The Sunday globe., 1901-06-30

PltNlDuD " bntAl NDnNlNNAVbpy nNAO Ivy
utable citizens and occupied fair posi-
tions in the outer world,
To note the expressions on the faces
of the unfortunately decent and we'll
raised prisoners, whom neither wife,
relative or friend visits, is to feel the
iron enter ones soul indeed And mis-
fortune it is truly that a man who is
a convict has ever been decent, we'll
raised or used to the comforts of a
Christian home and the caresses Of
wlIe and children. Better for him he
had been an outcast parial, thief,
a villain all his life, and have thus Sc
cured the unselfsh love of even the
woman" or the weak-faced wife, who
fondly and deyotedly sticks through
thick and thin, until the gates of the
prison opens to him and she receives
him in her arms. And she is sure to
be on hand when his time expires,
even if she has to tramp many weary
miles to reach the penltentiary. We
have known numberless cases of this
class of women moving into the city
| from even distant States, and taking
| service as cooks or chambermaids in
| hotels and private families in order
to be near their husbands and have the
| privilege of sending the Well-flled bas-
| ket of luXuries once or twice a week,
| and visit him on the Sundays allowed
| by the rules Of the prison, Every cent,
| too, of the money earned by this me-
/ NAL service is at her husbands dis
| posal, and she cunningly smuggles into
| him, despite the vigilance Of lynXeyed
/ guards, the small bottle of whisky or
| cheap cigar. She will take any risk to
| please her stolid and apparently unap-
! preciative husband or man" but she
| is generally afraid to risk taking in
| the liquor, as discovery would bar her
| from all future visits. She is cute as
| a fox, and if her man insists on getting
| the liquor she surmounts the difficulty
! by securing the services of some male
! friend or acquaintance to smuggle in
| the whisky After all, there is very
| little of the stuff introduced clandes-
timely into the prison, for after a GER
tain period, the great or consuming
desire of the prisoner wears off, and
unless he is a very deprayed old topper
he will not permit, much less solicit
wife or relative to bring in any.
1t has been noticed that as a rule the
wives of life prisoners wait a longer
period before divorcing their husbands
than any other class of prisoners. Life
prisoners are usually higher class of
prisoners than their fellows in crime,
excepting, of course, bankers and pro-
fessionals immured for embezzlement,
etc. The life prisoner has probably
never dreamed of committing a crime
until the moment when he took the
law into his own hand, He would
scorn to rob, embezzle, forge or
swindle, and the crime of murder for
which he has been sentenced is seven
times out of ten done in the heat Of
passion to avenge an unbearable insult
or in defense Of his life,
The law Of seu-uefense is only prob
aDle where the community is impartial,
and no community is impartial where
the homicide has been committed,
hence the self-defense defense never
succeeds in acquiting a prisoner above
the Mason and DiXie's line. No judge
will grant a change Of venue in the
face of a public opinion which de-
mands the trial and punishment of the
prisoner in the city or town where the
crime was committed. The public is
usually misled by those interested in
the conviction OF the prisoner and the
press is influenced one way or the
other to deceive the pu-.Ic and malign
the prisoner 1t is impressed on all
that signal example must be made OF
the homlcluIst to prevent a recurrence
of such atrocious murders and as q
deterrent to the commission of future
murderous outrages upon me commu'
nifty Hence he is usually condemned
before being placed on trial, and the
trial is mere perfunctory preliminary
to his execution or Imprisonment for
life. The State has unlimited resources,
II has the press at it's back, and cash
in the treasury. The prosecuting at
torneys are ambitious to secure con-
viction, the judge falls in and rules
with public sentiment and the prisoner
has nobody but a hired attorney and
intimidated witnesses to face a hostile
public, an abusive press, and iurymen
whose minds were made up before en-
tering the box.
In the cases of lesser felons-or les
ser felonous crimes-the jury is intlu-
enced by the fact that if it fails to
convict the cost of the mistrial will be
paid out of the county treasury, while,
on the other hand, if a conviction is
secured, the State pays the cost. OF
course, in murder trials, where the ex-
penses of trial are much greater, the
jury is more than ever anxious to es-
cape a mistrial or acquittal for, as a
rule they are taxpayers and prefer
that the State at large should bear the
expenses rather than their immediate
county.
Thousands of men have been con
victed because of this unjust incentive
to the selfishness Of taxpayers in small
towns and even cities, and the prose
cutoT's most brilliant plea when asking
for conviction is a reminder to the
jury of "the costs in this trial" But,
all this is known to the intelligent lay
man as well as practising attorney,
and we can pass it as one Of the re
forms" which calls to heaven and earth
for immediate adoption. We return to
the prison and the convict undergoing
the penalty Of his crime.
life prisoners are the most trusted
class of prisoners because, as a rule,
they are men with but a single crime,
committed in the heat of passion,
through provocation, drink or some
cause other than jealousy, gain or
lhloodthirstiness, There are few rep
resentatives of this latter class under,
going life Imprisonment, but nineteen
twentieths are men who lived honor.
able, honest lives up to the commission
Of their one great offense against so
ciety. In prison these men are obedi.
ent, tractable and trustworthy, and
there is no record Of one Of their mum.
ber attempting to escape, however
trusted. They live on in the hope of
ultimate pardon, and their average sen.
tence is a little over eight years ac-
tual Imprisonment. 1t is unnecessary
to state that many of them spend a