The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-12-16
FERTILE FIELD
FOR REF0RMERS
Some Things That the Official Is
Up Against,
WHAT THE PRISONER DOES.
Kniyc. are Made From Corset
Stays, Shoe Steels and BarreA
Hoops-Soap Used
For Dice.

selves and kill time" without as tie
! affable official expressed it "shoolins d.
the clock The members OF the parry
were seated in the office of that modern
and spacious structure which every Klch-
monder takes pride in pointing OUT "
| the visitor as the city jail.
From one subject to another eiie tlua
Of conversation turned. The prisoners
! in the extensive courts we're taking Their
! daily cXercise-that is, some OF lhe'ii
! were Others, quite naturally, preferred
| to remain in those brightly-llShteC ana
well-ventilated cells. When the faceS III
| the case are known the outsider can
| hardly blame the last class OF prisoners
referred to. You see. it Is case OIL
Toss UP; heads I win, and teils you
lose
Whether it is better to remain IN the
cell and prepare for TO rush OUT a. INTO no
the open courts, only to be crushed by
the lettering, falling walls-that is the
question.
But, putting all jokes aside, the Rich
mond city Jail is structure IN "nlch
Richmond and Richmonders can feel
just pride. There is a style about It's
architectural design. In its every lne
can symmetry be traced. Its walls
though frowning, yet wear a cheering
aspect for him whom the "hard-hearted
court has condemned to 'durarce vile.
There is hope for the unfortunate in the
thought that it may not be for long.
Those walls now totterng and suffering
from the various infirmities due to OLD
age are liable to fall at any moment.
There is an unspeakable sOlace in the
very thought
But how is he to pass away the hours
that pass in pace SO slow? How VIII
he kill the time that stretches between
the incarceration and the fall? THESE
are problems that find solution in those
brains which. had they had their powers
and their energies properly directed,
would have made their possessoIs stran-
gers without the gates
y FERTILE FIELD.
But" continued Mr.. Johnson, talk
about fertile fields for the psychologist
and the social reformer, I'll tell you,
the denizens of the city Jail OF Richmond
Will furnish either of the class referred
to more first-class specimens for observa-
ton and opportunities for essays Showing
original research than all of Richmond
OUT ide the Jail combined. Here is where
inventive genius has no leash and me-
chanical ability proves wonderful
See this?' said Mr.. Johnson, holding
up q piece of pine, tightly wound with
a muchknotted piece of common wrap
ping yarn, while from one end protruded
q rusty blade
"Of course, it's a knife, but look. Do
You know what its component parts were
originally? The handle is a piece OF a
lath, taken from the ceiling of a cell,
which the falling plaster left exposed.
I'll not attempt to trace the various uses
the many pieces Of string had been put
to, but the blade-weI, what is it? Why,
a piece of corset Steel
How did he get that keen edge on
it? Simply by constantly rubbing it
against the cell gratings and exposed
stones in the wall. You see, one OF
the woman prisoners most likely dis
carded the corset and threw it into the
trash-barrel standing there in the yard
Before the contents of that barrel had
been removed one of the men robbed tina.
corsst of the very essential to its exis-
tence-lts stays-and the knife, you see,
is the result of his plumber
NO, indeed, corset stays are by no
means the sole source of knife blades
Not a few of these somewhat primitive
implements are made from the steels
taken from q worn-out shoe. Then sup
pose the corset stay and shoe steel
market is a little tight, a piece of barrel
hoop is pressed into service, and does duty
as the business end Of q 'slicer' and
What's that Tait?" said the deputy as
the efficient jailer entered the room and
addressed Mr.. Johnson.
SEBEN OR ELEBEN.
Another crap game was in full blast
when you caught on, You say?"
Yes responded the iailer, and if there
is a man on the face of this green earth
that can stop it, I'm for him, Bones?-
Bones nothing. Look at these and call
them bones. These are what they were
rolling with" and the man with troubles
If his own held out a hand full Of small
brown cubes.
Soap; that's all, just soap. with match
heads stuck in them and every last one
Of them is as perfect q die as was ever
made. But talk about pretty pieces Of
work. I made a raid on a crap game a
few days ago and got a set of beautiful
bones. [ thought at first that they had
been snugsled in. but no. they were manu-
featured right inside Of these four walls
You know that in the days we serve
coarse dinners often little pieces of bone
are found in the mock turtle and the
same is true frequently of Brunswick
stews. Well these dice were two pieces
of bone that were among other things in
the soup. Now some patient soul took
those irregular pieces of bone, and, by
diligently rubbing them on the rough
surface Of the wall, fashioned them into
nerfect cubes. To mark in them the dots
was the work OF only a moment. He had
a set of bones and a game was next in
order. Now what are you going to do
about it? How are YOU to stop it? You
know as Well as I do that every prisoner
is carefully searched before being assign
ed to a CELL yet it is not ten minutes
after he gets in here until he is in the
midst of a game. Pieces Of wrapping pa
ner. business cards. most anv old thing
that will hold 2 I1art.il m "a rL are soon trans
formed into a deck of cards. and Yet
there are some people that have the cool.
coed, calm and collected nerve to say that
those III charge of prisons should prevent
all gambling by removing the implements
of the game!
II am ready to hear any suggestions,
gentlemen" said Deputy Johnson.
But none We're offered