The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-05-12

rear Of this steel cage Is the main room
| and in this room is an iron cage which
VIII hold twenty-four prisoners. The
entrance to the room is at the south side
and there are two doors. When the
prisoners are to be taken out, the nrsl
door is opened and two or three ster
into the inclosure and the door is closed
/ again and then the o9t door-the one
| leading into the front corridor is swung
! back to allow the prisoners to pass. AS
| soon as they step out, the door swings
| back and with a little click, it is locked
again. There are seven cells il the base
ment or lower floor, and it is here that
men charged with light crimes are al
! lowed TO stay OF the north side OF the
/ corridor on the lower floor is little
room which IS used to bring prisoners
to terms. This is the dungeon and the
word dark means dark TO the person
who IS confined in it. Whenever a
prisoner rebels, he is placed in the dun
geon and kept until he submits to prison
| orders.
over the steel cage. near the front Of
the jail. sets q guard day and night
Right by his side is riot gun loaded
Colts revolvers around in that vicinity
which are easy to get at in times Of
trouble The guard in his position on
the cage has a good view Of all parts
of the jail and is in a position to hear
any unusual noise in the steel cage be-
low.
There are seven Indians IN the Jail,
and they are all there on charges Of
selling whiskey. Your Indian wears white
mans clothing. greasy and dirty tbs
true. His hair is black and in some cases
is braided IN tight coils. These Indians
mingle with the other prisoners and It
IS not an unusual scene to see Lo play
ing poker Tor trinkets or fun, with his
white neighbor. st0lld, and apparently
Indifferent. but with an eve on the cards
Card playing is one of the amusements
of the prisoners. It is not your scientific
whist game that prevails. but the real
old-fashioned poker OF the west. The
class of men who are confined in jail
prefer this game TO any other card game.
TWO meals each day is the prisoners
lot, but TO the successful management
Of the jail it may be said that the
knockers on the bill of fare are few,
and the men have good appettes too.
Four Nexicans, of the "Greaser' order,
are in the jail, as are two negroes, to
change the order of things. The Jail is
a great place for student OF human
nature, from The countenance of the
Mexican, Indian, Negro and white man.
The prisoners have Iuxuries every af-
ternoon in the way of pies and cakes.
One prisoner, who is to be trusted more
1,,---- r,oe4rr~ f,o-,,
bakers wagon and makes a little money
on the side selling these articles to the
other prisoners. The prisoners who have |
money are allowed TO spend it as they
wish. and they do not hesitate to spend it |
either.
The jail is in charge OF J T. Nc
Cracker, who has been at the helm for
three years. There are two guards, day /
and night. Ed Thralls and John Null !
are the guards during the day and J. W. /
Dollman and a. D. Dickens are on duty 1
at night These men are so accustomed |
to the prisoners that they detect any !
suspicious movements and this brings on |
an Investigation Immediately.
The history Of the building is of the /
true Oklahoma kind. Tn the early days /
Of the territory the United States pris-
oners were taken to Kansas for safe
keeping. Each man cost the United /
States 800 per day for keeping and the
transportation as well The citizens
of Guthrie decided to organize q stock
and erect a jail building This
was done and the contract of keeping J
the United States prisoners was secured.
At that time there We're from 100 to 125
prisoners all OF the time and the com
pany made a good thing keeping the
prisoners for Uncle Sam In 1893 the
United States purchased the structure
and # has been constantly used as
Federal jail since that time.
The most important OF the prisoners
are. George Barclay and George Brum-
nitt. sentenced to hang; John Stanley,
sentenced TO three years in the peniten-
-iary for mail robbery; Floyd -ner three
years in the penitentiary for larceny
and boouegging whisky; Tom Edwards
one year in the penitentiary for bootleg
cling whiskey. and Belt Welty. held on a
charge of robbing the Arlington post
3mce and implicated IN the killing Of
Alvin Bateman at Red Rock.