Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-08-27
E.v.DEBS'LIFEIN JAIL
MAS ORGANIZED A MILITARY CON-
PANY AND SCHOOL.
He wisids Great Ianusnce Over His Eel
low Prisoners His Men Locked
In Celis-stsrted Debating Club aud
Teaches Political ECONOMY.

Teaches Political Economy.
1t is q wonderful life that Eugene v.
Debs and his fellow prisoners are leading
I'm jail II IL not likely that any set 'of
criminals undertook To pass away term
OF Imprisonment as they arc doing They
have started an academy I'm Woodstock jail.
They run IA debating club. They edit u
paper. They have formed library,
Debs would no longer be recognized by
his old associates. Ho has grown beard,
and that transforms his entire appearance.
The coterio of prisoners serving their SIX
months I'm tho McHenry county jail at
Woodstock, Ills, call themselves the Co
operative Colony Of Liberty Jail They
are bcsieged by hordcs of visitors from
morning until night, but only few can
pass the portal. Debs maintains his lead
crship. He Is mt the head of all the under
takings. His right hand man Is his fellow
convict, Sylvester Kolliher All lead very
studious lives. They have elected officers
for their little community. They arc On
inspector n colonel and professor. Elliot
is inspector, Hogan colonel, Rogers pro-
fessor, and Debs has been appointed teach
or.
At 6 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 I'm which to exercise.
Then Colonel Hogan goes through the
drill. They are allowed one gun by tho
prison authorities, and the men take turns
In handling 1t. At 7:80 all sit down to
breakfast, the table being set in the sher-
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 arc allowed ev-
cry possible liberty, as they have proved
most docilo and tractable prisoners. The
corridor Is called the study. Here the men
read until 1876. Their intellectual ac-
tivity Is along the line of economies, So
GEOLOGY and history.
The library at tho command of these
men consists OF some 300 volumes Of very
good works including Shakespeare Hugo,
Henry George, Carlyle, Garland, Kidd's
"Social Evolution, I" Ely'ss Political Econ
omy," Fabian essays and others OF a like
nature. Debs conducts the class regularly
and lectures on stated subjecta 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 ~ 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
paraphernalia at his command In tho Jail
At 1 o'clock, sharp, dinner Is served.
This meal consists, as q rule, Of roast,
some vegetables, pastry or pudding and
coffee. Tho men are not starved by any
means in Woodstock After dinner the
reading and studying are resumed and
kept up until 8 o'clock, after which Colo
mel Hogan begins tho 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 8 o'clock In the morning and last
for two hours A debate usually begins
the feast of reason. Debs takes some cur
rent labor question: and 1t is argued from
every point of view. One Of the debates
was on this theme: Resolved, That the
state has q stronger claim on the child
than its parents" Rogers took the affirm
ative and Kelliher the negative. The ar-
guments were listened to for an hour, and
the result was draw.
The convicts have established code of
rules for themselves, which every man is
obliged to live up to. Thus, for deliquen-
cy during drills, Colonel Hogan imposes
military punishment in the period Of
study. Debs also imposes penalties upon
such OF his pupils us fail to please him.
Nay, the discipline is 80 strict that Dcbs
has now and then locked up one of the
colony in his cell II SOME infraction of the
rules be particularly fragrant.
So for 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 socialistic publications
There Is one other thing which Debs has
devoted his time to while In jail, and that
Is project to get q 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 mon Is we'll looked
after. The jail Is almost new, and Its SAN
itation is nearly perfect. It 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 tho 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 docs not
seem to have lost any numerical strength
as q result of the Imprisonment of It's lead
ing officers A corps Of very competent
organizers IRE 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 tho methods employed In max
Ing the union more effective aid to the
men than 1t has proved heretofore. Debs
continually asserts that tho day of tho
strike has passed. He qualities this, how
ever, by saying that q strike fund OF some
sort should always be maintained, ms fear
Of a lockout has oftAn n most salntarv of