Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-08-13
MEN in PENITENTIARY
ARE FOND OF ANIMALS
Convicts Noted for Cruelty and Brutality Dur
ing Freedom Show Devotion to Dumb
Rrutes During Confinement Nc
saee
Sweeney and fiis Rats

Whether because they feel that The
hand of all mankind Is raised agaiis.
them, and tha...f)'o they arc fm ced -
turn No dan5 animals .Or love and
compan.ouShtD, OF whether il Is to iii.
vert their minds during the long
dreary hcurs b.,linG prison walls, il IS
noteworthy fat Tat Inuny of Tic
copyicts. in the p.nittntiary ev'ncc
marked fon.lncss Tor ANIMAL pets u:l:l
show remarkable, tact aid patience III
their care and training
Many of Iheia prisoners, wlic, dur
Ing thei" confinement: have by ,hcir
loving care ANA tender patience won
the devotion AMI fidelity Of their DUMP
friends were noel during their free
dom for cruelty ami jb:utality Some
of these conv.cts, WHO are so si::.I..;y
attached ID their pets that they vault
risk their l!cs in protecting them
from harm ana would share iheir last
crust of brndrl with them. are serving
life sentences for murder
AS the humble: and species of ani-
mails pcrmittcG To live inside the Iris.
on walls are. Cor the most part, very
limited. the prisoners who arc dcsirous
OF cultivatin5 pets mast put up Will;
such animals a.; chance throws "a
their way. This often leads 10 pecu-
liar SELECTIONS. but none are mcIc
strange than tho choice Of pets made
~ two convicts nj present inmates af
tn Ohio penitcntia:y
Gre of these prisoners IS Morgan
Insolvency., abpis G0ycars old, wl,u is
serving II life sentence for murder
committed in Washington county. lie
was received III the prison in lS9S and
beng an engineer, no waS put To work
running steam pump that s.pplic:;
water to the nrisor Kitchen and !aun.
DRY This pump is situated in n dark,
dismal corner of the kitchen basement
and is entirely shut of from where
any of the other prisoners are chi
ployed
This basement. like many nthcr
parts OF the penitentiary plant is in
tested with rats, hundreds making
their home in the holes and crcvicca
of the crumbling walls and beneath
the broken flooring of the old building.
While Insolvency. says he never
was afraid of rats, he did not take
kindly to them at first Neither did
the rats mt first look with favor upon
the invasion of thci. own domain by
a stranger and they would scurry
across the floor and into their holes
every time McSwecncy appeared.
Gradually the rats grew accustomed
to McSwecney's presence. and Nc
Sweeney grew accustomed to the rats.
Because of his lonely existence lie be.
gan to take an interest In watching
them as they would poke their heads
out OF their holes and stare at him.
ready to dart back again at his slight
est movement.
The more the old man watched the
rodents the more interested he he
came in them and their habits They
were his only living companions, and
as he felt kindly toward them he took
the quickest and easiest way to win
their trust and friendship by feeding
them. He began by placing bits of
bread, meat and other morsels of food
near their holes, which the rats would
stealthily crawl to and seize and then
dart back 10 their nests.
Gradually McSweeney placed the
food farther and farther away from
the rodents holes and closer to the
chair III which he sat, until by months
OF patient perseverance, never offer
ing to harm or scare them, he won the
confidence of the rats to such an ex-
tent that they would come right up
to his chairand cat the food out of his
hands.
But McSwecney was not content
with this. During the long, dreary
months he also grew to feel real az
lection for his only companions and he
determined to win their complete trust
and friendship. BY constant care
never to harm of alarm them, and be-
ginning by placing food in his lap, OH
his shoulders and even on the top of
his head, he at length tanned the rats
so they would crawl up his legs to
any part of his body where he had
placed food and sit there to eat 1t.
At first only few of the bravest
of the countless number of rats that
swarmed about the place would ven
tnre to climb upon him, but after 81
while, seeing that those of their num-
her who did venture near the cngn-
eer were treated only with kindness
and plenty to cat, the others gained
courage and 1t was not long before
the entire host of rodents would vic
with each other in swarming over
McSweeney's body to get the morsels
OF food placed there
The engineer soon had the rats so
we'll trained that whenever he wished
to feed them all he had to do was to
give; low, peculiar whistle and dozens
or! them some almost as big MS cats.
would dart from. their holes. Without
waiting an instant they would swarm
all over McSweeney, running up his
legs. under his coat, on his head and
I shoulders, and In fact everywhere