The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-05-14
CUNNING DRUG F|EMOS.

4
How often is II that one reads OF some
! cunningly planned and executed jail or
: prison delivery and with "A feeling OF al
most admiration. one wonders At the
acuteness OF the mind that would evolve
method Of escape under circumstances
that wC~ld seem 20 defy all possible hope
OF accomplishing that end.
But q is not alone that prisoners who
can plan and carry out an escape that is
credited with being cunning by those who
have him in charge and who have maue
life study of prisons and prisoners. lhe
man who Is successful at clandestinely
passing articles iu and out or prison Is
mild hero In his own peculiar way, ana
san always find employment at his calling
among his fellov convicts when he Is once
placed behind the prison bars.
This particular phase OF prison life, as
u has gone on at the Montana peniten-
/ tiary. has been specially noted by one
who has seen more or less OF the work
ngs OF that institution during the last
few years
When an unfortunate is sentenced and
sent TO Deer Lodge for a term he Is met
at the front gate of the prison by the
deputy warden, who at once takes him 70
the bathhouse, and gives him an entire
change OF clothing. and sees 10 N that
nothing Is removed from the pockets of
the old garb 20 those of the new. The
newcomer is not allowed TO speak 10 any
prisoner until after this change is made.
or course. the chief idea In making this
change in wearing apparel Is to put the
new recruit into prison uniform. but an
other good reason for II Is the fact that
20 search suit of clothing and 10 make
SURE that II contains nothing c1ntraband
is next 20 impossible And then, too,
tie Cl6 thing Of incoming pris )ncrs Is rot
the only place wherein the guards may
expect 20 tind opium. morphine or some
other drug on it's way To those who so
much crave the effects OF these strong
narcotics Tho mail and express that
are daily coming in must be watched care
fully.
The ways that are employed 10 get the
forbidden drugs into the prison are nu-
m rouS and the discoveries that are made
Only convince one that many trials are
successful and the deceptions are never
on one occasion. when Christmas was
drawing near, an express package con-
tanning what purported TO be six cans OF
condensed cream was received al the
prison, consigned 10 one OF the inmates
who was preparing 10 give swell Christ
mas dinner on his own account. In or,
der To make sure that the cans contained
the substance for which they were made
the guard punched a role I'm one OF them
and was not little surprised TO ind that
instead OF cream they were filled with
morphine. This seeming clever piece OF
work had been done py an eN-conxict
who had left a short while before The
labels on the cans had been taken of,
the cream taken out and the morphine put
In It's place and the labels carefully re-
placed 1t Is needless to say that the
the sweet dreams ne had coming had no
dreams. and instead of the swell Christ
mas dinner he had diet OF bread and
water. er.............
Another ex-convict who wished 10 show
that he remembered an old pal who had
been left behind, sent him box of fine
apples from Butte. OF course IL was
known that they were all right before
they could get to the one for whom they
were intended. that the crafty ex
turned his attention TO the box itself.
A ha M M ha
were thickest, he had bored about-e dozen
haif-inch holes In the edge OF the board,
their depth being from six 10 ten, inches.
In each OF these carefully rolled paper,
filled with morphine, was inserted and n
peg was driven I'm on top and cut on
smooth with the edge Of the board; s After hs,r
into place. as though the top had never
been disturbed.
only a few weeks ago a prisoner was
taken TO Butte as witness In trial
which was in progress. When he re-
turned he had n new but Misunderstanding
plug OF tobacco. Fearing that II might
net be all right the guard, who had the
matter I'm hand. broke the plug In two.
only To find that its centre had been hol-
lowed out and filled with the poisonous
powder. After the wrapper had been
carefully removed from the plug ~ was
split open and the morphine placed I'm It's
centre, the wrapper was put back In place
and the work OF analysis and syntheslS
was completed
one young lawbreaker. who was under
sentence to come back for a second term,
devised an idea which seems to have been
original. and which. by the way. worked
successfully. He took a dozen new cot
ton handkerchefs and soaked them In
water which had as much morphine as
possible dissolved therein. They were
then dried and ironed and brought to the
pen. The guards looked them over care
fully. and finding nothing wrong, turned
them back TO the owner Then. In the
long and lonely hours OF his confinement,
he would tear the handkerchiefs into
small bits and chew them. and I'm this
way he appeased the craving that he had
for the drug to which he was addicted.
These instances are but few OF the
many that have been discovered ana
they go to show how true the saying Is
that "an idle mind is the devils work
shop" No one but man who had abb
soluteIy nothing TO concentrate his mind
upon would think out various ways of
smuggling the deadly drugs into the for
bidden territory
OF the 100 or more men. who are con-
fined at Deer Lodge perhaps as many
as fifty are addicted TO the use OF some
deadly narcotic Men whose ambition and
will power have been worn away by the
use OF these drugs are susceptible to
| crimes and many OF them end a long
| career OF crime and wretchedness within
the confines Of PRISONS dark and lonely
| cell.
Sometimes the prison discipline effects
| seeming cures OF the morphl habis. Men
| enter the prison physical wrecks, broken
| worn and haggard from long continued In
| dulgence I'm the awful drug. When they
| can be deprived absolutely of the narcotic
| they grow strong and well ana hearty ana
| apparently no longer are fiends. The APP
| petite il stu there. however They will
| not go to the desperate lengths To secure
! a supply that broken-down hend, whose
| nerves are rags. will. but still they neglect
\ no opportunity to secure a dose. one
1 would think that when such men got out.
| strong and well and well aware or the eIil
effects of narcotics, they would remain
from drugs. Now and then one does but
the greater number relapse into their for
| mer habits Experience does not deter