Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-10-05
the likes of i'm ere! 1t amt right! Wot
was the judge a-thinkin Off"

was the judge a-thinkin' off,
'"Ow!" said Turkey. '"Ere's Jealousy!
In time he began to be puzzle and a
trouble to the prison. When pulled up short
his language was of the Dials, frufty; but
the warder who wrote his name down for
report generally wiped 1t off in the evening.
A new prisoner. serving his first sentence,
is always watched by the heads of the
prison, and youngster undergoes sur
VIGILANCE that he knows nothing of. Every
one In authority has an eye to him. The
doctor sums him up quickly, as fit for hard
labor or light labor. and squares or modi-
fies his first decision by private Observa-
ton. The wardens know in week or two
what his work is like.
After the wardens, the chaplain has more
to do than the rest with the tenderfoot.
The chaplain took Turkey in hand, and the
more he shook him up the better Turkey
liked him. He was chaplain with meth
cd, and a passion for his Improbable work;
a long-haired. wild-bearded man, skull
capped and bound with girdle. who tasted
o nights, knew every thieves kitchen IN
London and talked thieves Latin like a
thief. Turkey was astonished at and awed
by him. but, on second thoughts he de-
clined to be converted.
He had begun by posing
us criminals he said, rs wide chaps
We takes a lot O. gittin over"
The chaplain wrote in his diary: "Jn is.
Turk ('Turkey.) Fifteen years of age.
Pickpocket. Three months hard. Curious
instance of the effect of prison on a sharp
criminals from childhood. Is immensely
proud of having got into prison, and evil
IDENTIFY fancies it will give him a new start
in life. Burglary a big scale his prfnci-
pal ambition, and he thinks he will now be
able to pal with wide men. If not bur-
glary. would prefer to go to sea 'on ship
like he saw In the docks once. Shall re-
member this. Prison of course the worst
possible place for him (the judge was a
fool who sentenced him); it feeds his queer
little yanities at every turn, and he thrives
on che air OF the place, which should be
poison to him."
This was entirely and regrettably true
1t was so new and grand to Turkey to be
under lock and key with hundreds of grown
men that he did not feel even the restraint
of cell and ward Steady work, to be
sure, was not much to his liking, but as the
doctor continued to keep him on light labor,
he had only one pound Of oakum to pick in
the day, instead of three and his nimble
fingers made nothing of that
When his first month was up his favorite
officer got him nice, cheerful berth in
the paper room. The paper room, as
Turkey soon discovered, was the happy
land or Eldorado of the prisloads Hither
We're dispatched in carloads to be over
hauled and sorted. the sweepings Of the
houses OF parliament, the government
ofnces throughout the kingdom and the
general post office; old ledgers blue books,
directories and all manner Of waste paper
rms is not gay inventory, but wait until
you come to have the handling of the
goods. For, scattered through the mass
were all the articles that man in prison
most delights In, scraps of tobacco packets
OF cigarettes ends of cigars, string, postage
stamps, novels, writing paper, coins, pins,
pencils and even penknives 1t was the
business of the prisoners to tear into small
pieces everything that could be converted
INTO paper-after handing over all contra
band to the warder In charge But Turkey
had been privately admonished by prison.
ers residing in his ward what precjous
things good boy would find in the paper
had
Tor sundry articles. which were to be paid
IN toxic. Hence, as soon as he had learned
the ways Of the room, he began to be cx-
tremely busy. and thereafter sundry
Knaves Iangufshing in chambers near
Turkeys were engaged in writing surrepti-
tlous letters on house of commons note pa
per, chewing tobacco and pairing their nails
or shaving themselves with brand-new
grew fatter on Illicit rations
There came day. however. 1t was on
the return from work in the afternoon:
turkey tripped on the polished iron stairs
ne lodged on the first floor of his warti-and
as he caught at the rail something was
Jerked from the inside of his shirt and rat
tied on the flags below. A neat little faggot
of pencils.
Halt. therer' said the warder Of Tur-
keys party. when they reached the landing
and Turkey was hailed from the ranks
searched on the spot. he was a mere n,i-
scum OF smuggied goods. They were shaken
from MS shirt, they were sorted from his
SOCKS, they were sifted from his shoes. Cen
viction. in a word, was flung at him in a
lump
A whole bench OF visiting ma yistrates
heard all about the wickedness Of Turkey
VINO, In due course Of time. was introduced
to them
Should you like to be b.rched?" asked
the chairman, when the cause had been
considered. 80
Turkey looked - his dignity .ere a