The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-08-05

your watch chain, and the bulge on
your coat which may indicate the
presence of a wallet. All these partic-
ulars are thoroughly canvassed unde"
breath, with many an interesting con-
lecture as to your name, birthplace, oc-
cupation and home.
Such is the diversion which your visit
occasions; but as soon as you turn
away the usual whispering is resumed,
gossiping, plotting, testing, story tell
Ing, and, yes, quarreling; for see, oven
as you look back from the door, two
of the lay figures revive into violence.
One makes a cut with his shoe knife,
the other aims a blow with his ham,
mer. The guards rush between and
drag the men, now aflame with pas
sion to the cooler" Bitter words 5uf
ticient to provoke murder, have been
passing between these two, in tones
as faint as an insects drone, all on ac-
count Of the fashion of your coat.
Admitting, then, that convicts can
freely communicate, the question nat
urally arises, how and where do they
get tidings of the outer world? The an
swer that 1t comes to them on all sides,
induced by the very human propensity
for loquacity, would, almost, be liter
ally correct. In other words, the pro-
portion of loose tongues in prison is
about the same as it is without the wall
and duty acts merely as a guard ana
not as a restraint
There are many civilians employed in
a prison, such as a head cook, a baker,
an engineer, instructors in the shops
and drivers of vans and delivery wag-
ons; and each of these has one or more
convict assistants. These civilians all
talk, not designedly, for each one con-
c;J 1,i aa1 nf nj Nv
and not indiscriminately, for so indeed
they all are toward the rank and file.
But close association causes compari-
ionship. This one has a helper, whom
he knew as a boy, a likely fellow, TOO,
If he would only let drink alone. That
one has taken a fancy to the convict
shipping clerk, perfect gentleman
from New York who has lots of in
fluential friends. And so both talk
without realizing it and talk of what
they are interested in, the news of the
day.
The doctor and his student are, of
course, discreet; professional men are
invariably so; they wouldn't talk to a
convict except to ask his symptoms.
But when they are together in the dis
pensary, is it not natural for them to
chat, quite unmindful of the quiet de-
mure convict assistant, so deeply en-
crossed in compromising prescriptions?
So, too, when either of them happens to
be in consultation with the hospital
steward, in his little room, a nice fellow,
for all he did forge that note, a MEM
Der OF the faculty, also, and quite
learned in his way how easily, how in
evitably it occurs that at least some
hint is dropped concerning the topic of
the day.
Prison guards are laxative, espec-
tally the old ones. A new guard is
weighted by sense of dignity, but the
years bring keeper and kept into a COM
munity of feeling. The old prison man
| becomes so habitual to prison life, so
| inoculated with prison thought, that 1t
| would almost seem if he couldn't re-
| main longer in uniform he would choose
| to remain in stripes. AS a rule, he is
poorly educated, with but few interests
and no associations. and so, as time
| passes, prison gossip becomes meat and
drink to him. His curiosity is exigent;
he wants to know eyerything-past,
present and future-about the convict
who, either from appearance, record or
connection, attracts his attention. In
this wise many odd friendships are
formed between guardian and ward,
odd, because there always exists ST.
periority on one side and Difference on
the other. 1t is an exceptional guard
who will then limit his favors to the
news which 1t is a pleasure for him to
| relate. Let the convict have little
ready money and be able to renew his
supply from time to time-no difficult
matter where visitors are, allowed-let
him, above all, be considered decent and
square, and he can not only have the
daily papers, but such occasional ir-
relevant matters as handful of cigars
or small flask.
New York Sun.