Evening star., 1898-12-12
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VISITING 4 PRISON,
Chamber mt Sing Sing Where Persons
See Their Relatives.

From the New York Tribune
Just within the gate which separates the
convict at Sing Sing from the outer world
is room where the inmates Of the instftu-
ton may receive visitors once every sixty
days. row Of benches extends around
three sides Of the apartment. and the side
facing the door is occupied by a desk. at
which State Detective Jackson sits during
the office hours. There is probably no part
of the building where one may see 40 many
pathetic scenes as i'm that poorly furnished
room. There mothers come to see sons
who. despite their misdeeds and garments
of shame, are still spoken of with love and
tenderness. there heart-broken wives whis-
per words of comfort to men unworthy Of
womans love- and there the convict wlo is
SO fortunate as to have a visitor receives
Climpses of the outer world. The prison
rules allow visitors to bring certain articles
10 the Inmates. ana when man Is called
from the shops or stoneyard to the recep-
ton room he usually knows that besides
seeing some one from home. he will be
richer by some dainties because Of the visit
Tobacco. books. fruit and such food as re-
qulres no cooking may be brought to priS-
oners by visitors.
While the convict sits on a bench and
talks In low tone to his visitor the pack
ages which are intended for him are care
fully examined. rhe tinfoil is removed from
tobacco parcels and fruit baskets are scr,l-
tinized for fake or hollow oranges IN
which cOntraband articles or money might
I've concealed. and when Mr. Jackson gives
warning by saying. You may go now
Smith, the unfortunate says good-bVe to
his visitor and takes into his narrow homo
the parcel of dainties from "outsidr." know
ing that for sixty dayS no similar favor
al owed for the interview Is fixed by the
prison rules, but The warden usually uses
his own jufs ~ n I'm the matter.
Its great expense for me to come
here. said A neatly dressed FAt ll..rlz-
man In the warden's office a few DAYS ago
and please, could | have a little longer
time with my boy today She tried 20
SMILE but the sears which dimmed her ewes
showed that the smile was forced
Her boy was called. and she sat next 10
him and held his hand and spoke to him
until she was perfectly willing To go away
Her boy was a life man. and the dav
VIII probably come when lac will look for a
visitor in vain, and the sad yet refreshing
interviews in ;he llttir reception room will
be an indistinct recollection.
The first visit Is always the worst The
prison officials say. Neither the convict
no; his visitor has much 20 say Thu con
Nicts stripes, the srewscme surroundings
and the horror of il an are SO new to both
that, in the words Of a ke,per. it is usually
a 'crying }uet." But AZ the man becomes
accustomed to his prison fare and prison
quarters. as he slips into the groove which
he has made for himself. he learns 10 go
through the visiting ordeal and looks for
ward to il with pleasure.
The convict who drew the picture which
shows a scene in the prison reception room
has been an inmate long enough to know
all phases OF prison life He is only forty
years old. and has served nearly twenty
Years in prison. He is now doing a term
of nine years in Sing Sing for robbery. A
cattle driver by occupation, he has never
had an hours instruction in drawing or
painting. and still his pen-a and-ink work has
attracted much favorable notice. In the
time between the work hours and bedtime
he has made many pictures of prison scenes
which show that he has much talent. The
warden's office. which has been recently
htted with a series Of artistic carvings
made III the prison art school. Will prob
ably be further decorated with pictures by
this gifted malefactor.