Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-12-10
A VISIT TO THE PENITENTIARY
AND INSANE ASYLUM AT
SALEM.
Glendale Girl Gives Interesting Ac-
count of What She Observed.

count of What She Observed.
Miss Nina Wall. who ls attending
college at Corvallis. has written an
interesting letter to her parents,
dated December End, extract from
which are herewith given through
their consent. IL went 10 Salem
after all. she says, "and saw more
in one day than had ever seen be-
fore in my life. Prof. and Mrs.
Horner chaperoned our crowd and
they took Ms TO every place of interest
In Salem. We arrived at Salem,
Thursday morning, at 9:45. There
we're one hundred In our party and
we went directly to the insane asy-
lum. Before entering we were eau
toned TO be as quiet as possible so
as to make the patients nervous. We
were then ushered into a neat little
parlor and soon one of the insane
persons entered and did some comi-
cal stunts. We then started out TO
look over the building. Every thing
was snow-white and clean. The build
ing Is very large and there are about
400 people In IL. ! shall never for
set some OF the faces | saw: some
80 pitiful; others mean and savage
looking, and some had the most dis
tracted look on their faces The
men are all In one building and the
women IN another, but the buildings
are connected. Some OF the people
were laughing nc to kin and others
we're crying, do not believe that II
stayed In there two hours | would
have been as bad on myself as any
of them. such an awful sight II was.
Each ward has n dining room and
the food Is run from the kitchen In
small cars TO all the dining rooms
In the women's department the
rooms were more elaborate than
those In the mems department, some
OF them having pictures on the walls
sofa pillows, carpets. all sorts OF lit
tie trinkets. on from each women's
ward Is a sitting room. with a small
organ in it. a sofa and several rock
ing chairs. Several OF the more ylo-
lent patients were In straight jack
cts. Ono woman had her head tied
up in a pillow slip as she wanted 20
spit on everybody. We were glad
when We got out of the building and
I appreciated life all the more after
having seen all those unhappy un-
fortunates"
''we then went to the penitentiary,
which is surrounded by high stone
fence and guarded by armed mon
II were compelled 20 choose would
rather stay there than In the asylum
even II had 90 live on bread aud
water saw SHEPPARD who killed
zell and who was executed couple
OF days later asked the keeper n
ne would take me'through the tailor
department. There was ON the
lookout for Watson who used 90 be
In Glendale recognized him az !
once as he had an ordinary suit OF
clothes on and his head was not
shaved as was the case with most
u them. He had pair OF scissors
a his hand. l spoke 10 him and he
me. When We returned
o the hotel Il was allied with college
tudonts. The building was decor
ted Ia our college eolors aud there
Iere coo Of us so you can imagine
ow we took the town by storm.
n the buildings were thrown open
} ns. After having enjoyed our
dinner We went TO the
Ipiiol building aud we all took
rms sitting IN Governor Chamber
In's chair. bat ! coulinf notice that
felt and diirerent u was after