The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-07-08
y a P.ALATIAL PRISON. +
(Pittsburg Dispatch.)

ANsHS SdiS liz iIlSISSJOT
or the western p~enitentiary on his re-
turn from Leavenworth yesterday.
When you reach the United States
prison, YOU have that gloomy feeling
of a 'blueish tint and YOU have that
win you when YOU reach the outer
gate. There you are met by a for
misunderstanding military guard and
there you halt. The bell rings and the
guard appear on a platform ten feet
the ground; he lowers a basket,
your caro- is placed in it and then sent
by a 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 pri-
gloomy walls and bars you find your
self in a well-lighted and beautifully
finished corridor, white tile floor,
Italian marble wainscoting 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
YOU learn in a moment. Passing
through the hall you come to the din
lns-Ioom-an immense room seating
LOCO or more, all enjoying their noon
meal-and stationed at one end of
the room a brass band of thirty or for
ty pieces playing, not rag time but
classical music. Every man is work
ing hard putting away a working
mans meal, and it is good, whole
some food. too. This room. like the
hall. is finished in Italian marble and
rubber tile floor. 1t is bright, cheer
full and sunny n the mon look as
unlike prisoners as in any manufac-
uring plant or in the streets in Pitts
burg.
"on the other side of the corridor
is the auditorium. seating n thous-
and. with its Italian marble wainscot-
ing. opera chairs, large Stage and we'll
lighted. In the auditorium entertain
ments are given and on Sundays the
Protestant services are held. Adjoin-
ing is the Catholic chapel. seating $50
or 200. This little church is as beauti-
full as any Catholic church in our city.
Nearby are the kitchen. pantries. store
house. cold storage and refrigeratins
plant. and, in fact. everything and
every convenience YOU would expect
to find in an up-to-date city hotel.
This. of course. is the pleasant side
of leaNenworth. Passing through the
large spacious italian marble hall.
with its tiled floors and fine wood fin
ish. YOU enter the cell blocks. and
worth ceases. The cell houses are
poorly planned. The two completed
cell blocks radiate from the main
building and are quilt 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 ac-
count of the crowded condition of the
prison. two men are placed in most
of the cells. We were pleased to find
that some well-known Pittshurg gen.
tlemen, now visiting Major McClough-
rvs hotel are given separate rooms.
To view the cell house alone is worth
the trip to Leavenworth. for the west
ern penitentiary inspectors were con-
penitentiary on the wagon wheel plan.
The cells at Riverside are too small,
but they are larger than Leavenworth.
and it is difficult to understand why.
with the mistakes before them. the
government architects would make
the blunder of planning these small
rooms. but no doubt. his will be cor
rected in the new cell blocks vet to be
built.
The prisoners are well-treated.
given all the liberties and privileges
possible. but military discipline is the
rule and woe the the ma who gets i'm
wrong Major McCloughry. the war
den. is a hig-hearted fellow. and as
long as the prisoners obey the rules.
lie Is lI!NlI IIlGlu ana counsellor Dut
rules is rules
In the prison yard a fine baseball
field has just beer finished with a
grandstand, seating about 500, and
there the ~LeaNenworth mines will play
ball this summer. They have five bali
clubs, three made up Of white, one Of
colored, and one red. the Indians.
The umpires will b.. prisoners and the
Deputy Warden will be the supreme
court. Any player who even so much
as questions the umpire's decision will
go out of the game and to the cell.
This would hardly suit or please our
friends in the bleachers at Forbes
field but it goes here. The boys are
looking onward TO the summer sport
with interest. and if successful. other
sports will be put on. The only game
barred is football, for that would give
too many opportunities to get even
with some enemies in the lineup.
The LeavenWorth ~penitentiary has
been building for about six years. and
up to this time has cost the United
States government $780, 900. Just
what the completed building will cost
would be difficult to estimate, but
from the way things look at Leaven-
worth, 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 Leav-
enworth reservation. Almost every
thing used in the construction. except
of course the marble. tile, and lum~
Der, were made and put in place by
convict labor. The stone is received
in large blocks and dressed and set UP
by convicts. The brick clay and
brickstone is worked up and bricks
made and laid by convicts. In fact.
everything, which can be, is made,
worked up and put in place by convict
labor.
The Rellefont r%enitentiary will be-
gin operation with as many convicts
as are now confined III the Leaven-
worth ~penitentiary. Bellefonte will
have 5000 acres of fine farming land
as against 1000 acres at LeavenWorth.
Its location is equal to Leavenworth's
from h farming viewpoint and vast |
ly superior to it from others. For in
stance, L~eavenWorth has to depend on
the city of Lea"enworth for its water |
supply, while Bellefonte has water in |
abundance.
Taking all that was seen at Leav-
enworth, the acreage, the location, the
buildings, n all important water
supply, Pennsylvanians may be assur-
ed that in the Bellefonte ~penitentiary,
when completed, they will have the
most modern. convenient. and up-to-
date penal institution in the world"
NINE TAKE