Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-08-02
PALATIAL PENITENTIARY.
The United States is Erecting a Mar

| LeaVenWOrtn, KANSAS, SdlQ dn lnSptC-
tor of the Western penitentiary on his
return from Leavenworth recently.
when you reach the United States
prison you have that gloomy feeling Of
a blush tint and you have that with
you when you reach the outer gate.
| There you are met by a formidable
looking military guard and there
/ you halt The bell rings and the guard
appears on a platform ten feet above
the ground; he lowers a basket, your
card is placed in it and then sent by
messenger to the warden's office. II
you pass muster, you are invited in
side. You have passed through two
gates already and now you go through
two more and are then inside the pris-
on. Presto! the scene changes; from
gloomy walls and bars you find your
self in a well-lighted and beautifully
finished corridor, white tile floor, Ital-
ian marble wainscoating eight or ten
feet high, bright and attractively
painted walls. In the distance Is heard
beautiful music and you are told this
is the luncheon hour. Just why the mu-
sic and luncheon hour you learn in
moment. Passing through the hall, you
come to the dining room-an immense
room seating 1000 or more, all enjoy
| ing their noon meal-and stationed at
one end of the room brass band 'of
thirty or forty pieces playing, not rag
time, but classical music. Every man
is working hard putting away work.
ingman's meal, and 1t is good, whole
some food. too. This room, like the
hall, is finished in Italian marble and
rubbed tile floor. 1t is bright, cheerful
and sunny, and the men look as unlike
prisoners as in any manufacturing
plant or in the streets of Pittsburg.
"On the other side Of the corridor Is
the auditorium, seating 1000, with its
Italian marble wainscoating, opera
chairs, large stage and we'll lighted. In
the auditorium entertainments are CIV
en- and on Sundays the Protestant SER
vices are held. Adjoining 1t Is the Cath
Ollie chapel, seating $50 or 200. This lit
| tie church Is as beautiful in detail as
any Catholic church in our city. Near
by are the kitchen, pantries, storehouse
cold storage and refrigerating plant,
and, in fact, everything and every con-
venience you would expect to find In
| an up-to- date city hotel.
| This, of course, is the pleasant side
Of Leavenworth. Passing through the
large spacious Italian marble hall,
with its tiled floors and fine wood fin
ish, you enter the cell blocks, and there
your admiration for Leavenworth
ceases. The cell houses are poorly
planned. The two completed cell
blocks radiate from the main building
and are built on the wagon wheel plan
and result in shutting out the sun from
parts Of the building and interfering
with good ventilation. The cells are
small and cramped. On account Of the
crowded condition of the prison two
men are placed in most Of the cells.
Pittsburg gentlemen, now visiting Ma
| jor McCloughry's hotel are given sep
arate rooms. To view the cell house
alone Is worth a trip to Leavenworth
tors were considering building the new
Bellefonte penitentiary on the wagon
wheel plan. The cells at Riverside are
too small, but they are larger than
Leavenworth, and it is difficult to un-
der stand why, with the mistakes be-
fore them, the government architects
would make the blunder Of planning
these small rooms, but no doubt this
will be corrected in the new cell blocks
yet to be built.
1.-The prisoners are we'll treated, CIV
en- all the liberties and privileges pos
sible, but military discipline Is the
rule, and woe the man who gets in
wrong Major McCloughry, the war
den, is a big-hearted fellow, and as
long as the prisoners obey the rules, he
Is their friend and counsellor, but
| rules Is rules
I'm the prison yard a fine baseball
| llCiu ldo Juot bCOh with q
grand stand seating about 500, and
there the Leavenworth mines will play
| ball this summer. They have five ball
clubs, three made up of whites, one Of
colored and one red, the Indians. The
| umpires will be prisoners, and the dep
uty warden will be the supreme court.
| Any player who even so much as ques-
| tion's the umpire's decision will 60 out
Of the game and to the cell. This would
hardly suit or please the friends in the
bleachers at Forbes Field, but it goes
there. The boys are looking forward
| to the summer sport with interest,
and, If successful, other sports will be
put on. The only game barred is foot
| ball, for that would give too many op-
portunities to get even with some en-
| emies in the lineup.
"The Leavenworth penitentiary has
been building for about six years, and
| up to this time has cost the United
| States government $1,800,O00. Just
what the completed building will cost
would be difficult to estimate, but from
the way things look at Leavenworth
another million dollars or more will be
necessary.
THE penitentiary is within a few
minutes ride Of Leavenworth and Is
located on part Of the old Fort Leaven-
worth reservation. Almost everything
used in the construction, except, Of
course, the marble, tile and lumber,
was made and put in place by convict
labor The stone is received in large
J blocks and dressed and set up by con-
victs. In fact, everything which can be
is made, worked up and put in place
| by convict labor.
"The Bellefonte penitentiary will be-
gin operation with as many convicts as
are now confined in the Leavenworth
penitentiary. Bellefonte will have 5000
acres of fine farming land, as against
| 1000 acres at Leavenworth. It's loca-
| tion is equal to Leavenworth's from
the farming viewpoint and vastly su-
| perior to it from others. For instance,