Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1901-01-11
PRISON MADE PAPER.
MATES OF NEW YORK PENAL iNSTi.
TUITION HAVE AN ORGAN


n Local Turn.
Ali the inmates OF Greater New
fork's penal Institutions received the
other day a copy OF a magazine edited
and published by their fellow prison
ers. 1t is called the Prison Forum.
It's editor is a year term" man in the
penitentiary on Blackwelrs Island; the
contributors are all serving sentences.
ana the compositors and pressnen
wear prison garb. The publication
consists of sixteen pages. three col
umns wide. 1t is profusely iliustc,ted
In half tones and with pen and ink
drawings, and filled with special arti-
Giles. grave ethical discussions. ind
prison made poetry. One OF the poets
remarks in calling upon the muse is
that being already an Inmate" os one
OF the city's favorite institutions ne
can attune his Tyre with impunity.
Francis j. Lantry, the commissioner
or correction. devised the idea Of
/ Greater New York prison magazine
year ago. The object of the publica-
ton is to interest the prisoners, 20 in
spire them to literary effort and to
promote among them that evanss.ert
prin-'ple called esprit de corps.
Mr.. Lantry issued a prospectus a
month ago in which he set forth tie
advantage TO be gained from the 9ubli-
cation OF the magazine. He asked those
who wished to contribute to send in
their names to the warden Of the plr-.
/. ticular institution in which they hop
pened to be detained.
Fifty or the prisoners sent in lvaiia-
ole manuscripts. and some OF the en-
tributors sent in two or three articles
Mr.. Lantry appointed as editor n
young man who had been the editor Of
the Elmira Summary in an institution
superintendent by Mr. Brockway. he
'ditor, being provided with a LARGE f. k
stand, paste pot and the other tools
IL the trade, except shears, entered
lpon his duties with enthusiasm. He
returned rejected manuscripts with
yreat CELEBRITY. whether stamps were in
closed or not. He wae somewhat en-
larrassed on makeup" day. Being
prisoner on Blackwell's Island. he
'ound It hard to give explicit directions
about the management OF the paper,
which was to be printed in the Kings
county Penitentiarv The result seems
% have been successful. however. for
he paper has been duly published.
The title page is extremely ornate
It was designed by a Young man who
IS related TO an artist who was fre-
! Juently exhibited ~ the Academy Of
Design. The young artist IS something
If cartoonist. and he contributes Hev-
sral pictures dealing with the humors
Of prison life. The commissioner had
forbidden the pictuying Of striped
clothing or prison hars. Neither can
he words convict" and pr soner" be
used in the columns OF the Prison For
am. All who arc serving sentences are
| spoken OF as Inmates"
There is another artist on the staff
Of the new magazine He is m old
man who through misfortune has be-
come an inmate of the Workhouse. He
devotes his energies TO landscapes and
| sketches
The editor has considerable latitude
In the choice OF Subjects. but he must
keep in mind that everything Is to he
written IN cheerful vein. Nothing is
| permitted in tho columns of the maya
zine which gives dark picture Of
prison life. The editor has had a
! checkered career. yet. Judging from his
| editorials. he has o leaning coward
moral philosophy and ethics. Most Of
his comments are upon matters or
| conscience. The vOung mcn. for D., Is
only twenty-six years old. has been In
reform schools. -eformstories and jails
most of his life.
/ No names are mont ored in this nsc-
azine. The contributors may sign
their initials If they like. Most Of the
initials. however, stand for assumed
cognomens. Py application 10 the
warden any prisoner may get as many
sheets OF copy" manor rs he needs ar d
a soft pencil The prisoners are only
permitted TO write one letter a month.
but they may con pose all the editor
ais and stories they wish The editor
Is the only person who devotes his en-
ire time to the publication. The stan
must write in their leisure time. which
Is from five until half-past nine o'clock
n the evening.
The magazine is still in a formative
state. There are three pages devoted
to editorial topics. including the salu-
tatory. The editor outlines at consid-
cradle length the method Of preparing
the paper. There are three pages of
jokes. deliberately illustrated In one
of the pictures convict is represented
toiling at a pump with keeper stand
ing over him. This is the joke:
Inmate-Seems to be something the
! matter with the sucker on the other
end of this pump.
Keeper-Go along. That sucker on
the other end is all right; the trouble
is with the sucker on this end.
Six pages Of the magazine are de-
voted to various Improvements in the
city prisons. There is an article on
the new shower baths recently placed
in the Institution on Blackwell's Is
land.
In the prisons where the Bertllion
| system of measuring and Dhofogronb