The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-01-05
A PRISON CONTRACT.
difference in Treatment OF Man
Who Stole 800 and Man Who
Took 100000.

(Chas. Ware, in tie World Today !
A man hanged himself in Il peni- |
tentiary not lonE ago. He was a
convict. In a period of five years
he had been allowed to leave the
cell only two times, except for the
few minutes of each day in which
he was turned into the narrow,
walled alley at the rear for ''eXer-
Cise.' His cell was by IL feet i'll
dimensions-the size of the average
grave lot. In this room he had
been forced to eat, sleep and work.
His meals were passed TO him
through the grated door. The ma
terials for his daily task were hand
ed to him in the same manner. He
made cigars, l believe. In the even
ing the product of his toll was TAX
an from him in similar fashion.
Three times each day a rude tray
was passed through the bars with
his prison fare. On Sundays the
music and sermon of the chapel ser
vice floated to him down the cor
ridor, for he was not even allowed
l.; leave his cell for worship. At
/ the back of his cell was small in
closed yard, perhaps 10 by Il feet
! in size. If he felt so inclined he
! could spend twenty or thirty min
utes there out of every - hours,
High walls surrounded it oneVery
side. so that by no possibility could
lie see or be seen By his neighb
Come with me across the State
or Pennsylvania to "-Other peniten
ti1"S of this "Gu,c great Common
Wealth, Ji'r' ! may leave with you
a picture from an opposite angle
which may emphasize further th'
needs and possibilities OF the great
thlobhing field into which -
American Prison Ass". .,.;or 'E' g
hurrowing. "'"'i'n
i, The prison ,n doors 100, lave closed ns
-. , scene Of d.. Sc are not meet
lns.ot HTe'e ne u .,hrkness and damn
ness. S.S ves no trace OF hard
snip or horror in the picture be
lors us. There are no barred wind
ows III the room that we have en-
tered. No grated door clanas al
: our shoulders. No foul or must,
coors mere. no cold stone floor anC
thln straw pallet. 4 genial. cheer,
light streams into the apartment
from between lace curtains ana o,u
teet sink into a soft rug. On the
"dils hang expensive pictures, anC
Oh shelf before us are severa
costly Dric-a-brac. In "A cornor OF
The room there is large rolI-tor
desk. and seated before il in an
easy chair is a man dressed i'm q
fashionable business suit and smok.
ing cigar. AT his elbow is ii ste.
h"grapher, to whom he is .dictatina
answers to the heap or letters be-
fore: him.
This man, like that other figure
at the Eastern State Penitentiary, is
a convict, he has stolen and has
heen sent to prison for theft. The
lrst man was a burglar and got
away with something less than s1OO
worth of spoons and cheap jewelry.
Ihe second man was a bank presi-
dent and got away with something
more than 100000 in cold cash
and gilt-edged bonds. The first
man would have been penniless had
he lived to leave the cell. The sec
ord man, it is said, has hidden
enough of his plunder TO insure
him life of luxury after his SEN
tence. The first man-the burglar
received 10 years for his slOO
loot. The second man-the bank
rresldent-received five years for
his 100000 loot. But we are not
now going into the ethics of the
law-or the injustice of Justice.