The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-26

which was. for very many years part o
| the popular gossip Of the District and
may bear a narration.
An old Virginia gentleman. some o
whose family had done good service fo
their country and whose family connection
was large. was a special friend of President
Folks friends and was armed with en-
| dorsements which he declared were plen-
| tiful as water and hot as brandy.
What do you want, major?' queried tht
| President.
81 want, sir, position; sine qua
non."
"a WHAT"
"a sine qua non. sir; place where you
| do nothing and get pay. You have many OF
| them in your hands,
| "Oh! you mean a sinecure."
| 'Oh, yes. that's it; they told me I was
| to have a sine-cu-ree, where l could have
assistants to do all the work
Colonel Walker. who was present. sug-
| gssted to Mr. Polk to make Major Dale
! warden OF the penitentiary. There is
sail he, $50 much local dissension over it.
that it would be well to make the appoint
ment at once. and save all fighting"
So Major Jack Dade became Warden OF
the District Penitentiary.
One Of the unpublished Incidents. told in
Alexandria. is that of a master mechanic
of Alexandria who accompanied Jailer Nell
and went with them to the penitentiary to
see the method OF incarceration. The con-
Wet was spick and span in his dress. but
the mechanic had always been careless
about his costume. Just as the guard was
about to take control Mr.. Steele was called
of by the warden. The guards seized the
wrong man, and, despite his protests. were
about to put him into the bath. when the
convict ran up the corridor shouting. Mr..
~ ~ NJ
gained the ear of the Alexandria jailer and
released his friend from serving term
unsenteDced.
The service in the penitentiary was not
hard on all convicts. as the writer had oe-
casion to observe, while engaged on one OF
the Washington dailies in the fifties. The
police reporter Mr.. William Tucker, had
prepared an article upon the Washington
crooks" who were doing time" in the
penitentiary. One morning the writer saw
him bring in through the yard two men,
cleanly clad, but pale and having the gem
eral appearance of having come from
bake shop. Tucker gave them seats beside
his table and read over to them the article
to which they suggested several correc-
tons. After fifteen or twenty minutes he
said: Il don't dare ask you to drink"
"Oh, no; that would never do" responded
one of them. We'll go back" YES.
when you get out the gate you are on
Eleventh Street, you had better go straight
across the Mall and report before half-past
eleven" And out the back door of the Of
flee the two pale men went
who were those men. Tucker?" queried
the writer
'-Convicts. They are TRUSTEES. and were
allowed to come here and help me out
with my article" And a most readable
newspaper article it was
The local Democrats had nearly all the
advantage of the penitentiary Offices The
Jackson, Van Buren, Polk. Pierce. and
Buchanan administrations covered most of
the time during which the yenitentiary
existed. the Harrison administration
finished by Tyler. and the Taylor Admin
istration. finished by Fillmore, were
broken interregnums which gave the
higs short stay at the Government
crib. But the time came in 1863. when
the Government needed the penitentiary |
hous. for military justice. There courts |
marital sat, and there were hanged |
Payne. Atzerott. Herold. and Mrs. Surratt. !
Afterward the middle portion Of the /
penitentiary. where the cells were To-
Gated. was torn down. The houses at each !
end still stand. but have been handsomely /
remodeled as officers dwellings, and all |
thar is left OF the old penitentiary is now I
devoted to the military service Of the |
United States