The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1911-12-27
In Order to Learn About
Prison Life.
PRISONERS WERE CHEEREO UP
BY Presence of the Chief Ex'
ecutive and Possibility
of Parole.
HOMEMADE POLICY ADOPTED

/
the first time in the history of the
Volunteer State, the Chief Executive
Officer spent a night in prison. This
was the case last night. when Gov
ernor Ben Wade Hooper stepped
down from his high Office and re-
manned all night at the prison,
spending the major portion of his
time mingling with the convicts
and searching among them for
worthy subjects for pardon on
Christmas Day. ..
Governor Hooper arose at day
light from his bunk in cell in the
State prison, performed his hasty
morning additions in the little tin
pail furnished the prisoners, and
then made his way with a long line
Of long-termers to the penitentiary
dining room, where, under the
watchful eyes of guards, he ate
breakfast of prison "chow." Nor
was it a special repast; he got what
the prisoners got and no more.
The first result of this visit was
an announcement from the Cover
nor that no more stripes would be
used on first and second grade pris-
oners.
Another reform that will be in
augurated will be the establishment
of a prison school, which has been
provided for Juveniles by law, but
which has been ignored heretofore.
The facilities of this school will be
extended to all
The announced reforms and the
visit of Governor Hooper to the
State prison at the approach Of
Christmas Day sent the blood ting
ling through the veins OF hundreds
of prisoners, and hopes are running
high in the breasts of those who
look for Executive clemency.
The Governor during the night
and to-day interviewed scores of
prisoners. paying particular atten-
ton to youthful and friendless con
victs.
Tonight he is busily engaged in
making up the Christmas pardon
list. Governor Hooper has been
careful in exercising his pardoning
power. His predecessors ran up
into the hundreds each year He
has a plan of his own, he chooses
to term his homemade law" pa
rolling convicts under a long-neg-
lected statute. by which he hopes to
work wonders in reforming pris
oners.
Speaking of his ideas of prison
life, Governor Hooper had this to
say:
After all is said, a prison is a
terrible place, however humane the
and conditions. My
first impulse has always been and
will ever be toward mercy, but no
man in my position should be gov
erned by the impulses OF his heart
or the opportunities OF friends. The
good of the prisoners and Of the
people must be given more consid-
eration.'
HeretoforeTennessee only thought
of two things in connection with the
State Prison; one of them to get
some one into the penitentiary and |
the other to get him out. 1t would
be his purpose to reform convicts
and turn them out better citizens. |
Tennessee's present Governor has
been termed naughty. q bloodless
man, by his enemies. His act of GO
ing to the State Prison and meeting
face to face disproves this
charge just as much as did his visit
last summer to the mountaineers,
when he slept in the leaves with the (
people of the Cumberland Noun
aims.
These acts are cited by his friends
% show that the man who has
reached the highest political Office
n the gift of the people has not en-
.irely forgotten his own humble
birth.