New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-03
PRISON SHOPS SHUT DOWN.
CONvICTs BEGIN THEIR ENFORCED IDLE
NESS WITH THE NEW YEAR.

NESS WITH THE NEW YEAR.
PRISON AUTHORITIES PERPLEXED AND PRISONERS
BEGGING FOR woRK-THE PRIVILEGE OF
THE LIBRARY HIGHLY VALUED
The whistle which called the convicts 10 WI
every morning for years and which blew again a.
night when the DAYS task done, mas "'s' ''S
usefulness There is no hum Of machinery 10
despond ence destroying activity behihd INC t'
walls and the convict's prison days nave oeoo'"'
doubly long, When the men LETT their WI" "
Thursday evening and marched TO the s!ea' No.
hall the doors OF the shops were closed aiter mem
10 he opened again only after the constitutional
proyision which forbds convict contract iaoor Sia
have been removed. Heretofore the prisoner ias
mad an opportunity to forget or to Try W ioie
fate during the hours Of work; he sust"neu "ea
and spirits by labor which was suincienty '''u "
make the night which brought sleep welcome. his
worL gave him a chance also to gain superior
Mace for himself in the close community ana II
furnished him an opportunity to earn money WIN
which he could start life anew when MS term Oh
service expired.
HORROR OF ENFORCED IDLENESS.
The work has ceased, and no hungry man ever
made a more earnest plea for food thah the CON
victs In the various penal institutions are maA''e
now for work to the officers In charge. Ehioiceu
,d,eness has a horror for the prisoner. ana re
breads II more than any amount OF nara "orh' "'u
for that reason the coming of January j. aithoush
II was holiday. looked forward to win ureau.
..Tbey knew that the law had been passed. "'io
Warden O. " Sage of Sing Sing. long ago. 'nes
knew that. they know everything ina. 90.
p,ace outside but there was not much saiu aoou'
/, until about three months ago. Then the letters
hegan 70 come and from then to the present DAY
have received hundreds Of requests Tor work-"''N
NJ any kind nature description-anythhs "
keen the men occupied and to relieve them as "'''
as possible from confinement
Rut until some action has been taken as 10 "neie
the prison supplies such as clothing shoes' oeo-
d,ry underwear and caps shall be MADE only
| few of the requests for work can be granted anu
only the men who employed OUTSIDE the res".''
hons can he accommodated with the convict tasks
About 100 men are employed In the various mec III
| ical departments Among them are carpenters
| r,ur,hers bricklayers and electricians III '''
s,one-cut.ng department no men are en'p'o''
and forty men work In the State shop where tho
clothing for the Sing Sing prisoners IS "'ue ~
where the frebug Fucker would nave pee" p'
| had he not been released on habeas corpus u"'
after his arrival. In the mess hall, storehouse
| s.,..hon ond Kitchen about thirty find en-
| nIovmcnt and another hundred convicts act as
..rnnners" and messengers and do the hall WORK.
NOVEL EXPERIENCE.
| IT.. r..t ~ the Sing Sing prisoners. about one
| thousand have had no work since Thursday. IL
must have been an odd experience Tor some OIL the
old timers who have seen the WORK go OH WIN
cIock-lik regularity. Friday was holiday ana the
| men were not marched to breakfast uhtn U c'ocn'
| They had sausage, mashed potatoes, tea WIN hi'N
| and sugar and bread Then they were marched IN
| comnanes about the yard and allowed to sit about
until II o'clock and at IL o'clock they marched once
more 10 the mess hall. where dinner consisting OF
gingerbread, apples, cheese ana tea was sersco "
| them From 10 o'clock the men were allowed
| to make all the noise they pleased In their cells.
THAT may seem an odd privilege" said Warden
| Sage but one must see. rather hear the men
make use of II to understand how 1t Is appreciated
| When gave the prisoners this privilege lor the
| srst time two years ago yelled and shouted
| who had not spoken in a loud tone for years ano
the exercise seemed 10 do them good ana MAKE
| them feel better.
On Friday everybody took advantage OF the
| chance everybody shouted and for an hour the
| granite walls echoed with the noise Then some
| convict with a good voice started song and one
By one his fellows Joined in the song until thu
singing became one great chorus; and II there was
an occasional sob or a thought of songs at home
and under other circumstances. they did not lesser
the volume OF sound But o'clock brought the
stern order for silence and the yelling picnic o
New Years Day story OF the past
THE FIRST IDLE DAY.
Yesterday was the first idle work day In tn
| prison. and 900 men killed time and hoped tina
the conference of prison authorities which tool
place in Albany would result in work-work OF an.
| kind. The men marched out In companies o
fifty from the twenty-four galleries at o'clock
After breakfast they were allowed TO exercise al
| hour and then had to return TO their cells. wher
they remained until II o'clock, when they had an
other hour OF exercise before their midday meal
Another hour Of marching about the yard or loung
! ing there and then back to the little cells from
which they came again only long enough to ca
their supper of bread and coffee That was tn
Sing Sing convcts first day under the new law.
ala, III oil hJ
; ngs OF which will be thoroughly overhauled
. and others demolished. The walls will also be re
| paired and work will be made for as many prison
ers as possible; but Mr.. Sage thinks that the hes
efforts Of the prison authorities In that direction
will not bring relief unless some plan for stead
, employment is decided upon.
ROAD WORK MAY BE TRIED
"A solution OF the problem" said Mr.. Sage, ma
be road work Good roads are being advocated o.
all sides and our men could do much In that direc
ton. We know by experience that It does not TAX
n great force to watch men working outside. bu
: still the road work might make necessary retur
to the chain-gang system. / am sure that tn
. men would not object to 1t and would prefer t
work In the open air fettered to being confined an
unencumbered Personally believe that ball an
8 chain would be merciful than the enforce
. ideness and l know that the people would pre-
r fer It,
I another plan under consideration is that @
! repaving and relaying all the stone corridors @
| the prison The stone which now forms the floor
o 10 badly worn and this improvement and placin
= new walks around the outside OF the prison woul
0 give employment to a large number of convcts
d But one OF the pet schemes OF Warden Sage
to put the majority OF the convicts at work cut
Q ting and dressing stone for building purposes In
: quarry is near the prison. and the rough ston
q | could he hauled to sheds on or near the priso
grounds and the rock faced asher could be stacke
and stored until called for by the authorities 10
| building purposes There Is good demand for stone