The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-10-28
the men marched to work. heads bob
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| signs were IN constant use. And
night notes scrawled on packing pa
per were lowered on thread or passe
| along on broomsticks. And so, on
afternoon. when the gong rang an
the bolts flew back, there was Hghte
responsive foot tread than usual o.
the wooden galleries, and from th
guard on the wall to the Warden, an,
from the sick tramp on the topmos
tier to the trembling neophyte in tn
detention cell, every one knew tha
the tailor shop men had struck
The authorities acted with goot
judgment. The grated doors wer,
quickly slammed and bolted, the re
duced lines marched down to work
and the warden, slate in hand, strodt
along the galleries, stopping at each
cell containing a rebel, aud of each
occupant asking these questions:
''Do You refuse to work. Do you
recognize the consequence of such
refusal? Are you willing to go to the
shcp if I give you one last chance?"
The conyicts in general attempted
a justlfica ton, which was sternlv cut
short Then selfishness came to the
aid O. order. The terms of some were
about expiring. Why should they
sacrifice moment of their good time,
that is, the Communication allowed for
good behaviour? Besides, no one
knew what reply his fellow ccnspira-
tor had made, but each one, judging
others by himself, distrusted. In a
half hours time, when the gong again
rang and the bolts again slipped back,
brazen faced or ashamed, the majori-
ty of the strikers marched down to
their work, Notwithstanding the fierce
cry of 'Scab! scabr' raised by the
obdurate, and 50 the revolt ended.
The fate of the irreconcilables was
hard. Since they choose to remain
in their cells, there they were forced
to remain. Work at best was slack.
The warden was often at his wits end
to find employment for newcomers.
Hence he grasped at this opportunity
for partial shut down. Not a severe
punishment, some may say; and So.
those subject to it thought
as they stood whistling through the
bars while the men marched out, or
with stubby pencil laboriously calcu-
lated how many miles a day they
might do by pacing up and down a
cell seven feet long
But little by little the monotonous
lack of occupation, of sunlight, of
fresh air, of something to see, hear,
or read about, wrought its awful ef
feet. The men grew bloated or ema-
ciated, and in either case were unable
to eat or to sleep. For dearth of use
their senses turned to the imagination
for help, and filled the darkness with
glare and the silence with din. When
one of the number was carried off
to the insane asylum, biting, kick
ing. screaming maniac, and another
was found in the early morning hang
ed to the bed frame with his knees
not two inches from the floor, then
came abject surrender. Those who
had resisted SO fiippantly were down
on their knees to the warden, implor
ing in incoherent phrase the harsh
est task, and brokenly pledging the
most saint-ike behaviour, if only
they might escape from grave which
had all the horrors and none Of the
of death.
As for the bread, for at least a
whole week it continued to improve
from very bad to bad.
A penetentiary, like stage coach,
while always full, has always room
for one more. Besides the regular
allotments from the higher courts,
it receives all the tramps, vagrants,
and disorderly persons swept up by
the broom of the law from the cities
and villages of the counties which it
serves. Its resources are strained to
the utmast by the sparse care bestow-
ed on the average number of daily
as it may be readily 1magin-
ed that when the news came that one
of Coxie's armies, full hundred
strong-oh, apt adjective-had been
corralled by the sheriff and sent down
by justice of the peace looking for a
there was awakened the
hustle of despair. How would it be
possible to wash. shave. feed, question.
assign and lodge the additional
throng? But the law is as obligatory
on prison officials as on prison in
mates. And so the fat officer in the
W ashroom got out his grimy states
and sweaty pencils, and prepared to
do the days work of his life, consol-
ing himself with the thought of noe
turnal beer and of possible commen-
dation from the ''Old Man"
1t was chilly, misty fall morning.
rendering the bleak outlines of dor
mitory and shop even more disconso-
solate than ordinary. The air was so
sticky that it defiled outwardly as
we'll as inwardly. About 10 a. M. the
army arrived in train of hay wag-
ons, under the charge of countrymen
masquerading as deputies with bad
ges and slaves. From the most sub
dued conversation of this cnnstabu
larry it would seem that the scene Of
capture should have been in Flanders
Perhaps it was we'll that signs of au
thority were SO evident, else for lack
of discrimination injustice might
have been done. The prisoners were
collected in the gateway, the iron
gratings at either end let down, and
then the captors drove away to fgnt
their battles over again within the cir
Gle of some tavern stove.
From the gateway there was side
door into the washroom, through
which half-dozen of the prisoner.
were admitted at time to the cues
tionings of the fat keeper and th,
brooms and soft soap of the hall men
Those without squatted along the wal
with the hopeless endurance of cattle
silent, for the most part, and indiffer-
ent to the cold and wet. Only whel
tins of water and soup distributed
were they aroused into a ferociou
eagerness of which the beasts woult
have been ashamed. They wer
mainly Poles, unable to speak Eng
lish, ignorant of the laws and custom
| IF tho lonl L L