Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-11-27
IT'S A SNUG RETREAT
wORKHOUSE AN EASY PLACE FOR
PETTY TRANsGREssORS.
An Institution That Is Admirably
Managed, Although A~ppropria-
ton for Fiscal Year Is In
sufficient for Needs.

claim TO being a model reformatory insti-
tuticn, but as a place wherein 10 detain
trcnsgressors OF the law, suspected hard
characters and incorrigibIc inebriates, it
probably has no superior in the country.
Just a; present the l40 prisoners are taking
life easy. They have warm and comforta-
bic cells 10 sleep in, and twice a day whole
some food is supplied them The cold wave
IS responsible for the era Of enforced idle
ness. for the workhouse boarders are kept
employed, whenever the weather permits,
in breaking rock and ma~cadamiz!ng streets.
The present admirable condition of Agnes
and Allen avenues is due to workhouse
labor. and there Is always an ample supply
of broken rock on hand for emergency
and Improvement work. The rock upply IS
.nexhaustible. a mammoth quarry being
one of the most valued possessions OF the
institution
Looks Like a Fortress.
The ~workkouse is located at Twentieth
and Lydia. and is a most imposing struc-
tuse. il is built of stone, and with its
tower and turrets looks like a medieval
fortress. Its jail appurtenances are up 10
date, and its fixtures OF modern design:
males, females and boys. The former is
the largest. and 90 prisoners can be &C
commodated In it without cr~owdinG.. Fifty
women and half as many boys can be ac-
commodated in their respective depart
iments.
me ~OTlEH DEI-DEtTS d4t t1lt w f"S
10 work in the laundry. dining room and
kitchen, and the eNpertness with which
they perform the first named labor and the
cleanliness Of the food departments snow
that no matter how deeply they may nave
drunk of the dregs OF degradation, they
have not forgotten the lessons OF comes,
ITCHY learned when their lives were full
of sunshine and their futures fun oil nope.
AT present not to exceed a dozen women
their recognized star is old Mary Kelly,
the heroine of a hundred North end DRINKS.
whose excuse always is that her system
Is SO thoroughly !~mpreSnated with alcohoi
that she cannot pass an empty Deer barrel
without experiencing the delights OF intox-
ication. .
Mays side partner in inebriety. Is tho
star offender. He has served more terms
toes and. like Mary. would be contented If
he was sure that he could end MS oays
there
Among the noted criminals Eugene Soul
" and John Thomas easily lead By the
notice they are considered all round crooks.
Scully has a Chicago record, which runs
the gamut of crime frCsl murder to cons
mon burglary. His wife, Dutch. Annie.
weeks ago. A pardon issued by Mayor
Jones opened the Jail doors to her and she
AT once proceeded to Chicago. Immediately
after her arrival she turned a trick.
was arrested and is once more doing
time" behind the bars of q Cook county
The discipline Of the institution is rigid,
but not severe. Rules are conspicnousiy
posted and were made TO be obeyed. Every
.nfraction. is promptly met with puntsh-
ment. and the result is that good order
and ready obedience prevail among the
prisoners; Rst the guards have to be vis sre
always confined there In the manufacture
of implements. the designing of keys and
jail-breaking tools they are adopts.
JniIbreaking Tools Made.
During a recent cleanup" enough ar
ticles manufactured by the men in the
silent watches of the night to I'LL a bushei
basket were found Knives as sharp as
razors or with edges roughened SO as 10
rroduce a saw edge, and manufactured
out of steel shoe shanks, hoop bands and
iron odds and ends; keys fashioned from
wood that would unlock the heavy Jail
doors: ''billIes' filled wi h lead and peculi n.
bowls of crudely nodded clay. We're in the
contraband collection. Crudely made play
ing cards, checkers and eewgaws OF no
fiscated, as were numerous substitutes for
tobacco. For smoking is no longer per-
I'VE were forced to ruling against to-
bacco." said an attache, 'or give up our
jobs. Fully four-fifths of the prisoners sent
here are inveterate cigarette smokers and
wnen smoking was permitted from eighty
TO 100 of the offensive things were going all
and the. stencil was something awful. So
we decided to enter upon a reform era We
posted the rule banishing cigarettes and
pipes, and now the atmosphere of the jail
is always pure, the health of the prisoners
better and the consumption of food great
er."
Wholesome Food Is Furnished.
Although the appropriation fr the present
fiscal year is but $4,000. not sufficient by
at least 5000. no matter how economi-
cally the institution is managed, the food
furnished the prisoners is wholesome.
When working work three meals ne a day are
beef. potatoes and bread; for supper,
breakfast consists of bread, molasses and
coffee. and on Sundays baked beans and
s1 In spee eIk are Of a tRe needs 20 sh Of t the IL ins lfrf
lion an official said: THE appropriation
OF $1,000 is inadequate to the demands and
Importance Of the institution. The aver
age number of inmates is about $50. They
have to be fed and partially clothed and
when employed 1t requires a number of
Teen men on the payroll. We cannot get
along with a less number; and as a matter
zines, etc. and the teams have TO be cared
for. Every expense item is supposed to be
P{fan1dde ou The OF pr sne ps srstem IL cannot al sio'' be-
done. In order to do so cheese-paring
economy will have TO be resortei to.
were done, the prisoners could not be
worked on the streets. That; however, is
no, now O doing g'i the best st S we eaD. but the end end
of the year will see a deficiency and It
cannot be avoided
Winter Clothing Needed.
The same official called attention to the
meager supply OF clothing furnished the
prisoners and the resultant evils from
vermin. d.
las soon as a prisoner is received here
said he. 'he Is stripped and given a bath.
The clothing he wore Is wrapped up and
!. placed away until he is discharged, whe!
Iii is returned to him. The city supplies
him with a pair of overalls, a shirt and a
pair ar shoes. In the summer time the
OUTFIT is all that is really needed. The
oyrraIls and shirt arc washed every week
and the men observe cleanliness about their
persons. In the winter time conditions are
different We have no heavy clothing to
give out. The result is that prisoners re-
ce.ved during tho season are permitted 10
retain their clothing. As most of them are
infected with yarmin, the jail soon be
for US to get rid of the pests. If the APP
propriation was larger We could supply
nroper winter clothing. our Jail would al,
Gays be clean and the prisoners saved the
puncyance which they are constantly sub
Sected to under the present conditions"
City officials who believe IN encouraging
good work done by subordinates should
Visit the workhouse. They VIII ind a well
ulanaged institution which Is deserving 81
all the municipal aid the treasury is able
10 give.
A Man of Many Parts.
From the Sketch.
- &c an Amusing old handful. some