The Monte Vista journal., 1899-07-01
MODEL STATE PRISON
monrAMA.s HUMANE METHODS

0tvsa LsbsFtass. Prisonsrs nailt Thsir Ovn
Rssssa-ssAooa Privileges Accorded to
tAs 1aaatss aad Musicai l.struetors
TssalshsA
The Montana state penitentiary, ir
its care for and management OF III
prisoners, II . unique institution and
might well be taken as q model by
many institutions Of like character In
older states. Not only is every ef1or'
made to benefit the unfortunate In.
mates and At them for honest lives AFT.
er they shall have left the prison walls,
but much IL done to render their pres.
ent condition cheerful. Wardens Con.
ley and McTague, who have had
charge Of the prison for many years,
act upon the theory that, with all posi-.
BILE alleviations, penitentiary life Is a
severe punishment and that q larg.
percentage Of the men will quickly
show their appreciation of kindness
by being far more tractable than II
they were not accorded any privileges.
The penitentiary might almost be
classed as an educational institution.
In the prison school. organized -four
years since. are taught all the English
branches Of the ordinary grammar
schools. In addition to penmanship,
bookkeeping, typewriting. telegraphy
and photography. A telegraphic appa.
ratus has been set up In the peniten.
tiary for the use Of tho pupils. Teach.
ers as well as students are taken from
among the ranks Of the inmates,
But the prison school Is not the only
remarkable feature Of this Institution
In the work performed by the convict,
within the past few years the Montana
penltentinry has made q record which
Is to the credit Of Its managers. Until
within the last five or six years the
state prison consisted Of q few log
buildings Of various sizes and one
small stone structure, all surrounded
by high board fence. The presen,
prison building ranks among the fines,
In the United States. Few will exec
1t In solidity or beauty, for while sym.
metrical In outline 1t is far less sever,
In appearance than the usual building
OF that class, being more elaborate in
detail. more modern In design and sur.
passing In point OF architectural beauty
most institutions OF similar character.
The building h OF brick. riveted with
rugged. native granite; 1888 feet ir
length. 80 feet In widtn and nearly a.
feet In height. with four towers rising
to height Of GO feet. the whole con
taining a floor space Of over 1880
square feet. In addition to this Is what
Is known as the Assembly hail." a
building two stories high. ITO BY G(
feet. composed entirely Of brick with
trimmings Of granite blocks Surround.
ing both buildings Ia a wall Of native
rock. evenly cut and perfectly match.
ed. extending nine feet into the ground
twenty feet In height. finished with a
coping three feet wide. with massive
entrances. and with four towers forty
feet In height These new building,
ana improvements. which ordinarily
would have involved In their construc.
tion an expenditure OF nearly a quartz,
OF million. have been built by the IN
mates or the prison. all within the
space OF four years and at q cost to the
state Of less than 10000.
THIS work was at FIRST undertaken NJ
an experiment. with many doubts and
misgivInGs. but in a short time the wis
dom Of tho plan was demonstrstsd. e
that when II was decided to erect TN
main buiiding-the most recently som.
pletsd portion Of the work-aithoueA
It involved considerable respouaihifIty
Jet the commissioners and mana aeers
had not the sllGhteAt hcaitation IN gty
Ing WORK 10 the prisoners. Thsrs vesv
No qdarreas among the men, No iusub
ordination and NO attempted escapes
while the work was In progress. With
out chains or fetters and with bat few
guards the men puarried the rock, cut
and dressed the granite blocks, nodded
and burned the bricks. dug the sand
burned the lime. cut the loes and
sawed the lumber.