Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1903-11-11

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"Us criminals, !" he said, "ts aptde chaps"
short, his language was Of the Dials,
fruity, but the warder who wrote his
name down for report generally wiped
It of in the evening.
A new prisoner serving his first SEN
tence Is always watched By the heads
Of the prison, and q youngster under
goes surveillance that he knows moth 4
ing of. Every one in authority has an
eye to him. The doctor sums him up
quickly as At for hard labor or light
labor and. squares or modifles his first
decision by private observation. 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 ten
derfoot. The chaplain took Turkey in
hand, and the more he shook him up
the better Turkey liked him. He was
a chaplain with method and pas
sion for his Improbable work, a long
haired, wild bearded man, skullcapped
and bound with q grdle, 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 thought
he declined to be converted.
He had begun by posing.
Gus criminals" he said, sis wide
chaps. We takes lot o. gittin' over"
The chaplain wrote in his diary: I'm.
Js. Turk. (4TurkeyD. Fifteen years Of
age. Pickpocket. Three months hard.
Curious instance Of the effect Of prison
on sharp lad who seems to have asso-
ciated with criminals from childhood.
Is immensely proud OF having got into
prison and evidently fancies It will
give him new start in life. Burglary
on big scale his. principal ambition
and he thinks he will now be able to
pal with wide men. n MT burglary,
would prefer to go to sea 'on ship
like he saw In the docks once Shall
remember this. Prison, Of course, the
worst possible place for him (the judge
was a fool who sentenced him). It
feeds his queer little vanities at every
turn, and he thrives on the air Of the
| place, which should be poison to him."
This was entirely and regrettably
true. 1t was 70 new and grand to Tur-
key 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 doc
tor continued to keep him on light To-
Dor h I'd only one pound Of oakum
to pick iii the day instead Of three, and
his nimble fingers made nothing OF
that.
| When his first month was up, his ia
vorite officer got him,Ia nice, cheerful
berth in the paper room. The paper
room, as Turkey soon discovered, was
the happy land, or Ell Dorado, Of the
prison. Hither were dispatched In
cart loads, to be overhauled and sorted
/ the sweepings of the houses of parlia
ment, the government offices through
out the kingdom and the general post
Office, old ledgers, blue books, directo
ries and all manner Of waste paper
! This is not a gay inventory. but waii
i until you come to have the handling Of
J the goods. for acattered through thu
mass were all the articles that man Il
prison most delights in-scraps of to
bacco, packets of cigarettes, ends o
cigars, string, postage stamps. novels
writing paper, coins, pins, pencils ant
even penknives. It was the business
Of the prisoners to tear into small
pieces everything that could be con
verified into paper after handing owe
all contraband to the warder in charge
But Turkey had been privately admon
ished by prisoners residing In his war,
what precious things a good boy woult
find in the paper room, and commits
sions had been given him for sundr.
articles, which were to be paid for lat
er. Hence us soon as he had learne,
the ways of the room he began to b.
extremely busy, and thereafter sundr,
knayes languishing in chambers nea
Turkeys were engaged In writing sur
reptitious letters on house of common
note paper, chewing tobacco and parinI
their nails or shaving themselves witt
brand new pocketknives, while the fel
on Turkey grew fatter on illicit "a
tons.
IL There came day, however. It wa
III on the return from work In the aftel
noon. Turkey tripped on the polishe'
Iron stairs. He lodged on the first foo
OF his ward, and as he caught ut tn
rail something was jerked from the In
side of his shirt and ratified on tn
flags below-a neat little fagot OF per
oils.
"Halt, there!" said the warder 0
Turkeys party when they reached til
landing. and Turkey was hailed iron
The ranks. Searched on the spot, b
was mere museum Of smuggle'
goods. They were shaken from hi
shirt; they were sorted from his socks
they were sifted from his shoes. Con
viction, in word. was flung ut him Ii
lump.
Il A whole bench OF visiting magla
trates heard NIL about the wickednes
Of Turkey, who in due course of tim
was introduced to them.
SHOULD you like to be birchedT ask
ed the chairman when the cause hat
been considered.
Turkey looked as IL his dignity wer,
q little hurt by the suggestion, but hi
responded softly:
swell. genelmen all, 1t amt for {
pore criminal like me to stand ag'in tn,
roofs. II it's birchin', It's birchin'."
I'VE can have you birched on thu
spot" observed the chairman.
But the culprit had taken stock Of
the court and gathered the impressio1
! that Vt was mainly with him.