The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1897-01-29

;-1 ~ 80 I've -Des IOl1I
party made no signs Of recognition.
until spoken to by the Warden and
given permission to speak to the Wis
itor. AS we walked along in the
yards we occasionally met groups Of y
dozen or SO Of convicts going Of. re-
turning to outdoor work; with them
was always q guard, who was unerm-
ed except for y loaded cane. In the
winter time such parties are taken
at q distance from the penitentiary,
to shovel snow etc. about the capitol
grounds, with no other precaution,
only the gnard and his, cane. There
is little in the snow.clad hills and
and freezing temperature to tempt
the convict to make q run for free
dom. In summer, however, when
working in the fields, an additional
guard with a loaded rifle
keeps watch q short distance away,
and no convict ia allowed to approach
the armed guard on any pretense.
The theory is that it would be dan
gerous for the guard who has immedi-
ate charge of prisoners, to be armed
as they could 80 easily overpower him
and take his gun away.
Starting out from the Office we find
the broad hallway fenced with great
iron gates where stands guard who
locks and unlocks them only on the
order Of the Warden or his Deputy.
Passing through we come to the cell
room. This consists Ut great hall
lighted on three sides by large win
dows, whose lower stills however are
about as high as a man can reach and
in front Of which are heavy iron bars.
The room is we'll lighted having an
eastern and southern exposure, and
being whitewashed inside there is
nothing gloomy about it as far as
light Is concerned. Inside this great
hall there Is built q three story build
ing. 1t stands at all places about
twenty feet or so from the outer walls
Of the hall. 1t is like building y
three-story structure and then build
Ing another house considerably larger
oyer and about it. The inner build.
ing (which like the outer, is built of
solid masonry, is divided into little
rooms or cells. There is just space
for q series Of cells on each side, three
stories or tiers high. The upper tiers
being reached by iron stairs aud gal
lerles which run around and in front
Of the cells on each tier. Each cell
Has q grated iron door through which
the prisoner enters and gets his light
and heat. The cells are just large
enosgh for 9 single bed with q vacant
space BY its side Of about the same
A chair and q small
table are the furniture. In the
large outside windows and in other
convenient places are many potted
plsnts some OF q large size, while
from the projecting galleries
are great many cages Of canary
birds. At each cell door was q card
bearing the name Of the tenant, and
the 0ld.fashioned style by which o
convict lost his name and was only
known by his number while in prison,
seems to be obsolete, and rightly, for
1t was brutal in its object and effect.
Almost. II not every cell, bore evid-
ences of the desire of the tenant to
ornament and to relieye the hard bare
brick Of the whitewashed walls.
Cheap pictures, fancy colored papers,
hanging shelves and such things are
10 be seen In most Of the little rooms,
and calendar Is one Of the things
that each one desires and studies ,and
we expect that even the ''lifer", who
has no reason to believe that aught
but death will free him, still with
that hope that springs immortal from
the human breast, pores over the
time passed and the time to come,
day In and day out, with equal inter-
est; for with these as well as the 9th.
ers, the mon0tony of their dull exist
ance is measured by the daily pas
sage Of the hours.
All the work Of the prison, is done
BY the convicts. and q large part Of
their food Is raised BY themselves on
the prison farm attached. They
make their own shoes, clothing etc,
and cooking. A dozen or more COWS
furnish milk, and the extensive pens
have hundred or more pigs. A big
well.flled corn-crlb was also noticed,
somewhat q curiosity to US northern
ers. A large, steam, heating plant
warns the whole building and burns
tine native Ignite coal.
One building of note is the cremat-
cry. Here every morning the prison.
ers, marching In single file, each bring
their night buckets from their cells
md amntv thom IN h,,na hoosn