The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-01-21
and thsn. n Ne word, shanblsd out With The rest

that the young man. rspudised al last by HIS
innusnaal connections, and. with his mother
that through bitter expsrience her son nigh, a.
lleiFt Oh opne forth reformed and In his hight mind.
had received this time . sentence OF three years.
II vas, bis mothers. submission In this severely,
30 Smithers said, that nov. after the nrst out
break was over, seemed 10 rAnkls In young Oil.
bsrts mind, and he reported, that his !breats Of
the rough and hardened men 10 whom they were
whispered. was apparent, however. 20 the
Colonel that this venom was not In general nken
with regard 10 thetr limited ideals, and one tenet
OF their faith In devotion 10 ones mothsr. II
makes no difference whether this man 10 under
or whether that mans mother abandoned him %
pnyation, or worse still, taught him all the evil
he knows Thus, a. among The AtheniaDs, there
~ss one crime deemed impossible N the prison
Smi thers further repor ted that young Gilbert
had been treated with sern measures by the
warden His cell was on the topmost ner, a gal
lery usually assigned @ shori SsIm men. since
only they, IL was. thought, might have a chance
81 surviving conlncmsnt in LIS deadly miasmas
lie was at AZ work with the out door gang, doing
the ~coarsest chores. He had not bcen allowed
TO see a visi cor. nor 20 havo things sent in 90 him:
and had been warned In terms unmistakable,
that the prison peace, that consola zion which
none more ~nrecely. insists on having preserved
than tho confirmed aud obdurate convict, must
be maintained even II he spent the three full years
Of his term, no good time being allowed. In the
dungeon This rixor, Smithers said. had had
ho Nht' hSl Y Uo IA'TV W
SCREENINGS at night and r~sppings on the bars.
or other overt conduct OF which the authorities
could take notice. But the furtve mischief con
hnuued' until tier was nrrayed against der, and
cell maze against cell male. all caused by the
internal activity Of one mind. intent on trouble
and delighdng to incite wrath by vile insinuation
and knowingly false rumor Smithers summed
up the situh don In these words;
The prison is onensy, kunnel; there's ructon
In the very air ] don't know how 1, is, but arter
you've become habitulated to the Joint, breathin'
The same air with 50 many man HAHN Tho gnmR
light, tho same gloom, the same fodder, you sor'
ter cir 10 feel isst as the odders ae feeling. I've
seed !; = =, nu STl s.,i Dimes ssshf one mans happy;
tier II one mans narvons. unable to eat, unable
to sleep, unless somethin' Ia done for him within
the week, you'll see the hallmen gcin' beck with
trays full OF unteched Tins, and all night long
you'll hear the boys a pacin' 10 and fro, and q
muuern' and n cussin' Ia heat the band. Why
! kin tell whether the weather is goin' to he fou!
the men; and | tell you that n somethin' don't
happen to devart the gineral aggcrtatun Of mind,
therell be an uprisin' whichll make young Gil.
dumb asylum"
One Sunday. a few weeks after this converse.
tion. the old Colonel received word thathis lawyer
and that h. could see him in the wardcn's own
private Office So, twisting a white handler.
chief around his throat. and trying 70 think thatit
smGrs'e sio my ' SppfsS Tagging H Of p |Hs sorr dS%n and and
through tie iron door into the ONCE. Now. Sun.
day in the prison vas a great dav; for those Of
the inmates, who had not during the month re.
ceived any visitors, and whose conduct had
been good, were allowed 10 sec their friends, sub
iectto certain restrictionsiuthe o1lce; and through
out the long hours there was he sound Of the
swapping back OF locks, OF quick steps on tho
galleries, and Of the jar Of thc iron door as the
men went out, smiling and excited, 10 return
soon, even the poorest Of them bringing some
gift u was a notable sight. then that greeted
the old C~olonel's eyes MS he entered the Office, 10
pass through 10 the more private room where
his attorney awaited him. 80 notable that he
could not refrain from peuSns and taking II
In, though he realized that every. man jack was
pointing him out as the particular star Of the
Institution. Along the wall, On the settles, were
group was composed Of a gray and black figure
and a woman With a basket, unless, perchance.
there was also . little child. gazing up. awe.
stricken, into his fathers face, All sorts and
conditions 81 mankind formed these groups; on
the enc hand. men of education, trampe, negroes.
