Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-08-17
PRIVILEGES FOR JESSE poMERoY

The Life Convict to Have His Solitary
Confinement Relieved.
| From the Boston Traveller.
Jesse Pomeroy, whose fiendish crimes
startled the public over twenty years ago.
| is about to enjoy a relaxation, to a degree
| of the rigorous life which he has led in the
| state prison at Charlestown' since his SEN
tence was committed from death by hang
ing to solitary Imprisonment for life. Pom
eroy was found guilty Of numbering two
children by heinous methods and torturing
another in a bloodthirsty manner.
His imprisonment has been very close,
and during all its years he has borne it
with seeming Indifference. He has been
closely guarded, and all possible avenues of
escape have been Zealously looked after
Owing to his iendish nature, his keepers
have regarded him as a particularly dam
gerous prisoner. and have never allowed
him any visitors, and have paid more per-
sonal attention to him than to any other
convict.
This close surveillance 1t is said, has
given Pomeroy the impression that he was
considered an important prisoner in the
strictest sense Of the word, and as conse-
quence, his bearing toward the officials
has been bold.
Pomeroy's sentence contained one con-
dition, an equal Of which is found only in
the sentence of FRS. Robinson, the woman
prisoner who Is now in the Lowell Jail for
life. having been convicted Of poisoning
her family.
The condition allowed Pomeroy an hour
In the yard each day, under the guard of
an officer. Pomeroy refused to accept the
condition. stubbornly declaring that he
would not go into the yard unless he could
go alone and fraternize with the other pris-
opers. Since then he has remained in his
cell, visited only by the officers Of the
prison. .. ..4- - .--s.r a-----
Now, however, Warden Bridges, who has
just finished very successful two years
administration Of affairs at the prison, pro-
poses to shed a little light into the life of
Pomeroy, believing that it is a wiser end
better policy SO to do.
AS first step, Warden Bridges has re-
moved Pomeroy to one Of the cells in the
pleted. This addition Is building designed
on an extremely modern plan for refractory
prisoners. The cells have all the requisites
a narrow opening in the roof The walls
Of each have been covered with such a fine
coat of whitewash that the slightest at
tempt to escape through them would be at
oEce noticeable. The isolation of the pris-
oners is rendered complete by means of two
doors. the inner one being constructed of
iron gratirgs and the outer a sliding panel
OF very heavy oak
The next step which the warden will take
for -Pomeroys interest will be to get per-
mission from the governor and his council
to give Pomeroy a certain amount of work
to perform each day. This will be radical
move. inasmuch as 1t is considered to con-
stitute a Encouragement of the sentence. It
is understood that Pomeroy will welcome
the expected change with much satisfac-
ton. Heretofore all his waking hours have
been devoted to reading. He has read
thousands Of books during his imprison-
ment. and that portion of the prison IL
brary which suited his taste has been quite
thoroughly read by him. Besides the books
afforded by the library. he has been fur
nished with literature by Mrs. Pomeroy
his mother.
Warden Bridges will also offer to Pome-
roy the privilege Of a turn in the yards
connected with the new addition. He will
be allowed an hour in the open air each
day, always accompanied by an officer
The yards are, in themselves. a popularity
They are arranged in a series, extending
alongside one wall of the addition. They
are merely clean pens, separated by high
brick walls. The idea embodied in the con-
struction Of these yards was to carry out
the significance of solitary confinement
while affording the prisoners occupying the
addition breath of fresh air.
The warden has not made up his mind as
to the class of work that shall be given to
the convict. He says, however, that in his
opinion various branches of work might be
taught him in a short time. Warden
an excellently behaved prisoner. He is of
a taciturn disposition, and has often told the
warden that he did not wish to see any
one.
The warden says that Pomeroy is reading
books of higher tone than was formerly
his custom. He said that Pomeroy had told
him that he was led to commit the crimes
literature. He has expressed to the war
den his regret that the public should be-
lieve that he was born with such a fiendish
nature.