The Sunday globe., 1901-06-09

years imprisonment, he proposes in the
columns OF the Globe to tell "a plain,unvar
nished tale OF life in modern penitentary
-EDITOR)
The older countries of the world.
which have had thousands Of years ex
perience in dealing with criminals,
have no habitual criminal law on their
statute books.
European justice seems to be
satisfied with furnishing the criminal
for each and every offense he is con-
victed of, by a stated term of imprison-
ment. The courts are always in ses-
sion, the judges salaries have to be
paid, the prosecutors, police, etc, are
all in working order, ready and able to
draw their salaries and prosecute Of
tenders, no matter how many times the
culprit comes before them. Now, if
American courts, prosecutors, police,
ETC., were only employed by the piece,
instead of by the day, there might be
the excuse offered for this habitual
criminal law that it saved expenses.
Leaving out the inhumanity of the law
itself this excuse might satisfy that
section of the community which rents
houses to prostitutes and occupies
front pews I'M the fashionable churches,
but even this class cannot logically
see, inasmuch as the expense Of the
courts go on, just the same, why man
is punished with life Imprisonment
because he has twice previously paid
the penalty imposed for his crimes.
In other words, the Ohio Habitual
Criminal Law Furnishes man because
he has previously been punished and
paid the penalty demanded. And the
petty criminal class thus so fearfully
punished, because they have already
paid the penalties of their crimes,
what Of them? They drag out their
miserable existence behind the walls
of a prison until their bodies are turn
ed over to the medical college, while
philanthrophists, reformers, prison
aid societies, criminologists and pencil
ogists 90 up and down the land preach
ing their paneceas and cure alls" for
the reformation of criminals. The ex-
pert. dangerous and scientific criminal
laughs in his sleeve at their miserable
short sightedness, in permitting such
an outrage on humanity to exist with
out protest or effort for its abolition!
In the Ohio prison the noted conf
dence man, Eddy Mines, did a small
"bit" Of a long stretch. Here was a
man with an international reputation
as the head of his profession. He was
known in Canada equally as well as in
the United States. He had the detec
tives, under railroad officials and 9th
ers who were cognizant of his "profes-
sion" regularly subsidized while op.
Grating on their roads or respective
territories. He rarely or ever fell and
when he did no prison could hold him
for a fifth Of his sentence. COMMITTED
or pardoned he was set at liberty to
prev upon the community and play
for big stakes When he fell in Ohio
in turning a trick" while passing
through the State, a Pinkerton man
iChief of Police Farrell) landed him
for five years in the Ohio Penitentiary.
He scarcely did more than a few
months until he was turned loose and
the writer received letter and news
paper clipping from him, showing that
he had secured over ten thousand dol
lars in less than sixty days after his
release, by the practice Of his "profes'
sion"
One-half of this amount would more
than cover the total stealings Of the
habitual criminals in the Ohio prison.
Such men as Mines are in little, II any,
danger Of Imprisonment, and where 1t
is necessary to hoodwink the public
when they are sentenced, they seldom
do more than fifth of their term.
While in prison they have every cour-
- inDG
vided, and such prison privileges as
are allowable are theirs without the
asking.
Passing from this habitual criminal
matter to the efforts being put forth
for the amelioration Of the prisoners
condition and the latest theories be-
ing put in practice for his reformation,
we have some literature on this phase
of the subject which may be properly
introduced here.
Deterrent and ruthless severity in
the discipline of a prison has been
tried and found wanting. Not only
did il miss its object, but it brutalized
the management equally as much II
not more. than it did the convict. The
repressive system is dying a hard but
sure death. the miscreants in the press
and the viciously timid-if the express
sion is permissible--alone Historically
demanding it's prolongation. No
broad.minded man who has given the
subject even a passing thought ever
believed that the brutal treatment of
an adult ever effected reform any more
than such conduct towards child
could, by any stretch Of probability,
develop the innocent prattler or Of
fender into a self-respecting man or
woman. And yet, for hundreds Of
years such treatment of criminals was
persisted in, and even now the most
advanced and humane methods for
their reformation goes no farther than
the abolition of actual torture or the
slow. lingering and deWishly inspired
death of soul if not Of body which was
formerly the distinguishing feature Of
all properly CD conducted penal in
stitutions.
And man. who devised and carried
out this punishment OF his fallen, or
rather found out" fellow sinners has
posed as a Christian, a law abiding
and a God-fearing citizen, while en-
forcing discipline which even hell IT.
self is unable to surpass in the eX-
duisite torture to soul and body.
Now we have an era Of sO-called hui
name treatment which permits Of the
prisoner doing a days work Of twelve
hours in a machine shop or foundry
on food insufficient to feed a Filipino
and too unpalatable for an American
lied Chinaman. 1t is true, the unfor-
tunate prisoner is not cuffed, knocked
down by a ruflian guard, as we have
seen the brutal Stackhouse Of the Ohio
penitentiary, do, out Of mere wanton-
ness, nor is he padded, half drowned,
or hung up for days and nights on a
stretch for trivial violations Of rules
nathan saint nOr anchorita oou1d nos