The Parma herald. (Parma, Idaho) 1903-1917, 1912-04-11
cHAPrEn XII.

IN the very heart OF Manhattan. RICH
m tho cenfer OF tho city's most con
rested district. an imposing edIac,
OF gray stone. medieval In It's style O
architecture. lowered high above al
the surrounding dinRy Offices nnt
sQualid tenemenfs. Its massive con
struction. steep walls. pointed turrets
raised pnrapcts and long. narrow. slit
like windows. heavily barred. gave n
the aspect Of feudal fortress Incon
Frnously set down plumb In tho mids,
OF twentieth century New York. The
duii roar Of broadway hummed n
couple OF blocks away; IN tho distance
doomed the lofty. graceful spans Of
brooklyn bridge. jammed with its ON.
posing streams OF busy intcrurban
trAfhc. The adjacent streets vera
nilsd with tho din OF hurrying crowds.
the rattle OF vehicles. the cries OF ven.
doris. the clane OF street ears. the ughl
ughi OF speeding automobiles. The nc.
tive. pulssting life OF the metropolls
surgod like a rising food about the
TALL krny walls. yet there was no re-.
sponse within. Grim. silent. sinister.
tho city prison. popularity known AZ
the Tombs," seemed 10 have nothing
IN common with the daily actisitIos of
the big town Ia which. notwithstand.
Ing, II unhappIly played an important
part.
The present prison Is vastly ar.
fcrcnt place to tho old jnil from
which II got It's melancholy cognomen.
To-day there is not the slightest justI.
ncntion for the luguhrious epithot an.
piled to II. but In the old days. whom
mans inhumanity TO man was Less a
form OF speech than cold. merclless
fact. the "Tombs" described an intol.
ernbie and dIsgraccful condition fairly
accurately. Formerly tho cells IN
which the unfortunate prisoners were
confined while awaiting trial were sit.
mated deep under ground and had mel.
Their Hight nor ventilation. A man
might be guiltless OF the ofrense with
which he was charged. yet while
awaiting an opportunity to prove HIS
Innocence he was condemned 10 snend /
days. sometimes months. IN what WINS
httle better than a grave. Literally |
he was buried alive. A party of for.
eiEners visiting the prison one day
were startled at seeing human beings
confined In such holes. "rhey look
like fombsl" cried some one. New
York was amused ut the singularlv |
appropriate appcllatiye and II has
stuck 10 the prison ever since.
But times change and institutions
with them. As man becomes more
civilized be treats the lawbreaker
with more humanity. Probably socl.
ETY. Will always need its prisoners
but ~ we become more enlightened
Ne Insist on treating our criminals
more from the physiological and psy.
Geological standpoints than In the
cruel. brutal. barbarous manner OF the
dark sses In other words the soelol.
oeist insists that the lawbreaker has
greater need OF the physician than he
has OF the TALLER.
To-day the city prison Is tomb
In name only. II Is admirably con.
structed. commodious. well ventilated
The cells are large and well lighted
with comfortable cots and oil the
modern sanitary arrangements. There
are roomy corridors for daily exercise
and luxurious shower baths can ba oh.
tanned free for the asking. There ara
rhapels for the religiously inclined
and library for the studious. The
food IL wholesome and well prcoaYea
IN q large. scrupulously clean Kitchen
situated ON the top floor. carplns
critics hare. indeed. declared The
rombs to be too luxurious. declaring
hat habituai criminals enjoy a stav
It the prison and actually commit
srims so that they may enjoy some Of
IT. hotel-like comforts.
II was with a sinking heart ana n
iuli. gnawing sense OF apprehension
hat Annie descended from south.
'ound Madison avenus car in Center
'treet and approached the small nor.
Al under the forbidding gray walls.
The had visited a prison once before
Then her father died. She remem.
cred the depressing ride In the train
o Sing Sing. the formidable steel
oors and ponderous bolts, the narrow
ellis. each with its involuntary occu.
ant IN degrading stripes and closely
ropped hair. and the uniformed
yards armed with rifles. She remem-
cred how her mother wept and how
hs had wondered Why they kept her