The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-23
STAMP OF A BAST|LE
EIGHT YEARS OF SOLITARY CON
FINEMENT In PRISON.
Wreck of a Human Being Is Brought
From the Pennsylvania Peniten-
tiary to the Ref0rmatOry at st.
Cloud; Face Behind Mask; Has
Forgotten How to Talk; His Pc
culiar Stride; Is a Derelict.

Duluth. April 2l-Like DR.. Manette
of Charles Dickens famous Tale OF
Two Cities is the story told by Sher-
i'll c.. H. Carhart of Grand Marias, OF
prisoner at the present time con-
fined in the ST. Cloud reformatory.
MCLEAN is the name of the young
man recently brought back from an
eight year term of servitude i'll the
state peniteniary of Pennsylvania. The
story sounds like fiction of the mid
die ages 1t is tale that can scarce
ly be believed in these days of reform
prison methods.
Sheriff Carhart returned from st.
Cloud today. where he saw and eN-
amined this remarkable example of
barbarous prison confinement.
Escaped Long Ago.
Fourteen years ago McGlcan escaped
from the reformatory at st. Cloud.
Since his escape from the st. Cloud in
stitution he has served eight years i'll
the Pennsylvania penitentiary. He only
recently served his term out. Upon
the day his term of confinement ter
minated, he was rearrested and taken
back to ST. Cloud to serve out his
unexpired term.
For the entire length of his confine-
ment in the Pennsylvania institution,
the young man was kept i'll almost
solitary confinement He was not al
lowed to speak once during that term
of confinement. as far as the authorit
les of st. Cloud can ascertain and
during the term of imprisonment he
was obliged to wear mask over his
features.
Torture of the Mask
The torture of the mask was impos-
ed with the idea that the man would
not be recognized when his term of
imprisonment expired.
Mr.. Carhart describes graphically the
effect of these eight years of grinding
torture upon the prisoner.
During his trip from Philadelphia to
st. Cloud in company with one of the
deputies of the st. Cloud institution.
this prisoner never once spoke. He
has almost lost the power of speech.
From cropping around in the half light,
stepping high and cautiously, to avoid
any possible obstacle in the dark. the
man has acquired peculiar, hating
gait Now. out in the free and open
light of midday, he carries the souvenir
OF eight years of solitary and dismal
confinement.
His Peculiar Walk.
When he walks for recreation. he
walks III a narrow square of ten feet
so used has he become to pacing the
narrow confines of cell.
His face, according to Sheriff Car.
hart, is blanched from the long wear
ing of the mask His eyes are dim
and almost useless from the constant
confinement in darkened cell
This is the wreck of a man that the
penal authorities of Pennsylvania turn
ed loose. He has been taken back to
the st. Cloud reformatory with the
idea that maybe the authorities tbere
may overcome the terrible reminder of
those eight years of modern inouisi.
ton. Sheriff Carhart says the prisoner.
with the prison marks indeIibIy stamp
ed upon every feature. every movement.
every Sinking step, is the most pit
liable object he has ever witnessed
The question the st. Cloud authori
ties are asking themselves, is whether
the prisoner will ever ovemcome those
habits contracted in eight years of
torture.