Italians. Poles on the other. refined and deli
| cate women. OF beshawled aud bedrsggied women;
but the former. all greedily receiving, the latter,
all faithfully serving The conversation was
low and moncsyilabic; the men for the most part.
less; both realizing tho iutili,y q complaint
Up and down the lines passed the deputy, care
fully examining each basket TO see That nothing
eontreband was brought In; SO that in front Of
poor or generous a. II might be, rs II IN a family
altar. A grotesque sight. filled with uncouth
faces, with unsightly clothes, and YET pathetic;
v h'NNNti III iht Hi' VI 'boIet NV ''AN
tion with which devotion may be drawn, her
| outlines must b. noble. .
One figure, yet apart In a further cor ner, as Il
such privacy as the circumstances permitted
had been accorded her, particularly struck the
old Colonel. II was an elderly woman primly
dressed, bearing on her arm one Of those old
fashioned bags, SHRED at the neck with two
loops, which was swollen out Of all proportion
by the packages with which IL was stuffed. Hel
spectacles were pushed up on her wrinkled fore
watching the iron door which gave access from
the prison Her lips wsrs parted and about then
shcne that gentle smile Of all tenefcence which
motherho God instinctively displays as q sign o
iorriveness-e rainbow after a storm Of mis-
fortune or guilt There was something so swee
in the expression that the old Colonel. self-en
crossed though he was through bis troubles. pu'
they were wet; and when he met the warden a
the further door could not keep from inuuirine
"That's Gilbert's mother" Was the reply: "she
begged 50 hard tina, I'm going to let the young
wh.lp see her for the FIRST time" .
Through the open doorway. the old Colonel
as he talked with his lawyer. could bear the low
mcnotonous murmur.. melancholy in It's tone
OF the men IN. the office whispering with thsi'
visitors Suddenly there Yves, > scream, intense
wild, feminine in its nature; the dash Of a chair
q plunge forward. a confused cry Of horror, tho
clang OF the prison door and the tumult OF people
driven this way and that A guard, darling
the door, holding up his hand warningly to th'
VIVA, has happened" asked the city lawyer
II don't know" replied the old Colonel; "yor
never do know here, unless you happen TO hnt
out"
God. what a dreadful place" said the visitor
Dreadful place" repeated the old Colonel
"t is hell"
A half hour later u. lawye, was curly dis
pital. As the latter passed through the ohlc'
he noticed that two old trustees were scrapinN
nnd scrubbing the floor but not until mig htfnl
| did he learn what evil had occurred. Their
Shorty, the head Mailman. coming up with hi;
tray Of tim, told that young Gilbert had stabbed
his mother with a shoe knife and MORALLY WOUNDED
her. About this time, and probably from ut
same source, the news spread from tier 70 TIER ~
| the main hall. Atonce that rucuon which Smith
ers had apprchended burst forth. One great In
gallery. from Tagging 70 roof. And oil nightlons
there was no tranquility In the fall Of the Long
shadows which tho half turned lights at ethel
end sent swaying through the corridors Rest
lessness was In every cell; a craving Tor actor
which would turn into madness unless II was
satiated.
The fat keeper was afterward blamed fol
what occurred the following day. with tho result
that In q few weeks, he retired fro n onloe dnc
opened q saloon on a ~neighboring corner, III
was directed, Il seems, when the men we're all sal
In the shops, to bring young Gllber. from "a
10 the Office, for the purpose Of examination; bul
he so loitered In the execution Of this task passing
the time OF day with the cook and the engineer
that tho noon whistle was blowing as the twt
paasel out Of the building into the, yard. a
this very instant there was a slap, SLAP, on thl
pavement aud tho first line came winding on
OF the tailor shop. The leader, with his chss'
thrown out, and gave unimpeded, gave q yol
and every bowed head was raised and every lisue3S
eve perceived, Immediately that yell was re
-El--l - xalnphal n btlpIV.Af fnlt md aypD