Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1903-08-27
A JAIL IN A TUNNEL.
trizOla Town Has Cooler Cut Out
of Solid Rock.
Border Bad Men, Cattle Thieves and
Drunken MeXicans Confined la
a Hole Blasted QUO by Min
ing Company.

a.
ing Company.
1t is strange in this enlightened age
to find in use dungeon hcwn IRON the
Eolid rock after the fashion OF the his
toric Chatea1dH. But such place eX-
ISIS, and in the United States d, tHlt. It
is the cooler OF Clifton, Ariz. 1t is
cut OF into the rock size OF the mOdn-
lain, sort of T-shaped tunnel, with an
adobe hut at the base OF the L Tor an en-
trance. There are two small apertures
to admit air so cut above that only Tor
a few minutes on sunshiny days do the
rays reach the two cells which compose
the Jail.
The crossbar Of theT tunnel is divided
into the two cells, each by II feet, and
when a visit was made to the place few
weeks ago, says the San Francisco Chron-
icle, they had six Mexicans in one cell
l'and four Chinese in the other. When
/ the suns rays disappear candles are
lighted. Reading or even card playing
is Impossible. One candle is allowed to
each cell
Sanitation there Is none. Drinking
water is brought to the prisoners IN cans
and as for baths and shaving that would
sound to a criminal of that country Like
stopping at the Palace Hotel. After a
hundred days in such place prisoner
reappears looking like dime museum
representative of a wild man.
TO intensity the bad conditions, the
weather in that part of Arizona is almost
continually hot. To think of place not
as large as an ordinary bathroom con-
tanning u or IA drunken MeXicAns, as
is often the case after pay day, carries
one far back in history.
The iailer is about as queer as the
jail. He has a grizzled visage. covered
with almost white whisleys. and hair 10
match Neither hair nor whiskers have
been cue or trimmed for years. In the
past he has done duty as a miner but'
now he earns his three meals by keep
ING the keys to the iron door and bring
ing food and water to the prisoners.
The Jail was blasted out of the rOcl, in
1880 by the Longfellow Mining company
and used by them to put away the miners
when they had partaken of too much
frewater.
AS the town of Clifton grew and be-
came more pretentious, Jail was found
necessary and the city officials have,
with the permission of the mining COM
pany. made use of the dungeon.
The river flows between the city and
the Cooler" A story is told how, during
the flood of 1891, character Of Clifton
known as Friday" came near passing
in" through the route said to be in force
in some of the Russian prisons.
Friday" had done something which
put him out of society for a short retire
ment and was enjoying the solitude
when the flood broke on me town. The
river rose in a single night and carried
away the only bridge for known dis
lance that led to the other side. Higher
and higher rose the river, and by the
middle of the next day it had touched
the adobe house at the entrance to the
iail. Friday" had been forgotten in
the excitement In viewing the rise OF
the water someone thought of poor Fri
day." A brilliant thought struck the
sheriff. He painted a large sign, Get
Friday out of the BalliwaX,' and stood it
ND so that the miners on the other side
could read it. Signals were passed back
that it was understood, and shortly they
could be seen working along the cliH to
the Jail. Fl was impossible to work the
bars free. so they had to cut another
opening down through the top.
This was ticllish work. for it meant
blasting and a heavy charge would have
finished Friday" All day and night
they worked, taking the rock away in
blasts as large as they dared ase, but it
was slow work at the best and by Morn
ing it became a race between the res
cMng party and the flood. Just before
noon. nearly q hours after the sign had
been painted, the last charge sent
shower Of rock on the poor man and the
opening was made large enough to set
him free. Friday" was found in the
water to his waist and bleeding from the
last blast; but by the time the waters
had subsidized and he was able to get to
town he was none the worse for his ex-
perience, except that he had become
better citizen through his wholesome
fear of the county Jail.