Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-12-04

0i cnllunOOQ, IN tnS caSe Ol cIliuAehis,
are tinctured with cruelty and some
times accompanied by homicide. Crina-
inals skip the rope, but part of the
game is to trip up tie jumper and Lot
him fall heavily upon the stone pave
msnt. Criminals play leap frog, but
part of the game is that he who makes
the ssback" shall rise, suddenly and vi
olsntly just as the frog mounts and
throw him to the ground. The Grim.
inals play blindmarl's buff, but the
man with the bandaged eyes carries q
handkerchief bearing in one corner a
Jagged stone, piece of hard, sharp
ered wood, or bit Of iron. With this
weapon he strikes those whom he pur'
sues. Another form OF this game is
for the blinded one to be struck by
ole or another of his companions if
be fails to name the one that strikes
him. The penalty is not the innoeerlt
o1s of the children's'game, but blow
SO severe that physician has often to
bt called in after the game is over.
It has been found in those italian
reformatories where prisoners are not
kept in solitary confinement that pris-
o,lefs' games are often accompanied
with bloodshed, and that it is al
most impossible to prevent cruelties.
This is especially true where prisoners
work together, for they secrete tools
and use them as weapons in brutal
sports. In one of these games the
PLAYER has in each hand a stick, hay-
ing fixed in the end keen metallic
point. He interweaves his arms, re-
yolving the sticks with rapidity, and
the game is for another prisoner to
thrust his head between the arms and
endeayor to follow the revolutions OF
the sticks without being wounded. 1t
usually happens that hs receives ff-
teen or sixteen wounds and comes out
with bleeding head. The victim IN
another game has his eyes bandaged
and places his palm upon table, with
fingers spread fan.like. Another
criminal then repeatedly strikes be-
tween the fingers with pointed In,
strument. If he wounds finger then
the two change places, and woe to the
man who refuses the exchange. Tie
game is dangerous, although the GRIM
inals assert that the wounds to toe
fingers are not deep or severe, bo-
cause, as they say, the metallic points
are short and do not penetrate far.
The sport of criminals is accom-,
panied by characteristic craft. This
is especially shown-1n the methods in
which the newcomer is initiated INTO
prison life. The newcomer is con-
Quoted into an improvised court
chamber where the judges are his fell
low prisoners. He is placed upon q
stand and gravely tried upon a pre-
tended charge, and he has barely been
condemned when the stand is sudden
" drawn away SO that he is thrown
violently TO the earth.
Many games necessarily imply re-
sistance to pain as sn absolute con-
dition of success. For example, there
is q game of needles" One of the
players places his closed fists upon
The table. holding, strongly two
needles, one in eacl, hand, the points
being slightly opposed. It is the
game then for a companion to strike
with his own fists chose of.ths other.
1t is question of endurance between
the one who is rricked with the
needles and the ono whose fists are
beaten by the others knuckles. There
are games in which the fugers and
hands are deeply wounded and the
scars are On honorable distinction.
The characteristic feature Of all these
games, which are the recreation ex-
clusivelY OF criminals in prison, is the
love of combat. II, as is held by ex-
perts, sports are the means of working
off the superfuous activity of life, it
is evident that sapeIauous activity, IN
case of prisoners, is especially power.
full. 1t has been noted in the case of
prisoners that there is prevalence of
great agility and litheness, which
Professor Lombroso considers mega
tive evidence of mental weakness,
since it testifies to greater develop
ment of the motorial centres at the
expense OF the other cerebral centres.
But usually this physical energyis not
properly used in the ordinary life of
the criminal and finds outlet and en-.
joyment in sports.
Another characteristic of the games
OF criminals is the admiration shown
for physical force, manifested in the
docility with which the vanquished IN
such sports submit to the brutality oi
the victors, thing observed among
savages. Finally, the insensibility to
pain exhibited in sports of criminals
proves that such men are less acute IL
their physical senses as we'll as less
sensitive TO the pains of others; since
what seems to others uselessly cruel is
only the usual thing with criminals.
AS the drunkard. his taste hardened
by alcohol, has neel of q stimulate
constantly stronger, SO in the case OF
the criminals the nervous system de-
mands stimulants SO strong that, to
the ordinary individual, they would
be actually painful.
Now YorIs,s Rc Iir,O nnoc