The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-04-04
ARIzONA's PENrrENrIARY.
A Remark able Prison From Which
There Has Been Hut One Escape.

From the New York Times.
The famous old town Of Yuma is unique
f-- many reasons. Years aEOsit was the
most dreaded fort to which Uncle Sam as
-l-1ed his soldiers; il has a history redo
7-r- with Indian fights and copious blood
shedding among whites and half-breed
Vayicans; il has the hottest, dryest eli
male in the union; il has a tribe of pecu-
H.r Indians, who when in their fun
strength were the terror even OF the re-
55rbtable Apaches; it has a territorial
r-nitentiary with many curious features,
and IL is of this prison that the present ar
fI.r4 viii treat. The prison is noteworthy
f-.ause of the comparative freedom per-
rrt-ted TO the cOnVicts, who are undOubJ-
.-'Iy the most desperate and laWless class
of criminals to be found anywhere, and
Yet of the few escapes recorded in its
len Years history. In fact, encOmpassed
a- ID is with deserts stretching away to-
ward all points of the compass, escape
is almost an impOssibility. The Arizona
convict continually sees barring his way
DO freedom a trackless desert
The immense growth of Arizona in the
early '70's demonstrated the necessity OF
"a good territorial prison. Ruffians and
cIt-throats from all parts of the union
infested the mining towns, and when ar
rested and thrown into the rude jails
found requisite in the Mexican period they
had no difficulty in escaping ami resuming
their iaWless career. SO IN lSu each county
Iai was designated penitentiaTy by the
wise legislature, under the idea that a
change of name would perhaps keep the
couvicts within bounds. -Four years show
I'D the fallacy Of this idea, and in 1875 a
proposition was made to build a territorial
prison and Yuma was selected as the
aas completed.
&c was a magnificent location on a high
bluff of the Colorado river overlooking
the town of Yuma and the Colorado and
ella rivers for many miles. A high wall
cI 10y 80 feet, incloses the prison-yard
The wall has hight of l6 feet, and is
eight feet thick at the base and five
feet thick at the top. Within this are
the main prison building ana the shops
The main building is ia feet long by S.
feet wide. II has "a cells, nine and a
quarter feet long by seven feet wide and
rs feet high. The prison building is sol
idly constructed of rock, laid in mortar
and in the center of all the walls is in
serted a heavy iron grating. A similar
grating is laid i'm the masonry above and
below each cell, so when the whole prison
building. of which only a portion is com
pleted is finished it will have an enor-
nous skeleton of iron, which Will serve
as an effectual bar to a cOnvicts escape
even were he TO dig through the massive
stone wall. Adjoining and connected
with the prison are large, airy dining
room, kitchen and laundry. In spite OF
the terrific heat of the climate, these
places are remarkable for their compare
tive GOODNESS. The prison is lighted by
six electric lights Of 1900 candle-power
each, SO placed as to throw a flood of
light over all parts of the prison build
ing and into every cell Two 45-foot cleo
trio light masts serve to light up the
whole structure, the surrounding walls
and the town of Yuma. The water for
the prison is pumped from the Colorado
river by steam pump into an enormous
tank. 1t is thick with mud when first
raised from the river, but when allowed
TO settle it becomes passably clear and
Perhaps the feature which most i'm
presses the visitor is the Calling gun,
which is placed on one of the guard stands
arranged at intervals along the top of
the walls. This gun Is in charge of a
young Mexican, who boasts of his Apache
MOOD. lie is rated as the best marksman
Win it in the United States. Gen. Ne
COOK recently Of Los Angeles, says his
manipulation OF the complicated weapon
and his accuracy Of aim are simply mar
Velous He has an excellent field for tar
get practice over the ella mud fats, just
above the prison. A tin can, six inches in
diameter, placed at a distance of 700 yards
me AIeNjcan win hit four times out Of five
WIN the eating gun When 1T IS re-
memeered that he can fire 500 shots a min
ule, the possibility of a cOnvicts escape
is almost infnitesimal
NO attempt at the reformation of the
cohVlcts is attempted. The majority of
me men in the prison are MeXicans and
hdll- preeds-Mexicans and Indians-and
iheir INFAMOUS countenances snow the
hard life they have led. Most of them
are IN for horse stealing and attempts a.
murder. No regular work is demanded OF
keep the prison in good condition. The
day the writer visited the penitentiary a
force of about twenty men was at work
grading a portion or the road that leads
up to the prison gate. The armed guard
who stood near by was the only indica-
ton that these men were not a force of
ordinary pick and shOvelers. Even the
prison itself did not look formidable, as
the great gates stood wide open, with the
convicts passing in and out. In the shops
within the Enclosure men We're found en-
gagged in making various tools and trinlx-
cts, which they were allowed to sell for
their own benefit. The native woods of
Arizona are rich and varied. They are
apparently unknown to the cabinet maxi
ers of the east, but the Arizona convict
is familiar with their capabilities, and
many of these ingenious fellows make
work boxes, writing desks and other arti-
cles
There are 1872 men in the prison, 10 of
whom are serving life sentences. The
dsclpiine is not military in any sense.
The convictS comfort depends largely
upon whether he has any money or not.
If he is poor he enjoys the ordinary
prison fare, which is wholesome food,
but he is forced to sleep in one of the
inner cells, which in this climate are COW
cred with miniature Turkish baths. One
OF the conVicts, when questioned, said:
NO one can have any idea of the heat
and lack of air inside prison cells at
night. From June until October and
sometimes November, the temperature in
Yuma every night ranges from 80 degrees
10 100 degrees. In the daytime it is above
10 degrees. 1 have seen it up to 100
degrees every day for three straight
weeks. Imagine the horror of those in
side prison cells in such a spell of wea-
lher. The prisoners lie in their hunks,
painting for air. l have come out of one
OF these holes in the morning after a.
vain attempt to sleep, rocking with per-
spiration and as weak aste cat. 1t took
me an hour outside to regain my strength.
With a man who has any tendency to
lung complaint, or who has any chronic
disease of the organs, such a sweat bath
every night is warranted to carry him
on in few months"
Those cOnvicts who have money can
secure any extras in the way of food
mat they may desire, which will be pre-
pared by the prison cook. For a suffi
Client bonus also, they may obtain the
nestimable privilege of a cot in the pri-
son yard, where they may sleep. comfor
ABLY the year round without any danger
rom cold or rain.
There have been some highly exciting
scenes in the Yuma penitentiary, and sew
tIal united attempts at outbreak by the
prisoners have been most desperate. In
one OF these efforts to gain their freedom,
N The winter of 1884, four leaders among
the rebeHious cOnvicts were shot dead and
iour MANNED for life. But the most dare
yeFu and boldest contest for liberty that
uas probably ever taken place within the
walls of any penal institution in this