The times., 1899-10-06
CARRIERS PRISON HOUSE.
How and Where the Former Captain
VIII Serve His Sentence


VIII Serve His Sentence.
The Fort Leavenworth penitentiary. to
which. under the judgment of the court
martial, Captain Carter has been ordered,
is an old institution originally designed
for the confinement of military prisoners
alone, but more recently transferred from
the custody of the War Department to that
of the Department OF Justice, and thrown
open for the reception of prisoners OF all
kinds sentenced in United States courts.
1t was not intended originally for prison
warehouses for merchandise. 1t is on the
edge OF the military reservation, whose
lines were made to include it when It be-
came a military prison. twenty-foot
wall was thrown around it, and the in
terror was gutted, and tiers OF iron cages
or cells were substituted for the storage
arrangements on the several stories The
change from military TO civil jurisdiction
required the re-survey of the military res
ervation so as to leave the old prison out
side of 1t, but provision was made in the
act of transfer that 1t should continue to
be place of confinement for persons con
victed by courts martial of offences now
punishable by confinement in peniten-
lldTy ana sentenced 10 teIHS Oi itupTlSOu-
ment OF more than one year" 1t was
further provided that the convicts- should
be employed only in the manufacture of
articles and the production OF supplies for
said penitentiary and in the manufacture
of supplies for the Government"
AS the present penitentiary has accom-
modations for only $50 convicts, but the
neighborhood is considered most con-
venient for general Federal penitentiary,
the Government decided three years ago TO
build another penitentiary capable OF con-
tanning about 1,200 prisoners. with the un-
derstanding that on its completion the old
penitentiary should revert to its original
uses, exclusively military. This necessity
is emphasized now by the growth OF our
Army to dimensions not then dreamed Of
The site selected for the new penitentiary
is about two miles from the old one. The
building operations have been a godsend
| to the prisoners, who have been employed
| in them to the exclusion of most free la
Dor.
The warden, named McClaughry, bears
an excellent reputation at the Department
of Justice He has made a career of pris-
ON keeping, and had charge for a number
of years of the penitentiary at Joliet, ILL.,
He has laid oyft the work on the new prison
with great care, so as TO have the con-
victs divided into groups of brickmakers,
| bricklayers, stonecutters, stonemasons,
quarrymen, and the like, each group or
| gang being under skilled workmen as
bosses and teachers, and an incentive be-
Ing held cut to the conyicts 20 improve
in their work so as to pass by promotion
from the lower TO the higher grades. The
convicts make and bake their own brick,
take their own stone out of the quarry,
shape it and put it into place. Eacn morn
ing when the weather will permit they are
marched from the old penitentiary to the
new, military fashion, but under guard;
and are employed at wholesome labor in
the open air and sunshine. with the result
of a very fine average of physical health,
to say nothing of the moral Improvement
resulting from their learning a useful in
dustry. No specific time has been set for
completing the work ON the new peniten-
tiary and naturally 1t proceeds at a slower
rate than If let out in ordinary way TO
contractors But, on the other hand, as
the Government would have been obliged
to support the convicts anyway, and 1t gets
their work free, and by their maintenance
in good health saves a very neat sum year
ly in medical supplies. it is not so partic
ular about the length OF time taken in the
building process, provided. of course. that
there be no needless waste.
prisoner of Captain Carters education
would probably not be put to manual labor
in the brick kilns or stone yard, when his
requirements could be turned to more
profitable advantage otherwise 1t is be-
lieved that he will have the direction OF
a part of the work requiring knowledge
of engineering, and will thereby save the
Government the expense of at least one
salaried employe. Further than that, moth
ing can be said now, the details as TO the
care and assignment of couvicts being left
entirely with the warden. There are no
privileged classes, however, in the peni-
tentiary, and in every respect, apart from
the character of his task, an Army officer
Of the highest grade receives no other
treatment than is accorded to the COM
monest malefactor sent in by civil court
Under the usual rule of communication for
good behavior. Carter will be entitled 20
an allowance of two months in each of the
five years of his sentence. This will be
total of ten months, reducing the full pc
riod to four years and sixty days.