New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-06-25

CONVICTS DOMb-oliON'
POWERS OF SECRET COM
MUNICATION POSSESSED 81
JAILBGRDS.
.JAILBGRDS.
,,u, Coeselrs Saturday Journal

I,,orn CasseTs Saturday Journal
,,r Governor of the Jail at ArinIey' mr.
aads once caused "A weu-' M " w . ~, % q.
L,, an old iailbird, To cXhlpil NJ P.L ,yri,or
li,,ht sanger in the presence Oh IN '
mslS.l' NJ ave TO minute fractions OF an ouh's
~ 'iybts of various objects IN the olCc '''@'
tl'' lid and in regard TO prison ra'IonS ~
tertionaly short in weisn., .' rronderfuI TIE
-. ,. .rter,yard Independently trled Ihe ~"
nf = man "out on license anu h NJ 80 ,,,oro
clever in gauginG weight "heIJ - boyt - deal
,,cCrned Nom but those VINO nav ~. e.
",,t,rIy with old prisOn-birds KNOW ""dt " ~.
nantornirnists- using the wore Pdl'ol''t, f,,d
t,.,. o.rso Of "dumb-sh show '-are I" ne l"uhi
a,,,ono the class; indeed, the most i'"u'i a..
,r,crce sive Of all prison governors VI,
mat no class not even the pr"leSS '"'i 49, hI,v
cal one possesses greater po%VIo i iatrl,irds
than does that consisting OF reSu,di ,4,.1.i
and ba adds that all the accomplishing h'". ul'
thirves that he has met were a1inrap'e a. 'o w..
Inng practice and the necesSIues oi w -
baye no doubt given this power OF uutii"-S''"
1t, generally to old COnVcts, but th,rc arc
many cases in which man can hot on'y III
Wv 10 another n few sentences pul VIM 10
tories given the time, 10y the mlhuteSl S'S"i1
eitber during church service OF working houts
or at exercise and no plan for preventing O''7
has ever been found. .o b, una
consulted bv the writer on this subject SAYS,
"Old iailbirds defy the vigilance OF an tile
wardors in Europe. with mouths nan oi.LL
they can speak to a companion Hdru ~ WIN
absolute immunity. the lips and lower Jaws ne'tr
n,.o, heinz moved. If the companion fails TO
hear he indicates the fact by putting ms Im-'r
into one ear though II were H'hlHE l"''.
dumb alphabet If maTVellouS!E 'oHP''s' ~
prisoner wants t. say that some one IS dtad
h. smells the name on his fingers. then rests ms
Read upon his hands and stamps on the Eipuuu'
So-1ud- $50 is dead and buried. Some ore j. IN
prSoned for SO many years. and TINS IS con-
voycd from one prisoner o. another 10y uir
former putting as NAM fingers a. ooiIfSpuhd
10 the years across his ear-the man has got
saw three ear. for months a similar sign j.
made on the mouth Coughs ana sNccHtS OK
different kinds indicate all manner ~ diSilN't
things on Wcll-kuoWn cough means lSt"I.
Tho prisoner who gives il has received Iellt,
he looks AT the palm OF one hand and pretends
f. scri.tle with The other. II h. has got
Observation-Disclosures DO receive such Things
sometimes can assure you-he pietendS 10 DE
reading the palm OF the hand very lntentH. lie
pretcrde e. whiT a. indicate that he has been
logged H. puts hi hand on ms stomach I" de-
note short allowance. h has written q letter. so
he uretcndS TO write on his hand ana then 70
throw the words into the air And thus X goes
on through the entire chapter. absolutely genu-
inc duWb-sh'W. where No code has been agreed
upnu beforehand telling whole histories.
A large bark from Liverpool called the
piomed was in 1872 while trading. wrecked
on one Of the smaller islands Of the Pacific
great number Of saVageS. who seemed quite
friendly. surrounded the ShipWrecked men but
none Of the latter knew "A scrap OF language thdt
the natives could understand. But one of the
crew n middle-aged man known Mac the
! Convct'-he a man who had turned over
= new leaf-intimated to the captain that ne
! could make the natives understand anything.
a1d he actually succeeded in making commune
cation easy on every subject required solely by
means of signs and acting The captain Of the
| Diomed was the writer's informant and he gave
! a 50 COnd similar instance that told TO him
| by another shipmaSter.