Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-09-22
MIGHT HAVE ESCAPED
Mary Rogers Worked in Prison
Kitchen Near Unlocked Door
st. Adams Messengers Revelations
Through Its own lnvestlga tlon-crltl-
csm Of General Conditions.


The ST. Adams Messenger has been
making its own investigation Of the Yer
mont state prison, and it finds much to
critcse in the general conditions, al
though it speaks Of Supt. Lowell as
good administrator and business manager
who has made improvements in the con-
ditlon OF the buildings and grounds since
he was appointed. The Messengers
statement that Mary Rogers, since her
last reprieve, has worked in the kitchen
Of the institution, where she could have
walked through an unlocked door to an
unfenced lawn at any time is astounding
1t will undoubtedly be a subject for con-
sideration by the investigating committee
at the next session. Some Of the more
important parts Of the Messengers find
ings are given herewith
Slnte Mary Rogers was last repreved
she has, at her own request, been per-
mitted to work in the kitchen where
| other women prisoners are employed.
Day after day, week after week. this
notorious woman under sentence of death
has been at liberty in this kitchen with
nothing but an unlocked wooden door
between her and little vestibule lead
ing to outdoors; leading to the unfenced
lawn in front of the prison and thus to
the open street.
1t is difficult to understand the laxlty
that would permit this After all that
has been said and done about this
woman, herself today the most Infamous
~ notorious woman criminal in the coun-
try If not in the world-even after the
revolving disclosure of her loathsome i'm
morality In the very shadow OF the gal
lows-lt would seem to the average man
that this woman would have been kept
under lock and key and surveillance that
would have put stop to any more
scandals about her. 1t would seem as II
her keeper would have done this as n
| precaution to save himself and his own
administration from reproach If anything
more should be done by her, II for no
| other reason
How that Lock Was Picked.
For instance, the public would under
/ stand better how surreptitious entrance
| was gained to Mary Rogers death cell
| as revealed in the recent scandalous dis
| closures, how the woman herself could
! remove lock with pair Of scissors. II
it could take glance at the od-fashion-
| ed wing in which she was kept at the
| time. This is the wing in which all the
! recent executions have taken place and
| the cell wherein the condemned pass their
last few days and from which they are
| led to the scaffOd is. OF course. in this
wing But. like the rest of this part of
| the building, IL is an antiQuated AFFAIR
| and Is in reality little more than an old
| chamber separated from the corridor
| merely by two wooden doors secured 90
| with old-fashioned locks, II is easy to
| see how Mary Rogers could do exactly
what she says she did and take the screw
| out of the plate with n pair OF scissors.
| Why this wing should have been so long
| suffered to remain as II is. why men in
charge should so long know that that
| chamber was no III place for a condemn
ed cell. and still permit condemned men
| and women to be confined in It, The
Messenger does not pretend TO answer.
| The fact is plain. nevertheless, that
somebody did not do his duty.
Prison is overerowded.
The prison is overcrowded. At the
last reckoning, there were more prisoners
than cells and the bad practice OF letting
| prisoners sleep together had to be re-
sorted to. There is no need OF explaining
that this should be stopped. and It is
suggested that II the wing referred to is
| extended and put into modern condition,
ample additional room will be obtained.
The Prison Discipline.
There is another and equally i'm
| portant aspect OF conditions at the Wind
| sor prison and that is the want OF n proper
| Z
| ment and care OF the CONFLICTS The pre-
| sent system does not strike the observer
| as being up to the times. Why this very
| apparent weakness should have been so
| long neglected is another interesting con-
| lecture, but the reader can easily un-
| derstand the likelihood of the scandals
| already revealed by the investigating
committee when he understands the laNity
| and almost shiftlessness OF this part of
the prison system. 1t appears to have
| appealed somewhat to Superintendent
| Lowell when he took office, because he
J soon reconstructed the stan OF wardens
| and keepers and put them into neat uni
| forms. But there is a great deal lacking
even yet, and IL opens the question
| whether, with all his merits as an econo-
| mic administrator Of the business affairs
| of the prison, Superintendent Lowell is
| a disciplinarian and executive of the right
| kind for the other side OF his duties.
For instance: When The Messengers
representative visited the prison for the
second time under Superintendent Lovells
administration only few days ago, the
guard on duty in the administration Of
| flee whose duty II is to have surveillance
| OF the yard from the windows, well
as to keep the doors leading to the
yard and to the wings,-was sitting
| in an arm chair in his shirt sleeves
| looking out Of the window smoking a pipe!
| This Is the room to which visitors are
II
| on their tour of the prison. Now, The
| Messenger does not charge this man with
| failure to do his duty faithfully, because
| he was apparently alert and vigilant
enough when he was wanted, but II did
| seem that, first, the guard himself should
| be model of discipline and appearance
| for the prisoners he was guarding, and,
| second he should avoid giving to the
| visitors and strangers any such sugges-
| ton of shiftlessness and laXity of dlsci-
| pline that his garb and actions certainly
| did give on that day. What was found
| to be true of this guard was true of all
| guards and keepers more or less; true to
| their duty no doubt vigilant and faith
| full, but lacking in the alertness, Spruce
| ness, method, and precision of military
! discipline the very appearance of which
| alone would tend to inspire public conf
dence and create the impression that the
prisoners We're well guarded.
Condition Of the conVlets.
| The convicts themselves were slattern-
| ly and unkempt In the matter of uniform
| to surprising degree. The clothes them
| selves We're not only illhtting but in
| some instances i'll kept and untidy; blouses
were worn buttoned or unbuttoned as the
| wearer pleased and caps We're slouched
on one side and pulled sulkily down over
the eyes with equal disregard for appear
| ances. While the convicts appeared to
be under control and to be properly en-
| ployed their general appearance could
| be improved If something like a military
system of discipline could be introduced
1