Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-12-07
NEW MEXICO PENITENTlARY
A New Mexican Scribe Visits the
Model Penal Institution of the
United States.
STRICT YET HUMANE MANAGEMENT
Description of the Splendid New Elec-
trio Light Plant-Present and Pos
sible Capacity-A Dazzling IL
Illuminating Success.

Eliminating Success.
The NEW MEXICAN has heretofore an
nounced that the new electric light plant
at the territorial penitentiary was started
up on the first of the week and that it
worked like charm. But, believing that
the public would welcome something
more specific respecting this important
public enterprise, the management Of
this ever alert newspaper assigned to
the pleasant duty of visiting the
penitentiary this morning with liberal
equipment of Interrogation points and
nimble lead pencil.
FORTUNE SOMETIMES FAyoRs REPORTERS.
Some wild-eyed, long-haired and prob
ably long-eared poet has written:
Fate's fiddler,
Life's dance.
On this bright particular December
morning the guileless scribe happily es-
capped anything of the nature of either
fiddling or dancing. Fate assumed the
genial guise of Supt. Bergmann, down
town with his horse and buggy after the
morning mail, and, after successfully
holding that official up for ride aud thus
avoiding the employment of "horseless
carriage" the reporter found life for
while out in the glorious sunshine and
exhilarating ozone as smooth as the
splendid carriage way between the plaza
and the model penal institution of the
United States.
The intimation that visit to the New
Mexico penitentiary is attended with
pleasure, anomalous as it may seem, is
advisedly made. 1t Is true. And prob
ably the same can not be said of any other
institution of the kind in the country. 1t
has been the fortune of this writer to
visit the penitentiaries in Wisconsin,
Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois, all al
legged to be perfectly conducted, and after
each of these visits he was for a time af-
f1icted with a kind of insomnia-causlng
nightmare not unlike that produced by
reading one of Rider Haggard's stories.
IMPRESSIONS OF THE VISITOR.
But no such dreadful impressions are
craven on the memory of the visitor to
the New Mexico penitentiary under its
present capable and humane m Management.
The number of convicts now confined
therein is FOG, the highest number being
912, which indicates the total number
which has been confined there since the
founding of the institution in 1885. Two
hundred and fifty-six of these have been
received during the past three years.
Inside the massive and unscalable en-
closing brick wall, surmounted with OBJ
servatory towers at suitable intervals for
the guards, are the original three-story
limestone building for the officers and
guards and the large dollhouse connected
Herewith and fronting the Santa Fe rail-
road track; the extensive brick yards,
lime plant, stone cutting reserve, car
penter, paint, blacksmith and machine
shops; store houses, heating plant, bath
house, laundry, stables; brick hog pens
with heating attachment for scalding
purposes and warming food; and, be-
sides many minor details, the splendid
new electric light plant, which will be
described later on.
The first Impressions made on the mind
of the visitor are the perfect order that
prevails, the cleanly appearance of every
thing, and
THE sURPRIsINo CONFINEMENT
written on the faces of the busy, comfort
ably clad, healthful and well-fed inmates.
Except for the conspicuous stripes worn
and the armed guards on the walls one
might easily mistake the place for an I'm.
usually orderly hive of human industry
without the firm and mex orable restraints
imposed by court decrees in compliance
with wise and Just laws framed for the
protection of the many against the Grim.
inal deeds of the comparatively few.
Supt. Bergman is rigid disciplinarian.
He is inflexible in exacting perfect COM
pliance with the stringent rules of the in
stitution; tolerates no trifiiug, idleness or
evasious; constantly surrounds the insti.
tuition with such sufficient safeguards
that even attempts to escape are of rare
occurrence and cone of these have been
successful during his administration.
But, while he is entirely free from the
weakness of sentimentalism, never for
one moment relaxes discipline and can
be depended upon severely to punish in
fractions of his we'll known rules, he is
not forgetful of the fact that the men
under his guardianship are human be-
ings, that some at least among them are
not there for the
COMMISSION OF DAsrARDLY CRIMES,
that many of them are not totally de-
PRAYED and may be reclaimed and rem.
dered useful citizens. Hence his uni
formly humane treatment of them; hence
he permits no unreasonably harsh punish
ment even of those who are somewhat re-
ffactory. Besides this substantial reason,
he admits that he has another that par
takes of the nature of self-interest. He
says that experience teaches him that he
can handle most members of his big
family much easier by kindly and CON
siderate methods than by severity.
Doubtless he is right.
THE ELrorRIc LIGHT PLANT.
But probably the patient reader would
like to know about that new electric light
plant. Well, it merits attention If any
recent public improvement in New Mex
loo does. It is'as near perfect az modern
ingenuity and human hands can make il.
The building is constructed of brick With
a metal roof and comprises spacious en-
CINE, dynamo and engine rooms. The
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