The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-04-03
OF PRISONERS
TR ANSPORTATION ARRANGEMENTS
MADE BY PRISON BOARDS.
Two Trains VIII Pass Through This
City-The Time Will BE Kept Sc
ret Until the Day Arrives.

The board of managers of the Reform
tory at Jacksonville and the directors of
the state prison at Michigan City held a
Joint meeting in lie parlors of the Gov
ernor Yesterday afternoon TO discuss the
transfer of prisoners made necessary by the
new law converting the Prison South into
a reformatory. Mr.. r. V. La Dow, the spe-
cial agent of the Department OF Justice,
was present, and the fist question taken
M was the disposition to be made OF the
federal prisoners now in the two institu-
tions. After some discussion of the matter
il was decided that those 'federals' now
at Jefersonville whose terms expire within
the year shall be retained there. There are
thirty-seven of these. The longer term
men. thirty-eight in number will be trans
ferred to the state prison, and all the fed
eral prisoners in the latter prison will serve
out their terms there. Thus the State VIII
take care of all the prisoners of the United
States that were in it's charge when the
law passed prohibiting the reception OF any
more of them.
The board then took up the matter of the
transfer of these prisoners, which Will be
one of the unique events in the criminal
history OF the country. Tn time of the
transfer will be kept secret until it oc-
ours, but the prisoners Will be carried
across the State over the j. Nj. q /. and
Monon roads, the former carrying the train
to indianapolis from Jeffersonville, and the
latter taking II from Indianapolis TO Mich
igan City. The Big Four. Monon, Pennsyl-
Vania and Lake Erie * Western were rep
resented by the general passenger agents,
and ali were given IA hearing before the
board.
A special train of seven coaches will be
fitted up with barred windows and grated
doors. and a small army OF guards Will &c
company the train. There Will be guards
with loaded Winchesters on every plat
form, and about ten in each car. The
prison officials and a few newspaper men
will be the only others on the train. All
the life prisoners and most OF the others
will be put in irons and chained TO the
seats. Neither the prisoners nor their
friends will know anything about the time
of the transfer until they are told TO join
the lockstep and march to the train. The
for the trip from Jeffersonville TO Michigan
City, are obvious. There are among the
prisoners a number of desperate men whose
friends on the outside would not hesitate a
moment TO wreck the train in the hope of
rescuing them. AS n further p~recaution
against this contingency, 1t Is probable that
a pilot engine will be run ahead OF the
train.
The transfer will take from the Reform
atory 335 state and thirty-eight federal pris-
oners. 1t now has a population of S63 men,
so this, with the accession OF 2SI young
prisoners from Michigan City, will leave II
with a population OF 40. The state prison
now has a population of even 800. The
transfer will leave it with $50 men within its
walls. 1t will receive 3I3 men from Jeffer-
sCnville and send back PSI.
The State will pay one cent a mile for
each person carried on the trains and the
guards will be allowed to return free. The
no miles. and from here To Michigan City
is l54 miles, making a total OF 24 miles,
making the fare S.64 for each prisoner and
guard. There will be geo men transferred,
and there will be- about sixty guards on
each train, which will make about $50 men
for whom fares must be paid. The cost will
therefore be something over $1,000.