The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-05
YUMA'SPENITENTIARY
ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE
PRISONS IN THE UNITED STATES.
1t II Filled with Desperate Men, and
caped-Uprfsfngs Quelled.


Yuma, in Arizona Territory, and there
are multitudes Of people in the Eastern
States who annually in the summer sea-
son read In the newspapers items and
editorial comments upon the very high
temperature prevalent at Yuma for
weeks at a time. The school Biographies
for a generation or more have taught
millions OF boys and girls that Yuma,
on the eastern edge Of the Colorado
desert" is the hottest place in the
United States.
The famous old town OF Yuma is
unique for many reasons. Years ago 1t
was the most dreaded fort to which
Uncle Sam assigned his soldiers. 1t has
history redolent with Indian fights and
copious bloodshedding among whites
and half-breed Mexicans; it has the hot
test, dryest climate in the Union; 1t has
a tribe Of peculiar Indians. who. when in
their full strength, were the terror even
OF the redoubtable Apaches; it has a ter
ritorial penitentiaiy with many curious
features, and it is OF this prison that the
present article will treat. The prison is
freedom permitted to the convicts, who
are undoubtedly the most desperate and
lawless class Of criminals to be found
anywhere. and yet few escapes are re-
corded in it's ten years history. In fact,
encompassed as 1t is with deserts
stretching away toward all points Of the
compass. escape is almost an impossible
~ he Ariz ~ w
sees barring his way to freedom a track
less desert which changes not with the
changing seasons, but remains always
the terror Of the wayfarer.
The town of Yuma Is so near the Cali
fornia line, separated as 1t is only by
the Colorado river, that most people sup
pose it is the extreme southern town of
California, when 1t is the western out
post Of Arizona Tor many years before
the Southern Pacific railroad penetrated
this remote region Yuma was simply
fort and an Quitting headquarters for
expeditions into the almost unknown
territory that lay to the east Of it. Now
the old tumble-down barracks and the
old fort are deserted, but Yuma is be-
ginning to recover some Of Its old-time
activity, owing to the immense irriga-
ton schemes in progress near by and the
prospect Of soon converting the sur
rounding deserts into the richest culti-
waited fields in the country. The i'm
mense growth of Arizona in the early
seventies demonstrated the necessity of
a good territorial prison. Ruffians and
cutthroats 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 and
resuming their lawless career So in
1871 each county Jail was designated a
penitentiary by the wise Legislature
under the idea that change Of name
would perhaps keep the convicts within
bounds. Four years showed the fallacy
Of this idea, and in 1875 a proposition was
made to build a territorial prison, and
Yuma was selected as the site. 1t was
not till 1879 that the prison was COM
pleted.
It was magnificent location on a
high bluff of the Colorado river, over
looking the town of Yuma and the Col
orado and ella rivers for many miles.
A high wall 2S5 by 305 feet incloses the
prison yard. The wall has a height of
sixteen feet, and is eight feet thick at
the base and five feet thick at the top.
Within this are the main prison building
and the shops. The main building is ia
feet long by fifty-five feet wide. 1t has
thirty-four cells nine and a quarter feet
long by seven feet wide and eighteen
feet high. The prison building is solid
ly 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 in the masonry above and
} below each cell, so when the whole
prison building. of which only a portion
is completed. is finished it will have an
enormous skeleton of iron which will
serve as an effectual bar to a convict's
escape even were he to dig through the
massive stone wall. Adjoining and con-
nected with the prison are a large, airy
dining room, kitchen and laundry. In
spite of the terrific heat of the climate
these places are remarkable for their
comparative GOODNESS. The prison is
lighted by six electric lights of 1,20O cam
die power each, so placed as to throw a
flood Of light over all parts Of the prison
building and into every cell. Two forty
ive-foot electric light masts serve to
light up the whole Enclosure, the sur
rounding 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 sweet.
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 blood. He is rated as the best
marksp1an with it in the United States.
General McCook, recently of Los Angeles,
says his manipulation of the compli-
Gated weapon and his accuracy of aim
are simply marvellous. He has an ex-
cellent field for target practice over the
ella mud flats just above the prison. A
tin can six inches in diameter placed at
a distance OF seven hundred yards the
Mexican will hit four times out of five
with the Calling gun. When it is re-
membered that he can fire five, hundred
shots a minute the possibility of a con-
vict's escape is almost infinitesimal.
On neighboring stand is a man who
is an equal terror with the Winchester
rifle. This is ex-Sheriff Hartice. of Los
Angeles, for twenty years a noted rifle
shot in the Southwest. He has rarely