Birmingham state herald., 1895-11-09
CHARLES WELLBORN WRITES
A Letter and Gives Graphic Description of
 Jail Life-Wit of the DistIer.

n Ltllct dnu OlNOo d OIdpHiI OCoCiptlOl o'
 Jail Life-Wt of the Distler.
 Charles Wellborn, who is soon to be sent to the United States penitentiary in Brooklyn, where he was sentenced by Judge Bruce for fraudulen use of the mails, yesterday gave a. State Herald re- porter the following communication on his experience and observations at the Jefferson county jail where he is at pres ent incarcerated:
 To the State Herald:
 Kindly allow me through your press to thank the Jefferson county jailers, MT. James Morrow and MT. William Reeves, for the considerate kindness and manly treatment l enjoyed while prisoner in their charge.
 Ordinarily jailer is of selfish dispo- sition and usually cross toward the pris- oner, but here we find a favorable va- riance. notwithstanding the many silly questions asked every day by different men inquiring of their eases, prospects, etc., notes to send out, dainties andssweet meats to buy, are always kindly treated and looked after.
 The moonshiner is a genius in his hum- ble way. After his arrival in jail he wants to know more in five minutes than a civilized man has accumulated in ten years. You must listen to his ills and
 
 No one's arrest and incarceration is of much importance but his, and not having had much business in law, and, in fact, don't happen to know much about law anyway, wants advice. Advice he will have; first from every prisoner and then he makes bee line for Uncle Jim Nor row" who always handles him equal to the emergency and turns him lose satis- fed
 Iris great undertaking when you real ize that such individuals must have ad- vice that reads he is innocent and will come out of his case. You must listen to his tale, which always lasts an hour full of terror and exciting incidents of re- venge that would turn back the feath- CTS of a frizzly chicken.
 A few days since one of these rubber necks rushed up to the door in haste, stopped the jaler in a busy moment who quickly stepped up, the rubber eagerly handing him copper saying, step down to the postofffce and get him postig card; wanted to get word to his folks that he was in jail. They lived in Win ston county and he had to hurry up, for it took week to go But when this in- dividual learned to his disgust that the jailer could not go just then. we'll, he said something and never got over it.
 Another terror to the people of Jailtown is the native of this county. He first comes in with a flourish, boosting that he was all right; he "knew the jailers" :" "knew the sheriff." "knew the judge !" "knew the jurors. ."-they would talk for him, and when they find that the grand jury indicted him-you should hear him rear We'll, then comes trial "Oh," says he, "the jailer and others know of me-" When conviction follows then he kicks out of harness. He says he voted for officers in this county. and now he wishes that 100000 pounds of dynamite were under Jefferson county and he could leave the state as soon as he Is out of jail"
 With these and countless thousands other peculiartles this "cage of necessi- ty'' moves along in business form-things are as regular as the clock just over us. and by the skillful management of our jaier we know everything is pleasant. Notwithstanding the fact of my thorough knowledge of jail life, having visited most every leading prison institution in the United States fully cognizant of their management, this is by far the cas- lest jail in the southland.
 Here man Is respected above his worth. He Is considered human and how thank full would be-were 1t my lotto enjoy such treatment while in Brooklyn.
 Prison life has no horrors here but de- tention, and as two-thirds of this human race should be in the insane asylum and the other third needs guardian, why not increase the buildng--so long as no one suffers.
 This is harvest feast, for most pris- oners come in thin as a toothpick, leave fat and round as a pig.
 CHARLES E. WELLBORN.
 November o. 1895