The Sunday globe., 1901-08-04

takenly CalleO, IN our pculIShNAoAANSl
and hence the very small per cent OF
slum degenerates immured behind
stone walls. Even in Europe, with
thousand years experience, we have
this admission from the latest statis-
ties at hand:
According to an apparently authen-
tic article in a French periodical not
fewer than 10000 aristocrats are at
present confined in the prisons of Eu-
rope"
Easy enough to land an aristocrat or
a non-criminal trained citizen in any
country, and hence there are in Euro
pean prisons almost a third as many
convicts Of the aristocratic class as
there are prisoners in the United
Statesl Here is food for the student
and criminologist
All Of which goes to show that the
sympathetic scribblers in the press
need to weep no tears for Bill Sykes;
the slun graduate knows how to take
care of himself and keep 80 per cent
of his class out of prison and a con-
stant prey upon society. He is like
his sister in sin the prostitute, pur-
suing his calling with comparative i'm
munity from the police, for whom he
is an over-match and from the detec-
tive who more often stakes him
down" than prosecutes or conyicts
him. Society catches the nOn-crim.
inal class offender and imprisons him
without trouble ably aided by the
press which, from the moment of his ar
rest. precludes any and every possibil-
g.. .T ara
II even follows him into the prison
and reports or criticises the treatment
to which he is subjected, If 1t smacks
Of humanity; in fact, the press perse.
cutes the unfortunate wretch until
even the sympathies GU Of the slum
prisoner is aroused and the victim of
non-criminal class is taken into full
fellowship in prison, and has a toler-
able existence under the protection Of
the cynical slum graduate! And to
finish out this period the representa-
tives Of the press, in every city where
penitentiaries are located, have in the
interior of the prison on his staff Of
informants, members Of tdhe slum
class exclusively. 1t is from this re-
liable source all his fulminations
against the respectable and fallen
member of the non-criminal class are
prepared and the latter soon compre-
hends this fact, and per consequence
seeks the aid, fellowship and protec-
ton of the professional slum class
prisoner, to the end that these news
paper press reports of his treatment in
prison may cease and his decent rela-
tives on the outside be spared the pain,
anguish and humiliation Of seeing his
name every now and again paraded in
the columns of the newspapers, in par
agraphs of this fashion,
Murderer Bill Elliott has priv
ileges extended him such as no other
prisoner in the penitentiary receives
He dimes at a special table with an Of
fetal Of the prison, and is not compel
led to march in the ranks with the
other prisoners. 1t is rumored, on re-
liable authority, that he is permitted
to visit his country residence at Ar
lington. and that his carriage comes to
the prison nightly to take him there.
This cowardly murderer is as naughty
and domineering as If he was still the
president of the board of managers in
stead Of being a life convict, who ought
to be thankful that he escaped the
chair. which he richly deserved. The
idea of this murderous wretch having
moor devils of convicts to wait on him
at table, at which fish, game, oysters,
celergy. and the choicest viands are
provided in abundance and dinner
of several courses served by white
aproned prisoners, all of whose petty
crimes rolled into one would not equal
his cowardly and villainous murder OF
two eminent citizens is an outrage
against law and a mockery Of justice.
This is only a mild sample of the
paragraphs published in a daily news
paper, for which this same convict
contributed gratis a column and a
half of prison news by order OF
the warden, for several years
Imagine the convict reading such
charming tributes of thanks for the
service he was rendering, and let the
reader put himself in the convict's
place and try to realize his feelings
when such viciously vile stu9 was dish
ed up each day to the convict's family
wife. children and relatives and in
city where every man, woman and
child knew the convict and his family
How long was this kept up? FOR EIGHT
YEARS WITHOUT CESSATION. And still
1--WE wonder at crime" But the con
yict in question never applied to him
self as a personal grievance to be re-
sented or paid back with interest the
infamously lying and unjustitiable as
saults upon his character and offense
for the convict aforesaid was not a
criminal His family, too took the
same philosophical view of the matter
and addressed themselves to the task
Of softening by their influence and ac
| tions the terrible ordeal through which
| prisoners of his class were compelled
| TO undergo. This work is continued in
! these columns, and while not hypo
critically pretending to return good fol-
| evil and claiming therefor the com
mendations of the emotional, the senti
mental or the perfunctory Christian
we are animated by higher, worthiel
motives. from our point Of view, viz:
| the dissemination of TTuth-that so
ciety may be enlightened by the mite
we offer towards solving the problem
of the reformation of the criminal and
the decrease of crime.
We shall commence, therefore, in the
| next issue, under the subtitle OF PAR1
| II, a narrative of our personal history
the cause of our crime, the crime It
self, and its eXpiation, in such form
that the continuity Of our indicative
head, "PrsOn Reform" shall appropri
ately fit the subject matter. We have
been led to this decision by the fre
| quent letters Of inquiry we have re
ceived and the interest excited among
many eminent and unselfish men and
women who have read these papers
and who are unselfishly devoted to the
philanthrophic and ennobling work OF
the elevation Of the fallen and the re
| habilitation of the American convict
LTn Ia nnnfinnnd l