The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1899-02-01
THE FAMOUS YUMA JAIL.
ME RENOWNED OLD PRISON AND
ITS TRAGIC STORY.
hundreds aave Fretted Their Lives Away
There. No Man Has Ever
Escaped.

The famous old town of Yuma, on the
sestern edge of Arizona Territory, close
mon the east bank of the Colorado RVS
Or is unique in several respects. Years
,uo It was the most dreaded frontier
garrison to which Uncle Sam assigned
his soldiers. 1t is known the would over
for its remarkably hot weather records,
and every summer Yuma and the eli
mate there are sources on which news
paper humorists and photographers, far
and wide, draw with reckless extrava-
gaOCe.
Yuma has been the scene of many In
dian fights in the last two centuries.
Probably no other fort on the extreme
Western frontier has ever held so many
men. first and last, who later became
famous military leaders as Fort Yuma.
Gems. Custer, Phil Kearnev, Beale,
Albert Sidney johnson, Longstreet and
Mcdowell all served year or two CT
their army apprenticeship there. John
Phoenix (Lieut. H. A. Derby. the frs
American humOrists OF the modern
style, died there.
liAuz0na territorial penitentiary stands
upon an eminence overlooking the Colo~
Rd0 and ella rivers for miles. On one
side is the Colorado river, and on the
other three sides there stretches away
for miles and miles as deso!ate and
n racklesS and hopeless a desert as man
ever looked upon. No one, not even the
Indians, brought up on the skirts of that
great area of sand and cactus, dare to 90
across it unattended and without pro-
visions of food and drink. The most
desperate criminals abandon all thought
Of gaining liberty by attempting to flee
across that almost limitless burning
waste.
A high wall encloses the prison wall.
Inc wall has hight of sixteen feet. and
1t IS eight feet thick at the base and five
leel thlck at the top. Within it are the
main prison buildings and the shops.
The prison building is solidly construct
gu OF rock laid on mortar, and in the
center OF all the walls is inserteda heavy
HOT grating A similar grating is laid
ID tue masonry above and below each
c0L' 50 that upon the completion of the
Nnole prison building, OF which only a
poI'''n has been finished, it will have an
'nolm2uS skeleton of iron, which will
serve as an tffectual bar to convict's
''''pe' even were be to dig through the
massive Stone wall. Adjoining and
Dusc'ed with the prison are a large
"' on'ng room, kitchen and laun-
wy 10 spite of the terrific heat Of
I' '"mate these buildings are remarka-
~ '"eIF comparative GOODNESS.
1'"Fyone who gees % see the terrific
,a' Pen'tentlary is interested in the
'''DS guns which are placed on the
val" stands arranged at intervals along
wy u the walls. The largest and
t'0.' pal gun is in charge OF young
lava" VINO boasts of his Apache
'''' lie Is rated rs the best marks
WIN Gatling gun in the United
''' Uen. McCook OF the United
"''o army says his mani pulation of the
S~p''cated weapon and his accuracy of
are SIMPLY marvellous. The young
N'O"n mas an excellent field for target
.'''o over the ella mud flats, lust
W. 'uo prison. A tin can six inches
'"i0Uer, placed at distance of 700
1'' ue will hit four times out of five
railing gun. When it is remem.
:, '""V lie can fire 700 shots a min
'O' possibility of convict's escape
~ small to calculate.
''9ent test of the understandable of
'V0ng Apache gunner was made
- Oenlnd a stone wall 100 TIN cans %
,,~ D' OF common fruit cans were
fn u, one at time, haphazard in the
n 'ao' as clay pigeons are automatical.
o,ob aV shooting matches. The
in ,a mad his gun ready and had to
a,n. 4u,cK as flash at each can at a
IM W. -'o yards. He pierced 81 out
Acosn Uo'ore they fell behind the STONE
rson 'olage number of convicts in the
Is tbaro .oO Seventeen of the prison,
erers 's're in for life. They are muir.
leu. T abroad wreckers and highway
I'm, j. tue comfort of a prisoner IN
sf,en5p 0noS much on the money he or
otnendaS u"Ve' II he is poor and has
BY tho % o' means or influence he has