Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1893-12-23
A MODEL INSTITUTION.
New Mexic0's Penitentiary and How
1t is Conducted Under the
Present Excellent Man.
agement.
Features of mprovement-The Fire
Clay Industry-A Peep Into All
It's Departments.


tion in its penitentiary. 1t is hand
some and commodious structure. built
according to the latest rules and knowl
edge of prison architecture. It's present
superintendent, Col. E. H. Bergman, has
served this institution heretofore as its
assistant superintendent, and brings to
his duty those happy qualities of preci-
sion and dicipline learned during his
military life, which add greatly to his
efficiency as prison official. One can
pass through the institution night OR day
and perfect quiet reigns. Even at
meal times there is
NO BoIsTEROUsNEss
nor fuss. The convicts at signal step
out In front of their cells. Long tables
are arranged in the alleys in front of
them. At another sign they form in
ranks and march to their places. The
meals are then eaten in silence. If any
one wants anything he holds up finger,
his hand or his plate, according to the
nature of his desire and is served without
the utterance Of word.
The New MEXICAN scribe during re-
cent inspection criticised this rule as not
according to hygienic principles; but Col.
Bergman said, "Why, it is impossible to
permit talking at meal times. There
would be such fuss and clatter that no
one could hear those little noises so nee
essary to be attended to in prison.
Suppose convict was shamming sick in
his cell and we allowed all that crowd to
talk. He could have a good hour to 60
or. filing bar or picking out the wall of
his cell. It can not be done, my boy. The
motto of this institution is:
SILENCE, LABOR AND REPENTANCE
That is the rule of the dollhouse, and l
will have it printed and posted on the
wall.
1T is hard enough to circumvent the
cunning of convicts anyway. You must
remember that here are about $50 men
confined and every one of them is con-
stantly scheming to gain his liberty. The
different ideas they take up are amazing.
Why, I had life convict once come to
me for permission to marry one of the
women prisoners. They had been firt
ing for quite awhile back. He was very
much surprised when refused him."
The plan of the prison is excellent.
The center or main building contains the
officers, women's quarters, armory, the
guard room, the superintendent's apart
ments, and handsome and commodious
chapel. The chapel is connected with the
main dollhouse by substantial draw
bridge, which is raised except when in
actual use.
THE CELL HOUSE,
consists of heavy stone outer wall, with
barred windows, inside of which is a
separate structure containing the cells
ranged in three tiers. The cells themselves
are small but excellently ventilated. Col.
Bergman makes it his special care to see
to their cleanliness. Every week he gives
a prize of dollar for the best kept cell.
This is great incentive. Formerly this
part of the building was much crowded,
but since the completion of the brick
addition, the library, apothecary shop,
and such other Offices as did not strictly
belong therein have been removed to the
new building.
In this addition are now located the
rooms for United States prisoners held
for trial, the hospital wards, the work.
shops, laundry, store-rooms, bakery and
bathrooms. sp
THE NEW BATHROOM eS
is one of the things of which Col. Berg
man ia. exceedingly proud. Ten stalls
are fitted with shower baths, and the
water falls on concrete floor and is
carried of in sink. The convicts come
down, deposit their soiled clothes in the
laundry, receive fresh garments, enter the
bath-house, turn on the water in one of
the stalls and can get thorough cleansing
in very few minutes. BY this method
the whole company of convicts can be
washed in one hour and half. Former
ly, with the use of bath-tubs, it broke up
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