The Calumet news., 1912-09-30

get their jobs by favor OF their dis.
trict leader. A job in the Tombs Is
not measured by the salary It brings,
but by the opportunities for graft at
tached to 1t. II is a good deal like a
police captaincy or a police inspector.
ship. There is graft In pretty nearly
everything connected with the Tombs.
No prison In America has such an un.
savory reputation In that respect.
This graft and corruption has been ex.
posed time and again 1t fills many
pages In book written by one OF
the former chaplains of the Tombs II
is so well known among the denizens
OF the underworld that liquor, NOR
phine. cocaine and other drugs may
eb obtained freely by prisoners there
that II is hardly worth mentioning.
II is related by former Tombs Chap
lain j. J. Munro that when a certain
politician was boss of the City prison.
as the Tombs is called. murderers. as
soon as they gave their pedigree at
the desk. were marched to the war
den's office. where they were pri-
vately catechized to know whether
any steerer OF the prison had been
giving them any information about
lawyers. and then informed 1t was not
necessary for them to 90 to court in
order to get COUNSEL that he would,
out of the goodness of his heart.
look after their interests and assign
a lawyer to them. Two or three shy
ster firms had the murder cases dur
ing this wardens regime. They got
$500 head. which was the amount
OF money allowed by the state for
the defense Of every murderer less
one-half. which went to the grating
warden. Out of this grew g. rule that
is moro or less observed now. that no
prisoner In the Tombs can change his
attorney without the consent OF the
court
Searching" Merely q Farce.
The way In which Forsbrey. the
murderer who fed. got the acid and
the saws-and perhaps the dynamite
that were found on him two days
before his escape indicates the laxity
with which the system of searching
visitors to the Tombs Is conducted.
II is asserted that II a prisoner is at
all influential or has a fair bit OF
money at his disposal the searching
is very perfunctory. Unless the OBJ |
ject is fairly good-sized one or is
concealed there Is a good
chance OF It's getting past. This |
brings one back again to the per.
sonal element In the conduct OF the |
Tombs. The personal equation is OF
Just as much Importance In the run
ming of prison as 1t is in Gazing for
the safety OF railroad train.
The man who has a Job In the
Tombs, or on Blackwell's island. or !
Wards island, or In any OF the other
penal institution, is under certain
strong obligations to his political
boss. There are gentlemen employed
IN the Tombs from the First assem-
bly, district. II they lad not gone on
he excursion of the Huron club to
grove the day prior to Fors.
brey's escape II would have been on
account OF Illness. That Is the only
excuse they could have offered to ac-
count for their absence from that
But lot of them went
practically all that owed allegiance
o the downtown Tammany crowd
They we're busy all day long on the
,uting entertaining their friends. II
s declared these people we're tired
Ind languorous at night after they
rot back and resumed their duties at
he Tombs. Among them was night
teeper. who should have been punch
ng the time clock every hour. but he
lunbersd. Night Warden Jones. who
lad charge Of the jail in the hours
" darkness, is said to have awak-
med him again and again. A gong
ings In the warden's office when the