The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1895-11-18
VAGS In The CELLS
Some Enjoy Life in Jail and Others
Do Not.
INSCRIPTIONS ON WALLS
There IL the Ever Watchfui Pris-
oner. Who Halls the Visitor
With a Request for q
Cigarette.


the marrow cells in the city jail. There
Is not always light to read, and not
always are the OCCUPANTS able to read,
and when they can there Is but a
small amount of literature at their
disposal. A man can't sleep all OF the
time, though some of the prisoners
pass most OF their hours that way.
The days even then drag YEARLY away
and no one can understand how long
a day really Is until he has spent a few
hours behind prison bars. The sun
light is shut out and there Is a per-
petual twilight even in the lightest
portion of the iail. In the cells there
are hunks furnished with warm blank
ets; that's all the furniture, and In
most of the cells the prisoner finds that
he is not alone-there are other occu-
pants in the bedding which dipute his
possession of that. The pleasures of the
chase do not prove diverting for a long
period and soon the unlucky fellow who
has forfeited his liberty gives way to
sleep or to thoughts of hours when his
lines were in more pleasant places.
There are all kinds of prisoners. as
ther are all sorts of people, and the
vagrant is the only individual who
gets actual comfort out of Jail life. For
him there Is a dull monotony of rou-
tine, but the spell Is broken when a
new Slan comes in to share his lot or
a chance visitor passes within sound
of his hailing cry. which Is TO ask for
a match. or a bunch of cigarettes.
chew or something to smoke.
The population of the city jail Is
transitory. excepting. of course. the
inhabitants of the bunk who are there
for life. The prisoners. however, come
and go, seldom remaining in all longer
than a day or two. From thence they
are liberated by acauittal. the payment
of a fine, or by transfer to the county
TAIL.
While waiting for a decision of their
fates, however. time plods on at a
funeral like pace and as they watch
the hours go by the Gagged men turn
their attention TO various paStimes,
most of which result IN leaving behind
them some mark on the four walls
which confine them. Some write
names, seldom their own. some inscribe
a sentiment. and some sketch in rough,
uncouth Style. Outlines. scenes and OBJ
jects ON the black steel walls over
their beds.
A petty larceny thief. who Is not yet
out of the county jail. Is possessed of
talent that ought to make him first
class living as an artist. He Lent be-
hind on the black cell wall excellent
likenesses OF ex-Prestdent Harrison
crayon chalk.
Poets have been often locked up, II
the verses found are proper evidence.
Here is a stanza. not equal to that of
the national hymn. but the sentiment ID
patriotic enough for any one:
There's many flags and many lands;
And flags of every hew.
But there's no flag however grand
As our old red white and blew"
Another fragment. much broken in
meter and rhyme. is as follows:
Here's to the grave that's foot deep,
Where Parnell. O'Connell and Emmett
sleep.
May they sleep and pezcefully rest,
And a bunch of shamrocks green be
placed upon their breasts"
1t is lucky for that poet that Judge
FITZGERALD did not know of his poetry
when he appeared for trial. 1t would
have added 80 DAVIS to his term, very
Justly, for numbering a pretty seDti-
ment.
philosopher wrote In a firm. pow
erful hand. the result of his meditation.
From the nature of the remark, Joe
Slnderssky, who was locked up for
quarreling with his wife. Is credited
wsth the authorship of a mixed-up
quotation He probably got the inspi-
ration for 1t from the fact that Mrs.
Joe resented his whipping her for
drinking beer with boarders. and
blacked his eve with a flatiron and cut
his head open with poker as she
threw him out Of doors Into the po-
liceman's hands. This IL his wisdom.
with an Introduction by Solomon:
Hell hath no fury like woman
scorend: she Is the half OF man, but a
much divided half"