Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-12

lust here the voice Of James Dtoke IN
Take that man out :" (meauing the
deputy. The deputy paused, and turning
around TO face the warden, James arose and
pointing, almost touching Playford he
said
"stackhouse, drag this fellow of herew
Stackeouse, nothing loath, advanced
and reaching out his ponderous arm siezed
or attempted to sieze Playford by the COL
lar with his large ham-like hands.
But the wiry Playford, active and quick
as a cat drew back his good right hst and
shot it out straight as a die for Stackhouse's
mug. The blow landed between Goliath's
eyes and the chapel rocked as his body fell
across the platform. Holy Joe" jumped
the eonvicts allege, over fifteen feet in the
air and landed on top of the pulpit in a
sitting posture The convicts rose to
their feet and cheered the little David
and the guards looked ror-stricken and
pafalyzed Slowly Stackhouse reached a
half recumbent position, and stretching out
his long arms seized Playford by the legs
and brought him to the ground. Then they
clinched And then the convicts cheered
on their respective champions. Give hiuf
the strangle hold Stackhousel" Stick to
him Playford Kick his face off p' The
warden turned pale as his shirt and
trembled, his son Curry James and several
guards jumped on Playford and dragged
him out of the chapel while the convicts
howled and yelled themselves frantic with
the excitement of the mill" between the
head officers Stackhouse got a beautiful
pair of black eyes which neither impaired
his habitual ferocious expression nor i'm
4 - 4 l.. e..
The scandal of this encounter was taken
up by section of the outside press, but as
it concerned only setting the convicts
bad example" it soon blew over and was
forgotten by all but the--couvicts. They
marveled much why society had dealt so
severely with them as individuals and cared
not if collectively prize fight, instead of a
sermon should be the order Of exercises in
the prison pulpit. The officials responsible
for, and participating nthis disgraceful af-
fair were not even reprimandedl
The ordinary chapel service had been
land is to this day a sufficient burlesque
on the Christian religion, but this knock
down and drag out" affair capped the
climax and Stackhouse had many sympa-
thizers in endeavoring to suppress, as
stated, the chapel services andth preacher.
It was my fortune to report for the
Ohio State Journal these Christian ser
vices in the penitenhary chapel All
through the latter administration, under
which ! was pardoned, my duty on Sunday
morning consisted in attending divine (2)
services" and making a faithful report for
the leading land only morning newspaper
in the Buckeye capital. The State Journal
had been the most conspicuous of all the
Columbus newspapers in securing my con-
viction, and successfully defeated my
efforts for either a change of venue or a
new trial. 1t, too, benefited by my con-
fnement, as il had, next to the Sunday CAP
ftQI the most popular Sunday newspaper
1t had but recently-Or a few months before
my trial-proiected a Sunday edition of its
daily, and its management was deeply
interested financially and personally in
putting me away and busting" the Sun
day Capital In both undertakings this
railroad corporation sheet was emnently
successful
The irony of fate could hardly have a
more striking exempli6cation than my en-
forced weekly contributions TO the Journal.
generally kept the report under two col
umns, an average of probably a column and
a half for which ] received neither pay nor
thanks On the contrary / occasionally
found sticking out in the very next column
to my contribution some vile and scurrilous
Misrepresentation of myself or the cause Of
my Incarceration My experience in this
particular is, / think, unique, and do not
suppose that there is another or similar case
on record where a journalist has been com
PEELED to contribute, without compensation,
a. vrhfrh rrtaHa ,F
steadily misrepresenting his person. his
acts and his utterances. Such was my un-
happy lot; but strange as it may appear
there was such grim irony about the thing
became morbidly fascinated with The Job,
especially as l was joyously conscious of the
fact that the verbatim reports of Sabbath or
divine services in the penitentiary chapel
were a gigantic burlesque and must have
struck the intelligently devout readers of
the Journal with something akin to horror
at the sacrilegious imitation of Christian
worship But the incongruity of sand
wiching in the latest coon song, by Little
Nellie Williams" with Rock Of Ages 4"
never struck the Journal, and everything
went in under Chapel Services at the Pen
itentiary" in Monday mornings journal.
Indeed so highly did the Journal appre-
ciate my reports that they were always
given scare headlines and the place of honor
in the local pagel
Here is sample Of an average chapel
service in the prison, somewhat condensed
and minus the /oRynal'S flaming scare
head
Divine services at the Penitentiary
Chapel Sunday we're conducted by the
chaplain, Rev. M. Winget, and were as
enjoyable as they were varied. After the
invocation the chaplain announced hymn
number --, at the conclusion of which
the prison orchestra entertained the prison
ers with selections from the latest popular
(musical) productions When the applause
which the orchestra so richly merited had
subsidized Chaplain Winget announced that
the prisoners would be treated to some
vocal selections by outside talent and that
Fred Roth Ia noted prisoner) would sing.
in the Baggage Car Ahead. This an
nouncement by the chaplain was greeted
with applause and then hymn mum
Der was rendered by the prison choir
AT the conclusion Of which little Nellie
Williams the prisoners favorite, was in
troduced, and sang with telling effect.
Poor Blind Dad.
This was encored so persistently that
Nellie had to respond with the latest coon
song which she rendered with inimitable
grace and gesture.