The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-01-09
THE TINE OF ADMITTANCE
And Length of Sentence That Each
Has to Undergo.
SOME INTERESTING FIGURES
On How the Institution Is Run and How
Much It Takes to Operate It.
Increase of Stark County
Prisoners In Recent
Special to News-Democrat.

Years.
Special to News-Democrat.
Columbus, Jan. THE sprawling,
dingy buildings and ample enclosure
near the center of the old city, the ONO
penitentiary, is an object OF more OF
less interest to every visitor ana tran
sient, from whatever part OF the state
he may come, for the reason, NANNY
that every part of the state has It's IN
mates of residents, relatively tenn
porary or permanent according 10 cir
cumstances over which they necessarily
have no control. The old institution Is
not so crowded as 1t has been in recent
former years, partly because of the
newer and perhaps in many respects
better quarters afforded many Of ihe
involuntary guests and beneficiaries OF
the state The total number Of convicts
today is 1853, of whom but 90 are fe-
males. The total population of the peni-
tentiary has raacked as high figure
as between 1900 and 2.400. Most OF the
convicts who are able to work are en-
ployed at least portion of their time.
And with a very few exceptions they
prefer to be employed as occupation
prevents their brooding over their un-
\, fortunate condition.
n .
N mort SO far as such reports are in print,
A of the Keeper of the Ohio Peniten7
= tiary," dated November 10, 1888, brought
TO light a few interesting historical
facts connected with the old institution.
The new" penitentiary was then be-
ing built So that the main Buildings OF
the concern as 1t now STANDS are 66
years old and this is pretty nearly the
oldest penal institution in tEe country.
In the spring and early summer OF that
year between rs and 50 convlcts, out OF
a total of 1S9, who wrought on the Work
of the construction. Bat early in July
40 of the convicts We're taken down with
l cholera and IL of the number died.
y, Tho calamity greatly retarded the
~ work. During the raging of the cpl
W Tdemic the convicts made desperate at
tempts to escape, and the guards had to
Fl be greatly increased. The east wing
containing $50 cells, was completed in
1884, and the building was occupied
The outer wall was completed in 1885
There must have been rapid increase
for these times in the penitentiary con-
victions in 1885, for in December Of that
year the inmates numbered 276. Out oi
that number Stark county had con-
victs, Columbiana 5, Jefferson 4, anC
Carroll /. There was no Mahonine
county at that day. In the following
year, 1886, the penitentiary was self
sustaining, with surplus of over $4,000
Not many years in the later decades
has such a showing been made. The in
stitution has fallen back financially un
til the high water mark of deficiency
was reached in 1895, at $4,000. Since
then the condition has not been so bad
A terrible visitation Of cholera wal
experienced in'the summer of 1849, wheI
more than one-fourth of all the inmates
died of the plague. Out of total mum
Der of convicts of 423, 116 of them sue
cumbed to cholera, only 5 dying from
all other diseases.
At present there Is comparativel!
little sickness, many of the sick ward
being almost empty.
While in the penitentiary today I wa
permitted to visit the demons
Three of the four occupants, Marlatt, At
kinson and O'Neil, were seated in th'
little corridor fronting the four cells
6stripping feathers. Sometimes the.
vary their occupation to that of sorting
and stripping broom corn. Hurry 1
kept constantly locked up in his soil
tary CELL since stabbing the femal
prisoner some time since. He ais
shortly before stabbed fellow prisoner
O'Neil. Marlatt showed a decide dis
position to talk. He was as garrulou
as his propensity to stammer woul
permit
this - - business" said he, re
ferring to his cage confinement. "It'
all the result of jealousy" The onl
words he seems to be able to ute
without suffering are the "swea
words, which he uses quite frequentl
and as frequently as anybody.
AS the 1900 male convicts, at tn
sound Of the dinner whistle, marched 4
squads of 40, all guarded through tn
grounds to the dining hall, 1t was re
markably apparent that q very larg
portion of them were young men, per
N haps under 30. They marched lock
IA step, moving as one man. The Dime
N of each man consisted of a chunk G
q well cooked beef with liberal suppl
of gravy, two big boiled potatoes,
IN slice of bread cut an inch and haI
thick across the loaf, and bowl G
9Water Those who use tobacco are al
N lowed two plugs week, and, the to
\ bacco bill of the institution Is abou
i 5000 per month.
AT present among the inmates of til
institute, from Stark county are tn
Al following:
Admitted August 10, 1886, Geore
Va. Green. convicted of assault to rol
~ term 22 years.
aK June 20. 1891, Thomas Webb. rape,
sAXears.
'"YTsApriI /, 1892 Charles Hawkins, mui
AMWr, second degree. life.
RH VDecember 20, 1892. Robert Obernesse
IA. Arder. second degree. life
" III Secember 2, 1895, George w. Va
NMght, assault to ravish. 10 years.