Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-05

While the guard was on his mission 4 gave
the others an object lesson on the man they
were afraid Of by deliberately walking past
his cell and talking loud enough to be heard
by Varney, so that he would know who
was The deputy refused permission and
prohibited any interference with Varney by
either guards or prisoners rightly surnis-
ing that he would weaken in the morning
after his all-night vigil which he did He
was not punished for this grosa infractiou
of the discipline of the prison other than
losing his Job in the state shop.
Coming back to my mutton, the steward,
and promising not to again mention Var
neys name in these papers, have said
that Steward Miller was satisfied with the
ten per cent discount and that the bills
rendered (which I entered) were never
above the the market price, ! must state
that under the regime OF his successor, big
Eli West, these bills swelled to anoticeable
size, in harmony no doubt with the stature
of the steward Eli had no co-partners nor
did he "whack up with anybody in the
rake of
His first act was to get rid of honest old
Munshower, and his next was TO absorb the
functions of steward, superintendent and
board Of managers So bold and arrogant
did he become that the sycophautiC Colum-
bus Press opened on him and several disap-
pointed merchants (whom Eli turned down
from selling the prison suppies) furnished
ammunition for the daily assaults. But
Eli rode the storm we'll Called down by
the board, he bluffed that body, even the
warden failed to hobble him and the Gov
ernor found considerable trouble in discip-
lining the big chief who paid on an aver
age fifteen per cent higher than the market
price for the prison supplies.
He discontinued the slaughter Of cattle
within the prison and purchased the Chi
cago beef already dressed from a local
butcher, who Of course charged up his
profit, etc When in charge Of the printing
Office (for ], too, left the kitchen some
months after the discharge Of Supern-
tendent Munshower) ! noticed the bills
returned for paper, ink rubber
aprons, etc, and they WERE HIGH In
deed, I should never think Of going into
the printing business if I had TO pay the
prices for the raw materials charged in
these bills The printers will understand
the situation when ] state that a rubber
apron for the drum cylinder Cob press
cost SI2, worth not to exceed So, or at the
dearest So, and purchasable for much less
at a printers supply house
The funny thing about the purchase Of
supplies for the prison while ! was pris-
oner is the fact that merchants in a differ
ent kind Of business invariably furnished
the articles in which they never dealt, and
which did not belong in their line, for in
stance like the firm that handled the butter
If a shoemaker we're asked TO furnish cleo
trio supplies il would not be any more in
congruous than the Arm aforesaid handling
butter And so it went under big Eli II
must in justice be said that he was the only
official under the Bushnell regime who
brought criticism on the administration
There wasn't a convict in the penitentiary
ignorant Of his increased perquisites as
steward and he was universally accorded
the belt as the 'nerviest" manipulation of
perks" who had ever held the Office In
fact he was admired for 'hogging' the
whole rake of and whacking mp with no
body
OF course the intelligent reader will un-
derstand that the object of this semi-ex.
posture, which the officials concerned know
only too we'll ] could make broader and
more specific, is more to point a moral than
to adorn a tale. When cOnvicts are the
daily observers and have knowledge of the
misfeasance and malfeasauce of officials
placed over them to effect their refoi nation
and see that these officials escape with i'm
punity loaded down with more spoils than
! probably they and their fellows secured
altogether in their combined thefts, bur-
giaries and robberies the reformation eff
fected is not exactly the kind prison re-
formers, penologists and criminologists
/ talk about and expatiate on al prison con-
! crosses and phianthrophic assemblages
do not think that during my imprison-
| ment ! knew as many guards as ! could
/ count on the fingers Of my hand who would
not accept any and everything the convicts
could steal from the shops where they were
Employed When guard needed anything
from a raw or cooked steak in the kitchen
to a cigar or stogie in the cigar shop his
I first move was 10 secure the services of a
convict working in the kitchen or cigar shop
to steal the same for him Stealing is SO
universal in the penitentiary that is to say
petty pilfering such as is here indicated
that It is the rarest exception to find a
guard who will refuse the stolen article as
the convict who will hesitate TO steal it,
The prisoner strives TO please or stand IN u
with the guard and the latter makes him
pay dearly for the slightest favor
Canes made by prisoners, gloves from the
| glove shop, button hooks of german silver
and other nick-nacks of the convict's handi-
work and manufacture, tin dinner buckets,
various articles from the state shop, in fact
everything and anything a guard either
fancies or desires, including small SUMS OF
MONEY, are readily furnished by the pris-
! oners and cheerfuny accepted by the guards
More than one guard came to grief, how.
/ ever, and was discharged for borrowing
money from prisoners and failing 10 return
it,
/ Ali this is admittedly demoralizing,
especially where couvicts have placed the
| guards in danger Of dismissal by threaten
ing to report the non-return of money
loaned. The guard is then ready to bring
in whisky or anything else the convict de
mands from the outside IN this manner
firearms have been brought into prison,
and in one notable case three desperate
\ young prisoners, headed by a man named
/ Clarke, attempted to shoot their way out
through the guard room, and the leader
actually succeeded IN reaching the middle
Of the river adjoining the prison when cap
tured at the muzzle of a carbinel
All this unsuspected criminality between
/ guards and prisoners is due to the class
from whence the guards are taken or per-