Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-08-23
E.V. DEBS' LIFEINJAI
HAS ORGANIZED A MILITARY CON-
PANY AND SCHOOL.


Teaches Political Economy.
1t is wonderful life that Eugene V.
Debs and his follow prisoners are leading
in jail 1t is not likely that any set Of
criminals undertook to pass away a term
of imprisonment as they are doing. They
have started an academy in Woodstock Jail.
They run debating club. They edit a
paper. They have formed a library.
Debs would no longer be recognized by
his old associates. He has grown n beard,
and that transforms his entire appearance.
The coterie of prisoners serving their six
months in the McHcnry county Jail ut
Woodstock, Ills, call themselves the Co
operative Colony of Liberty Jail. They
are besieged by hordcs of visitors from
morning until night but only few can
pass the portal. Debs maintains his lead
crship. He is at the head of all the under
takings. His right hand man is his fellow
convict Sylvester Kelliher. All lead very
studious lives. They have elected officers
for their little community. They are an
inspector colonel and a professor Elliot
is inspector, Hogan colonel, Rogers pro-
fessor and Dcbs has been appointed teach
er.
At o'clock every morning Inspector
Elliot calls the colony, and each man must
rise at the word of command. After wash
ing they have an hour in which to exercise.
Then Colonel Hogan goes through the
drill They are allowed one gun by the
prison authorities, and the men take turns
in handling it, At 1880 all sit down to
breakfast, the table being set in the shcr-
ifs dining room. This meal usually con-
sists of a steak or chops, fried potatoes,
bread, butter and coffee.
After breakfast the little colony repairs
to the Jail corridor. They are allowed ev
cry possible liberty, as they have proved
most docilo and tractablo lRisoncrs The
corridor is called the study. Here the men
read until 1916. Their intellectual aC
tivity is along the line of economies, So
GEOLOGY and history.
The library mt the command Of these
men consists of some 200 volumes Of very
good works. including Shakespeare, Hugo,
Henry George, Carlyle, Garland, Kidd's
"Social Evolution, Ely's political Econ
omy," Fabian essays and Others of like
nat Ire. Debs conducts the class regularly
and lectures on stated subjects They usu
ally relate to the labor question. Debs has
a very effective way of presenting his
ideas, and his pupils not infrequently in
clude employees of the Jail and now and
then the sheriff himself.
AT quarter past II the men stop this
work. Exercise in the jailyard is now in
order. They run, walk and use the dumb
bells and chest weights. Debs is the best
athlete of them all and has made some
very astonishing records with the athletic
paraphcrnalia at his command in the Jail.
At 1 o'clock, sharp, dinner is served.
This meal consists, rs a rule, Of a roast,
some vegetables, pastry or pudding and
coffee. The men are not starved by any
means in Woodstock. After dinner tho
reading and studying are resumed and
kept up until B O'Clock, after which Colo
mel Hogan begins the drilling of his squad.
Supper is always ready by half past 6, and
that frugal meal consists of cold meat,
milk and bread.
The intellectual life of Woodstock Jail is
further varied by literary exercises. These
begin at o'clock in the morning and last
for two hours. A debate usually begins
the feast of reason. Dcbs takes some cur
rent labor question, and it is argued from
every point Of view. One of the debates
was ON this theme: Resolved, That the
state has n stronger claim on the child
than its parents" Rogers took the affirm
atiyo and Kelliher the negative. The ar
guments were listened to for an hour, and
the result was draw
The convicts have established q code of
rules for themselves, which every man is
Obliged to live up to. Thus, for dcliqucn-
cy during drills Colonel Hogan imposes
military punishment in the period of
study. Debs also imposes penalties upon
such Of his pupils as fail to please him.
Nay, the discipline is so strict that Dcbs
has now and then locked up one Of the
colony in his cell if some infraction of the
rules be particularly fragrant.
So far the health of the men has been
excellent They maintain the very best
spirits and take their Imprisonment light
ly. Debs is probably the busiest man of
the lot He writes when his time is not
taken up with other duties. He continues
to edit the organ Of the American Railway
union and to write articles for various
radical and socialistlo publications.
There is one other thing which Dcbs has
devoted his time to while in Jail, and that
is project to get condemned murderer
saved from the gallows. He took up the
case as soon as he got fairly settled in his
cell. 1t is that of Clyde Mattox, sentenced
at Wichita by the United States authorities
to be hanged in October next.
The comfort of the men is well looked
after. The Jail is almost new, and its san
itation is nearly perfect. 1t is kept scru-
pulously clean, and, as already noted, the
sheriff allows the prisoners every possible
liberty consistent with the sentence of the
court. Not one violation of the rules have
the men been guilty of so far. The insti-
tuition is about 81 miles from Chicago, and
the visitors continue to be very numerous.
The American Railway union does not
seem to have lost any numerical strength
as a result of the Imprisonment of its lead
ing officers. A corps of very competent
organizers are maintained, and recruits arc
reported plentiful. A plan of secret work
in this connection has been formed, and
as yet the utmost silence has been main
tanned as to the methods employed in max
ing the union more effective aid to the
men than it has proved heretofore. Debs
continually asserts that the day of the
strike has passed He qualities this, how
ever, by saying that n strike fund of some
sort should always be maintained, as fear
of lockout has often a most salutary eff
feet upon employers.
Debs and his associates have very def
mite plans for the future. They will be out
by winter and propose to continue in the