The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-11

1t, this profane modelling with sacred
and fathomless life? Viii he accent
The plea that we did it '.fur the pro-
tectl0n of society-for the man 8 own
good-or warning to othcrs?n In that
day OF questioning | would rather
lake my chances with the man sitting
IN the char in the prison tailor s shop
mercy may find means TO compensate
hlm Tor what VIC robbed him of: but
what can 1T do with us, the robbers?
The Treatment of "Lifers.'
In the federal prison there were
score or more of !ifcrs, with some of
whom II was my fortune 10 become ac-
quainted. J stood III a sort OF awe OF
them; the thought OF their fate was so
overwhelming tnat my mind could not
compass 1T, though my heart might APP
proach some conception of it through
obscure channels OF intuition. Their
treatment by the prison officials was
not ordinarily severe; even a warden
or guard could feel that clubbing and
rk-celling would be a kind Of anti
climax Tor a man sentenced Tor life.
Some OF them-usually ncgrocs-wo would
be gwen easy Jobs, and not held too
strictly to the petty regulations the spc-
cial object Of which is to humliate The
ordinary prisoner under guise of dIscl
plnlng and reforming him. Nothing was
to be gained by disclplining or REFORM
ing ''lifer. Others, however, in
whom despair had taken the expression
or obstinacy or savagery, were savage
lS handled; one Of them bears terrible
sears from a shooting by one oil the
guards, and he told me that, out of the
twenty-five years he had already
served, eight had been spent in the
isl I'M M ,I
treated for while. cXperimentally, or
TO put the fear of God In their
hearts, and afterward let alone. But
as rule, there is not much fun to be
got out of "ifer" by the prison
Keepers, and they prefer to ignore him.
The introduction of the law allowing
the privilege of applying tor parole
the authorities weapon with which |
they could ''Gct beneath the hide Gas |
they might term it) of these obduratc
subjects. Needless to say. this meas
ure, which provides that lifcrs - may |,
be paroled Cat the discretion of the !
parole board) after having served tif- !
teen years with good prison record, !
by new element of misery into their !
lives. But the men to whose hands the |
: lifer' is intrusted found in 1T means |
OF making him more readily amcnablc |
TO discipline by holding over him the
threat of an adverse report should he |
prove intractable. They could keep him !
In that state Of tortWiug /
suspense rs TO his fate, which is per
haps the worst OF all tortures. by with
holding from him all information as 10
whether or not his appeal was likely |
TO succeed,
Several cases Of this kind came un-
der my observation. In one. the release
came before the man had collapsed; in
others, too late. lu only one or two cases
that ] know of was there any protest I
that his conduct during imprisonment |
had been unsatisfactory Tho delay |
was never explained; 1t was due TO will
full or careless neglect. Two men were
carried out feet foremost in dead box
after they had endured suspense up TO
the extreme limit OF mortal capacity.
They died of broken hearls-gradually !
broken through long months of hope
slowly fading into despair.