The Washington times., 1901-12-08
INDUSTRIES BACK
OF PRISON WALLS.
C0NVICTS WHO HAVE LUXURIES.
Life in Some Prisons Is n Round of
Piensure-A Tobacco ''Cornerv
In Sing sinE-Strnnge Pena-
logical Experiments.

Moyamensing penitentiary is such a
mighty building and its name has been
/ associated so long with unbending sew
Gritty and gloomy discipline that the dis
covery Of counterfeiting plant within
its walls makes a great joke on Phila-
delphia
But Philadelphia has plenty of COM
panions in other communities where
queer prison industries flourish In
Kansas renitentiary few years ago the
convicts had established thriving bus
mess in the line of bartering and ex-
changing their property. Gradually they
extended 1t. and their friends who visit
ed them finally carried so many things TO
them and sold so many for them outside
that the local tradesmen saw in II
real injury TO their business and clamored
to have 1t stopped.
Some years ago a syndicate Of enter
prising conyicts in Sing Sing cornered all
the tobacco which is issued to the con-
victs at stated periods. The prison spec
ulators had made deals in advance with
nearly all their fellow-prisoners for va
rious articles and things, the considera-
tion in each case being that the tobacco
was to be turned over to them when il
was isued. Each convict acceded to this
cheerfully enough, because each one. be-
ing ignorant of the fact that any other
had been approached, thought that he could
easily borrow enough tobacco from his
cellmate to tide him over until the next
distribution. So the conspirators man
aged to collect all the tobacco req lilly,
and then when the full gravity Of the
situation dawued on their victims. they
screwed the prices up in the air Con-
vict after convict denuded himself OF all
that he had to obtain little piece of the
precious cornered stuff-the more precious
when II was cornered.
There was nearly a riot. The guards
couldn't understand what the trouble
was for several days, because, bitter as
the prisoners felt againrt their torment
ors, prison etiquette Is strong. and II for
bade complaint to the authorities. When
the plot was discovered finally and the
corner was broken by the same drastic
method on the part OF the authorities as
that used recently in the case OF another
and similar corner in Wall Street. the |
had succeeded In reaping so /
golden a harvest that they didn't care. |
PaIntiaI Prisons.
Gardening is a pleasant little prison
industry that was carried on until re-
Gently in Jommelieres, France. where |
a philanthropic Government aimed to re- I
form convicts by being good to tham and /
making life sweet. The conTicts lived |
In dear, cute little houses. Each had 4
his or her own garden. They kept r5ai-
try and pigeons, sold eggs. and notody
the place could have distingU, h
ed Il from any other village. And ,
abuses crept into even this Eden. Ll''ro-
was sold on the sly. An official sHquiEy
was held. and one fine day up frys
lozen prison-vans, and the who'll 10y
to a common stone prsil-
Oak tables. surmcunted with mirrors.
md piled with papers and magazines,
| Conversation rocm," a bathroom,
7eautiful garden planted with shrubs
Ill these belong to a handsome club
iouse. But they and other luxuries are