The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-01-31
CHAPTER XIII.


In the very heart CT Manhattan. right
In the center of the city's most con-
gested district. an Imposing edifice
OF gray stone. medieva. in It's style of
architecture, lowered high above all
the surrounding dingy Offices and
squalid tenements. It's massive con-
struction. steep walls, pointed turrets.
raised parapets and long, narrow. slit
like windows. heavily barred, gave It
the aspect Of feudal fortress incon.
gruously set down plumb in the midst
OF twentieth century New York. The
dull roar Of Broadway hummed
couple OF blocks away; In the distance
loomed the lofty. graceful spans of
Brooklyn bridge. jammed with its op.
posing streams of busy interurban
traffic. The adjacent streets were
filled with the din of hurrying crowds.
the rattle OF vehicles. the cries OF ven-
doris. the clang of street cars. the ugh,
ugh! of speeding automobiles. The ac-
tive. pulsating life of the METROPOLIS
surged like rising food about the
tall gray walls. yet there was no re-
sponse within. Grim, silent, sinister.
the city prison. popularity known as
the Tombs," seemed to have nothing
In common with the daily activities of
the big town In which. notwithstand.
ing. 1t unhappily played an important
part.
The present prison Is a vastly diff.
ferent place to the old jail from
which 1t got Its melancholy cognomen.
To-day there is not the slightest justi-
hcation for the lugubrious epithet ap-
piled to 1t. but In the old days, when
mans inhumanity to man was less a
form Of speech than a cold, merciless
fact. the "Tombs" described an intol.
erab'e aud disgraceful condition fairly
accurately Formerly the cells IN
which the unfortunate prisoners were
confined While awaiting .riai were si'
uated deep under ground and had nei
ther ilght UOr. ventilation A man
might be guiltless of the offense with
which he was charged. yet while
awaiting an opportunity to prove his
innocence he was condemned to spend
days. sometimes months, In what was
little better than grave. Literally.
re was buried alive. A party of for.
eisners visiting the prison one day
we're startled al seeing human beings
confined In such holes. "They look
Ike tombs!" cried some one. New
York was amused at the singularly
appropriate apoellative and II has
stuck to the prison ever since.
But times change and institutions
with them. Al man becomes more
civilized he treats the laworcaker
with more hun anity. Probably soci-
ETY. Will always need its prisoners.
but as we become more enlightened
we insist on treating our criminals
more from the physiological and psy.
geological standpointa than .n the
cruel, brutal, barbarops manner OF the
dark ages. In other words the sociol-
ogist insists that the lawbreaker has
greater need OF the physician than Ia
has Of the jailer.
To-day the city prison is a tomb
In name only. II Is admirably CON
structed. commodicus, well ver tilated
The cells are large and we'll lighted
with comfortable cots and all tho
modern sanitary arrangements. There
are roomy corridors for daily exercise
and luxurious shower baths car be OBJ
tanned free for the asking There are
chapels for the religiously Inclined
and library for the studious. The
food Is wholesome and well prepared
In large. scrupulously clean kitchen
situated on the top floor. Carping
critics have. indeed. declared the
Tombs to be too luxurious. declaring
that habitual criminals erjoy a stav
al the prison and actually commit
crime so that they may enjoy some of
It's hotel-like comforts.
IL was with a sinking heart and a
duli, gnawing sense OF apprehension
mat Annie descended from south
bound Madison avenue car In Center
street and approached the small nor.
tai under the forbddng gray walls.
She mad visited prison once before.
when her father died She remem-
oered the depressing ride i'm the train
10 Sing Slug. the formidable steel
doors and ponderous bolts. the narrow
cells each with its involuntary occu.
pant In degrading stripes and CLOSELY
cropped hair, and the uniformed
guards armed with rifles She remem-
Dered how her mother wept and how
she mad wondered why they kept her
poor dada In such an ugly place. To
'hihk that after all these years she
was again to go through similar ex.
perience.
she had nerved herself for the or.
deal. Anxious as she was TO see How
ara AMI learn from his lips all that
mad happened, she feared that she
would mover be able To see him behind
the bars without breaking down. Yet