The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-05-31
ST. PAUL HONORS HEROIC DEAD
DAY is OBSERVED
At STATES PRISON
Workshops Are Closed and
Men Are Granted Extra
Liberty.

For two brief hours yesterday fore
noon the 500 prisoners confined in the
penltentiary at Saltwater roamed
about at Will in the well kept and
shady park within the walls of the
prison stockade, going where they
pleased within the confines of their
own little world, talking to whom they
pleased and doing as they liked 1t
was the Memorial day celebration at
the states prison, and every inmate
OF the big institution took advantage
OF the opportunity for a brief outing.
But for the big, insurmountable walls
and the sight of the armed guards on.
duty, the prisoners might have tenn
porariiy forgotten their grim sur
roundings, so great was the change
from their daily routine While a
prison band of fifteen pieces discoursed
patriotic airs, the men and women
amused themselves as best they could.
Some were content to lounge in the
grass in some shady spot and listen
to the music, while others sought out
acquaintance and companions of for
mer days and made the best of their
brief time for a long suppressed chat.
Still others, not content to sit idly
about, secured baseball and INDUCED
in game of CATCH while less restful
ones stood about and gazed at the
curious crowd that had gathered on
the bluffs outside the prison walls.
Over in one shady corner of the park
the women prisoners played a game of
blind mans buff, and many hearty
laughs rang out when a colored Wom-
an was unable to catch and identify
any of her companions. With few eX-
ceptiOnS the convicts apparently de-
sired to make the best of their short
respite from their monotonous work,
but occasionally, here and there, in
some shady spot away from the 9TH
ers, a sad-faced old man wearing a
suit of first grade" or a Surly looking
one attired in the third grade" uni.
form, might be noticed, with their sight
fastened on the hills far outside the
patrolled walls.
Visitors Not Admitted.
1t was distinctly a prisoners gath
erlng, visitors not being admitted to
the prison on holidays. 1t was Me-
mortal day, but this fact was not sig
nit1cant to many of the prisoners; to
them 1t was holiday, chance to talk
and do as they. pleased.
The band, made UP of prisoners,
played its repertoire through several
times, and although the music might
have been more harmonious there was
no complaint.
The colored prisoners, curious1y
enough, mingled among themselves, Sc
lecting a spot apart from the other
prisoners. where they sang ragtime
songs and executed buck and wing
dances utterly oblivieus of the meas
| ured strides of the guards armed with
| grim-looking shotguns on the prison
walls. a-nr ts r95G /.
1t was 10 o'clock in the forenoon
| when the prisoners were turned out
I into the park. AT 1880 whistle
sounded. and almost before it's echo
| had died away two dozen of the pris-
onerS started for the cell house on a
4 run. 1t was the small army of cooks
and walters, answering the summons
| to return and prepare the monday
meal for their fellow convicts
Half an hour later the whistle sound
| ed once more, and the convicts, quickly
| forming themselves into companies,
| prepared to march to the cell house,
| where dinner was in waiting. Preceded
| by a color bearer, the band headed the
| procession, and with guards on either
| side, the convicts returned to the big
| stone cell house, their freedom at an
| end until the arrival of another hol-
! day.
| During the afternoon the men were
| locked in their cells, but they were
| permitted to spend their time as they
! pleased, reading, writing letters or rest
| ing.
There is no work at the Saltwater
| prison on holidays.