Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-17
NOW BEHIND #E BARS
LOCAL CoNvICTs ENTER UPON
TERMS AT rr8Fron.
District Notified That No More Wo-
men Prisoners Cam Be Ac-
commodated There.

armed with q Winchester Understanding
the stairs at the Trenton. N. J., peniten-
tiary, was the scene witnessed last night
by the guards who escorted the convicts
from this city to the prison. There were
thirteen prisoners in the party, only one
Of them, Harry A. Barrows, being white.
About this time last year he was employed
as dtsbursdng clerk in the census office.
He had been in the prison but few min
utes when the change he had undergone
was SO complete that the guards hardly
knew him when he appeared in the office.
The trip from here to Trenton was an
uneventful one Most Of the prisoners were
supplied with small amount of cash and
they patronized the agent OF the Union
News Company on the train until his stock
Of candy and fruit was almost depleted.
Then there came near being trouble, for
one Of the women convicts complained Of
illness. She managed to stand the trip,
a doctor, and was in apparently good health
and spirits when the penitentiary was
reached. There was only. one prisoner,
Buddy Nelson. OF the thirteen, who had
Gently returned from Moundsville.
I'm going up again he remarked. land
I know it's no use to kick, but this is one
time that I'm innocent.
Interesting to the Women.
The two women In the party, Rosie Bris-
coe and Lizzie Tillman had never been
away from the city before and the trip
was an interesting one to them. On the
way to Trenton they assisted in the sing
ing and seemed light hearted until the
conductor entered the car and announced:
1.-The next stop is at Trenton junction"
Three miles away was the prison.
II wonder what kind of place 1t is?'
one Of them inquired.
Trenton Junction was reached in a few
minutes, and from Trenton station the trip
to the prison was made In a bus.
rs that the only color you have down
there?" shouted guard upon the arrival of
a party.
The prisoners had been admonished to
keep quiet, and the sight Of the big prison
building had the effect Of subduing the
lucky thirteen. Reaching the warden's Of
6ce the prisoners were required to give up
what little money they had, and they were
then taken to the bath and the barber. A
few minutes later they appeared in the
office. and were given positions facing the
wall. One at time they appeared at the
captains desk, gave their names and an
swered the questions put to them. They
were wearing the striped uniform of the
prison Having gone through these pre-
liminaries, they were shown to q part of
the prison where new arrivals are detained
two weeks before the condition of their
health is passed upon. This plan has been
followed since a case Of smallpox developed
In the prison several months ago. The
prison authorities used heroic measures at
that time, and no other cases developed.
Every room in the several wings of the
structure was fumigated, and the prisoners
were thoroughly disnfected and vaccinated.
Reforms Inaugurated.
1t is the custom of the prison officials to
use the clippers on the hair Of the prisoners
when they are admitted. This is done as
sanitary measure, but the hair is not given
such treatment afterward. Under the pres
ent superintendent number Of reforms
have been inaugurated, and the prisoners
are not reminded at every turn that they
are being punished for wrongdoing. The
lockstep has been abolished and the. mill
tary step substituted. Meals are furnished
The colored people who come here from
Washington remarked one Of the keepers
give more trouble than any other class
They think We don't know how to run the
prison. He added that 1t takes but short
time TO teach them to the contrary. With
many OF the obstreperous ones the dungeon
is resorted to, and they soon get tired of
such treatment.
Another Prison Necessary.
1t is probable that the Department of
Justice will have to look out for another
prison for the accommodation Of the Dis
trict convicts. Warden Osborne sent word
TO warren Harris that he could not &C
commodate any more women prisoners He
has cell room for only twenty-nine and
there are now thirty-tnree of them In the
prison. They are about equally divided as
to color One white woman there has
spent thirty years in the prison and is in
perfect health. She was married at the
age of seventeen and was arrested shortly
after her marriage for poisoning her hus-
band. A life sentence was imposed upon
her, but it is believed she will be pardoned
during the next few years. Brockway,
the noted counterfeiter, is to be released
from the prison before the close of the
present year. He is now eighty-two years
Old When he was sentenced to the peni-
Tertiary 1t was thought he would live but
snort time, but he is in splendid health,
and the prison officials would not be sur
prlsed II he again gets In trouble. There
are now 1,O61 prisoners serving time in
the penitentiary. The men are permitted
to read In their cells every evening until
$50 O'Clock, when the lights are extin-
guished. They get up about $50 in the
morning and are served three meals a
day. In view Of Warden Osborne's mes