Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1905-03-18
A JAIL EXPERIENCE.


Of men, John l.. Whitman, head jailer
OF the Cook county jail, carries no
arms or weapons Of any kind. Great
physical strength is not his defense,
for he is small and wiry of stature.
When Mr.. Whitman was made chief
jailer, after years of experience as a
guard and as assistant jailer, one of his
| first acts was to found the John l.. Whit
man Moral improvement association.
| Membership has always been voluntary,
| and If any prisoner wants to attend the
| meetings of the association he is al
| lowed to file into the big auditorium in
the Jail and take his seat along with
several hundred other prisoners very
much as people in the outside world go
| to church. The Jail guards stop at the
| doorway, and the prisoners find them
! selves looking down toward the center
of the room. There behind a small
table sits the head jailer, his luminous
black eyes looking honestly into theirs,
and there Sunday after Sunday he con-
ducts simple religious service.
There came into the jail one day
| man who gave the name Of William
Schmidt, and who was under ten-day
sentence from a justice of the peace.
The new prisoner was moody and silent,
but drew no attention to himself until
the day of his release. Just as his ac-
count at the desk had been closed there
appeared at the outer door a deputy
warden of the state penitentiary, who
arrested Schmidt as William Gross,
prisoner of the institution at Joliet who
had violated his parole.
In language frightfully profane Gross
accused Jailer Whitman of having noti-
fed the state penitentiary authorities
that he was again in trouble and of not
having had the courage to tell him
about it. AS he was taken away his last
words were a promise that he would
get even," if it was his last act.
Two years had gone when a patrol
wagon again brought Gross to the coun-
ty Jail, this time with 60-day sentence
for robbery, but with no fear of return
to Joliet, for he had served his state
sentence.
He did not see the head jailer on the
day of his second incarceration, but he
did see him almost every day after that.
AS Mr.. Whitman went about his work
among the prisoners Gross made him
self as insulting as possible, and tried in
every way to draw him into fight.
Gross attended the meetings of the
Moral Improvement association. After
the meetings It was the custom for Mr.
Whitman to leave the room first and
stand beside the door while the prison.
ers walked out past him. If any of them
had complaint or request to make. he
stepped out of the line around behind
Mr.. Whitman until all the others had
passed by. Frequently there were a
| dozen or 20 men with requests to make
for tobacco or matches, or something
of that sort.
The first and only time William Gross
ever took his place in the waiting line
he managed to be the last man. Man
after man moved up to the chief jailer,
told his grievance and walked away
until only Gross was left. Without
speaking a word he struck Whitman in
the face and knocked him to the floor.
But before he could jump upon him the
jailer was up, and, although not striking
a blow himself, was doing his best in
self-defense
The last few prisoners, who had
reached the farther end of the long hall,
saw the fight, and with half a hundred
more who had not yet been locked in
their cells came running back down the
passageway. And the Jail guards rushed
in-not to rescue Mr.. Whitman, but to
keep the prisoners from beating Gross
into lifeless pulp.
In the weeks that followed Jailer
Whitman continued to treat Gross con-
siderately, but the other prisoners jeered
| him and said:
"Ain't you ashamed of yourself? You
know If you was in any other institution
in the United States they'd put you in
solitary confinement and feed you on
bread and water. But here Mr.. Whit
man lets you have just the same as we
get"
Gross heard on every side, early and
| late, the condemnatory remarks of his
companions. AND all the while Jailer
Whitman was the same quiet man he
had been before the fight.
One day a guard went to the office
with the message that Gross wanted TO
| talk to the head jailer alone. Mr.. Whit
| man went at once and entered the mans
| cell. locking the door behind him. In
| a rough way Gross managed to say that
ne guessed Mr.. Whitman was the only
man he had ever met and that he was
| ashamed of what he had done.
| 1t was remarkable scene that was
| there enacted. with the hardened GRIM
inal and the patient lailer standing face
to face. The contrite bearing of Gross
greatly impressed Mr.. Whitman, whose
kindly advice to the offender the latter
will not soon forget. AS Whitman left
the cell, the prisoner was sobbing vio-
lently.
| The 60-day sentence was finally served
out. AS Gross closed another account
at the jailer's desk, he said:
| "Good-by, Mr.. Whitman. You won't