The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-04-04
4 PRAIRIE JAIL.
Description of a Visit to the Manitoba
 Penitentiary.

Description of Visit to the Manitoba
 Penitentiary.
 It was lovely morning in early Oc- tober, with a bright sun and just a twang of impending frost in the air, says Chambers Journal" On the prairie the surface water left by the late rains was evaporating rapidly, and the sere hay stubble spread crisp and yellow from the outskirts of the town to the distant sky line. This day was unusually clear, and we could distin- guish the outline of the buildings of the penitentiary on the top of far away hillock to the northwest, the only bit of rising ground on endless miles of prairie.
 The prison stands on the crest of the mountain" inclosed on two sides and part of third by high stone wall, the work of the convicts themselves, who appear rather to enjoy building their own cage. About half way up are the residences of the officials, and ySb 1lltlE AlSHCI up LIiC StophS9 "AhN 1 farm buildings of the institution. AS we drove to the warden's house we saw I a long line of prisoners marching in single file from the potato field. cou- 1 pie of guards were in charge, and mounted man was riding behind. A convict came to take charge of the horses; for a good deal of the outdoor work is done, under careful supervision, 1 by men whose term of imprisonment | has nearly expired. and who can there
 fore be trusted not to attempt to es- cape.
 1 A large proportion of the outdoor
 work in this agricultural region con-
 sists, of course, in farming operations; therefore, the conVicts raise crops of barley, oats and wheat. Besides this, they grow vegetables, raise pigs, rear
 cattle and generally are beginning to realize the ideal of the warden in charge that ultimately the penitentiary
 shall become the great model farm of the province. The returns from this labor largely help to make the prison self supporting, and the privilege of ex-
 ercise in the open air is an inducement l tu BODl bEldNloI' iaS "thD, hA'S
 usual indoor work-tailoring boot : making, etc, all the clothing worn by
 the convicts being manufactured by
 them, and even part of that worn by
 the officials in charge. As result,
 some prisoners, anxious to reform, who
 entered the institution unlettered and
 ignorant of any kind of honest labor
 have on liberation been able to read
 and write. and have possessed a good
 knowledge of some trade. These men
 now look back on their term of incar-
 ceration as a blessing in diskuise.
 The whole place seems'to be as clean
 tidy and we'll swept as the deck Of a
 man-of-war. The air is extraordinarily fresh" and pure, blowing straight off the
 prairie, and the inmates, though some
 what pale, owing to the confinement
 present generally an appearance of TO
 bust health.
 The prisoners generally are motley crowd. One file I particularly noticed was led by tall, stout and apparentl
 eminently respectable man, looking lik prosperous banker; but he was cattle thief. Behind him was Black foot Indian, and a little further dowi the line was a vilainous negro, wht . should have been hanged for his facia angle alone, the rear being brought Ill by an Esquimo murderer, who wad dled about like duck in his efforts t. keep step. That poor creature coult not speak English, but 1t would haV been interesting to know his ideas 0 his surroundings. Imagine bein! , dragged off from your peaceful home i a snew-coop, and carried a couple 0 thousand miles OF so to huildin made of material you had never see'
 before; and being locked up wit l strange black and white and red gob s lins, and having to wash! It woul have been more 1nerciful to hang hin = for if he ever does return to his ow g people he will certainly be killed as f liar. There was a really delightful ol Q gentleman, with white hair and clea l cut. cltan shaven face, who was e q gagged in laying flower bed. H h looked like pere noble, and was serv n ing his third term for being what a y old English chronicler calls "a coine t of naughty crowns" On the occasio f of his last discharge the Roman Cathc