The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-10-09
The MeddLer
m The coat fns Won, put 10 on.

Dear old Meddlcr;-
"Stoue walls do not a prison make.
Nor iron bars cage.
] Neither do improved steel cells o.
/ fresh coats Of paint make Newfane iai
| delivery proof The recent breach o.
brick wall NJ the county seat make
me reminiscent Nv mind harks bael
10 the good old DAYS ! spent IN that
I then redolcnt IL not redoubiable bas
/ tile Those davs were before tbs
regime Of modern cells. iron bedsteads
clean blankets. vigilant keepers an.
/ ventilation. But such routine. sucl
discipline, | well remember the Ten
commandments which were written OF
slate and hung over the woodboN
near the stove:
| |. Prisoners will not be allowed e
remain out later than $50 p, N. The
.ailer retires AZ that time and does not
want his rest disturbed. Any prisoner
caught entering the Jail after this hour
will be deprived Of his night key for
| two weeks
Q Prisoners who are not up "a
breakfast AZ $50 will have TO 90 else.
where 10 eat. This Jail is not run on
the European plan.
2. Tinkering with the whitewash in
which the window. bars are set is pos
lively forbidden, under penalty of ex'
pulsion.
4. Splitting on the stove is not al.
lowed when there is any fire in IL.
). Prisoners who wish to play pitch
in Jail after o'clock must furnish
their own kerosene.
6. No prisoner will he kept after
his term EXPIRES unless his conduct has
been exemplary, and his application for
Ia nd in a Il
vance
Z. Anyone caught trying to break
into Jail viii be prosecuted to the full
extent of the law.
g. Prisoners who work outside dur
irg having are hereby warned of the
evil effects of hard cider.
g. Bed.bugs will not be tolerated.
10 Prisoners whose cases are on
trial are requested to keep within hail.
ing distance during court time.
How closely we were kept TO the
letter of those laws everyone who had
occasion to visit the Jail in those days
well knows / can remember numerous
instances where long-term prisoners
we're deprived of their latch KEYS for
months at a time simply because they
would insist on talking politics in the
store until long after bedtime. while
mcala day idea through sleeping until
Q o'clock and not having money
enough to buy breakfasts outside.
One of the most exciting episodes
during my residence in Newfane was
when young fellow commonly known
as Artic Choke scraped the whitewash
from around the bars in one of the
windows for the purpose of allowing a
friend of his to get in. II was late in
the fall and the nights were very cold
Artie' s friend had been hanging about
on the outside for several days gazing
at our comfortable quarters.
and he and Artie finally hit upon
plan to get him inside. A horse thief
whose term had expired and whose be-
havior had been such that he was re-
the next morning. Artie thought if he
could get his friend inside that night |
no one would notice the change. the
total number of prisoners being the !
same. He would probably have sue
needed at once if the taller hadn t |
caught the stranger climbing in the |
window. He succeeded in the end as
i was. OF course Artie was expelled |
for tinkering with the bars and the |
friend was given two months in Jail |
FOR attempting to break in. Artie felt
terribly at having to leave and the
est of us were sorry, too. because he
was an easy mark at pitch. but the
very next night he tried to break in
himself, and his friend gave the alarm,
md Artie was given two months for
he offence.
| could 90 on for hours writing of
he many interesting experiences that
we're mine while in Jail. but / presume
10 one would be greatly interested in
hem. so / will close.
Yours reminiscently.
The Wise Guy.
?. 81 should hate to be sent to
all now; it wouldn t seem like the
anne place.