The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-12-24
XMAS IN SING SING,
HOW NEW YORK'S 1900 CHiEF
REALEFACTORs ARE ENTER
TANNED.
CAN TALK FOR TWO HOURS,
Hash, Bread and CORee Give way to
Roast Chicken, 8fince Pie, Ginger
bread, Two Cigars and Other Deli
caciess

NEW YORK, Dec. 1S.-Next Friday there
will be many queer Christmas Hastings in
this broad land of ours, but the one that
will outrank all Others viii be the celebra-
ton in the grim gray stone fortress, that
prince Of prisons, Sing Sing The dun gran
lite walls are terribly thick there. and poor
Santa Claus could not break in if he came
armed with a sleigh full of dynamite
bombs SOur-looking guards with sleek
Winchesters dot the tops Of the walls.
others with bullying hip pockets swarm over
the grounds, moving slowly and never
seeming to see anything but seeing every
thing. Iron gratings iron doors, stone
floors, stone walls. everything iron and
stone-smau wonder that the holiday spirit
permeating the rest of the world has
hard time soaking through this mass of
granite and metal into the 1900 hardened
hearts within.
Thieves. murdsrers, forgers, blacklegs,
thugs, ruffians scoundrels, from the pol
ished society rogue to the maiefactor of
the slums, from A to z Of the criminal
calendar. all huddled together, jumbled into
one mass by the drag net sweeping hitheT
the city of New York. Sing Sings guests
are 80 per cent. the product Of this city.
They are the cream Of the villainy Of the
metropolis, skinned by the cold hand Of
the law. When they get Out-some Of
them never will-they will return to the
city, and in a few months many Will be
back again behind the iron and stone.
THREE GREAT GIFTS.
Christmas is not an empty thing to them,
and many are looking forward to it with
the nervous eagerness Of a four-year-old
child. True Santa Claus does not bring
fine gifts there, but he docs make q change
in the dreadful routine Of the place, and
that is q blessed gift to the old convict,
greater and grandeI than jeweled baublss.
money or riches He does things on Christ
mas Day that he can do on no other of the
365 days in the year. He eats different
food he can talk to his fellow men, he can
walk without folding his arms on his chest
These may seem small blessings but the
old-timer in Sing Sing appreciates them at
their true worth
He knows what it is to go day after day
week after week and month after month
without saying a word to his fellow men.
It is true he communicates with them, but
not in the free way Of opening the mouth
and talking naturally That would mean
a stay IN the dark cell, perhaps on bread
and water, and bad marks, which would
deprive him of shortening his term by good
behavior. He uses the lip language, subtle,
quiet, but effective. If he is an adept in
crime he can tick out a message by knock
ing the hardened ends of his fingers on the
work table. just as a telegrapher taps his
keys.
But on Christmas Day he talks.
And tho Christmas eating! Here is the
regular fare of Sing Sing for each day IN
the week and it is the same every week
IN the year except on Christmas Day
Thanksgiving and the Fourth Of July The
breakfast menu 70 each day in the week
is as follows: Sunday, hash. bread and
Tuesday. coffee bread and hash; Wednes-
day, coffee. hash and bread; Thursday,
bread. coffee and hash; Friday, hash, broad
and coffee; Saturday the same
There is a little more variety for dinner,
which is follows. Sunday. boiled rice
milk and sugar, stewed apples, sweet buns,
bread and coffee; Monday. pork and beans.
boiled potatoes bread and coffee and vine
gar; Tuesday, boiled fresh beef, vegetable
soup made Of cabbage, tomatoes parsnips,
carrots, turnips, rice or barley, bread and
coffee; Wednesday, mutton stew or clam
chOwder. tomatoes potatoes, parsnips, car
rots. with pork entree and tUrnips; Thurs
day. corned beef and cabbage and bologna
sausage. with pea or bean SOUP boiled po-
tatoes. mustard, bread and coffee; Fri
day fresh fsh, boiled potatoes, brown and
white bread and coffee; Saturday. beef
stew. consisting of potatoes, tomatoes,
parsnips carrots and turnips bread and
coffee Supper every day in the week, eX-
cept Sunday. consists of bread and coffee.
There is no supper on Sunday
Like with other folks. Christmas at Sing
Sing begins on the night bsfore-that is,
the convicts can 60 to sleep in their 4x7
cells with the happy feeling that they can
sleep an hour and half later than usual
Ordinarily the get-up bell rings at go, but
on Christmas it won't jingle out It's DIS
turbing summons until Z o'clock. And
that is something. When Ferd Ward, the
railroad wrecker and Napoleon, was re-
leased he said that his greatest happiness
in his new freedom would be to turn over
and 90 to sleep again when ne was called
in the morning. That was the single ambi-
ton of a man who mad once had $20.00O,0OO
to do with as he pleased
To give the convicls their Christmas
pleasure early in the day the great dinner
is served for breakfast at 1880 A. 81. The
long lines of each division are formed. each
man with his hands on the sides Of the man