and his
brother G. T. Barrett of Sitka Alaska. The lat
ter gentleman left a dollar and ordered THE
MIRROR sent to his far Off home.
The floral gifts of Sunday were variously
appreciated some wore them gaily in their but
ton holes for brief hour of beauty others
and perfume solitude as long as possible.
The deputy at present holds the belt among
the prison guard marksmen. He proposes to
establish a weekly target practice. He had bet
ter "look a little out - for his laurels as rumOr
says that there are old sharpshooter among the
officers, who can make sure meat of buck at
200 yards.
THE MIRROR reflects in far distant lands the
sentiments of its contributors. One subscriber
lives at Lucknow in Oudh in upper India, an
other at Sitka in Alaska. The one reclines in a
long armed chair and is famed, the other snugs
up to roaring fire and hugs a sealskin about
him as he reads.
The state machinist expects to make some
new machinery for the Irvine shop this fall, in
fact as soon as the patterns are made and the
castings obtained. He has charge of some very
elegant iron chewers they can just chew up any
thing that comes along; they could Justine, on
second thoughts they couldn't quite manage that.
Mr. Benson, foreman of the soft wood shop,
lost his little boy, Saturday. The funeral was
set for Monday 2. NJ. but there was official to
sign the grave opening permit. He was off on a
holiday and had left no deputy to do his duty.
The president however of the cemetery company
stretched his official duty and relieved the en-
barrasment. Such carelessness on the part of
officials is severely censurabe.
Whilst washing out the boilers in the engine
room Sunday there was a temporary stOppage in
the inch and quarter hose pipe; when this was
forced out by pressure the mangled remains of a
catfish some seven or eight inches long was
found among the debris. He had gone mousing
after mnnows little to far, like some of the
rest of us who have been landed within a prisons
walls On the whole the gate route is preferable
to the pipe route.
The official letter writer has quite a cute
table which he claws onto the cell door camping
in front of it ON a three legged stool. Whence
he dispatches evidence SOuthwardS of the
rapid educational advances made by sojourn-
ing sOutherners in our penitential mOnastry.
Let US hope some of the visitors will have am
bitiOn enough to realize on these bright promises
by cultivating the schools this coming winter.
The warden reports that the Irvine factory
will run all winter producing about 1000 lbs. a
day. in anticipation of big demand next season
when its thorough excellence will be more wide
ly known.
1t may be of advantage to our readers to know
that first grade men may write once week,
second grade men once in two weeks, third grade
not at all while they remain in the grade. A
man coming in must remain six months in the
second grade. All letters going out and coming
in are read and would be withheld if they con-
tanned any matter conflicting with the rules.
Prisoners may receive any letter that is approved
of, from friends and relatives alike.
The sable gentleman who carries invitations
to the lemonade SOciables is evidently medium
between the here and the hereafter of departed
owls. The other day he applied to the state
butcher for meat to feed the OWL solemnly assert
ing that the wise birds appetite was amazingly
good, especially for mice of which he had taken
five down for luncheon the previous day. land 4"
said the butcher, " / know he must have been
feeding his spirit, for buried that owl six weeks
ago."
1t may be of interest the prisoners to know
the names of those kindly ladies who visited us