The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-01-14
FIGURES OF PRISON LIE
STATISTICS OF STATE INsTITU-
TION SHOW VARIETY OF
OCCUPATIONS
EVERY TRADE REPRESENTED
Fourteen Religions Arc Protested
by Prisoners = Fifty-Eight Life
Sentences Among the Five
Hundred Prisoners.

In the eleventh biennial report of the
managers and warden of the state prison
recently issued and covering the two
years ending July 81, 1900, some curious
and interesting statistics may be found.
In fact so great is the variety of the
occupations of the prisoners that a CO.
operative colony could be established and
there would be no need of outside as
sistance in building and running a small
town. In only one respect does there
seem to be a scarcity, no clergymen of
any denomination being confined there at
present In all other branches of COM
mercial and Industrial life sufficient
and in some cases an abundant supply is
found.
OF cooks there are-7, bakers 1, butchers
6. confectioners 3, dairymen l. millers l.
flour packers 1. These could take care
of the comnissary department.
In the line of mechanics there are
blacksmiths 2. boilermakers l. broom and
brushmakers 2, carpenters u, bricklayers
2, engineers ID, firemen IL, glazier !, lather
l. photographer l. printers 5, pressmen l.
masons T. mattressrnakers i, miners Z.
molders 2, painters 16, paperhangers 6.
plasterers 2, plumbers 6, shoenakers IL,
stonecutters 4, tinsmitbS 3, watchnlakers
2. woodworkers 2, tailors 7, miscellaneous
mechanics Is. These are backed up with
IA laborers who could be impressed into
feSs TO having no occupation.
The liquid refreshnent department
would be amply provided. There are two
brewers, one maltster, one Saloonkeeper
and three bartenders.
There are also several drummers, one
druggist five physicians one lawyer, one
Journalist and several merchants, who
with the bookkeepers, the agents, and
the commission dealers would probably
start an exclusive set.
The nucleus of an amusement bureau
is to be found in three actors and one
aeronaut, but there is reason to believe
that the latter has not been getting as
much professional practice as he would
like
The religions of the prisoners also
show a wider variety. fourteen denomina-
lions are given. and in the list the Catho-
lies are numerically by far the strongest
OF them there are 1913, and then come in
order the Methodists with T6, the Luther
ans with 40, Presbyterians 26, the Episco-
palians and the Baptists with q each.
The other denominations do not reach
two figures Twenty-Five prisoners claim
to have no religion and the solitary
Chinaman confined there was probably
one of these.
The table showing the nativity of the
prisoners shows that IS were born in
Minnesota. the next largest source being
New York state with 49, Canada is
close third with 80. One is given as born
at sea, and Porto Riea, China, Mexico
and Maryland contribute one each.
In the matter of education, of the sos
prisoners only 4 are illiterate, 81 can read
only, while Az have received common
school educations Sixteen have been to
high school, and only to college.
AS to length of sentence five years
seems to be the favorite term, there be-
ing CO In for that time. And strangely.
life sentences are the next in point of
number. IS. On the reformatory plan
there are 90 and 43 will be released after
serving one year Five men will not,
unless pardoned, breathe a free breath
for thirty years, and 20 will have to serve
third of that time.
Sixteen. of the prisoners are over 50
years of age, and &c are between so and
so, between 80 and 40 there are 49, and
2SS are between 20 and 30.
OF single prisoners there are 3O1, mar
ried 167, divorced 7, widowed II.