New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-03-21

seeing il acts. Tho rule makes ior
contentment and quiet t..oa
"On Blackwells men not permitted
to write smuggle letters out Jun
WINNER tried TO get n letter out ior
man whose wife was dying and got
caugbt Result. the cooler, solitary
confinement and insanity. Men SO
caught not only go to the cooier anu
TO solitary confinement, but lose time
and privileges for six weeks ohIlke
Sing Sing, those in power NJ plnoN
wells seem to feel any continued com
munication with friends VIII interfere
with their damnable corruptive euor's.
They seem 10 feel that the exchange OF
thoughts will keep the spark OF human
kindness md love and sympathy alive
What business have love and sympathy
on Blackwell's Island?
Newspapers Barred.
at is the most natural thing in the
world for the man taken out or II TO
be allowed to know what is going on
outside, that he may keep up his inter
est in life Osborne recognizes that,
and therefore allows every man A
chance TO get a paper every day, be-
ginning the very day he enters the
prison, thereby, in part, multiplying the
vitiating effects of Jail. On BlackwelPs
Island. where Warden Hayes makes the
wheels go around, TO be caught with a
newspaper is a serious offence.
For il men are starved for several
DAYS. forced TO sleep on a hard, cold
floor and deprived of good time and
privileges. All that for the heinous
crime of reading newspaper, the
crime committed by every intelligent
citizen at least twice day. Why, it
Is more criminal for one whose mis-
fortune it is to be behind the bars |
never have been able to discover, I'M
less il be the within and fancy of some
one TO inhict pain and suffering upon
those in his power. Beyond that | can
| find neither excuse nor explanation.
an the matter Of visitors. The rel
atives and friends of most of the men
behind bars are poor and compelled to
work every day except Sundays and
HOLIDAYS. Osborne recognizes that,
and consequently permits prisoners to
receive visits on those days. Isn't that
wonderful concession TO common
sense? Reduce 1t to its last analysis
and it means that prisoners friends
/ can visit them without the important
loss of a days pay. Don't you see why
and how that makes prisoners con-
| tented?
There's many a man within these
| walls who because OF this receives
visits that otherwise received none
and in consequence feels that, after
ALL he is not forgotten; that there is
1 some one outside who thinks of him
/ in something more than a perfunctory
way and encourages him to bear up
TO behave in prison and be n better
man when he comes out than he other
wise would.
"Of course, there is no such rule as
| that on Blackwell's.
"In Sing Sing men are allowed "a
fix up their cells with pictures and
/ knicknacks to break the monotony OF
dead walls. Some prisoners are real
| " artistic and have q keen sense OF
| the beautiful. They are encouraged IN
/ keeping their cells clean and attrac-
tive. On Blackwell's man who puts
picture on the wall of his cell goes
| to the cooler Just before | left
saw three men put in the cooler Tor
| that offence"
what kind of pictures ?" asked.
! "All kinds-sacred pictures and plct-
1
I've known of men having pictures of
| their mothers torn up IN their pres
ence and then punished for having
dared to post them. Osborne wouldn't
dc that. He's too human. And. be-
sides, he knows the value Of having a
dear, beloved face near.
Clothing is another thing. In Sing
/ Sing ! find that n man is given two
suits of undertaking when he comes
/ to the prison. They are marked with
! his number, they belong to him. When
d they are washed the same garments
are returned until new ones are need
ed. On Blackwell's you get different
suit every time, when you get 1t, and
it NAV be three weeks, il may be eight
between suits. You are lucky II the
man who had the suit before you was
not afflicted with some fearful disease
You couldn't tell your readers the con
dition some garments are in when they
reach prisoners. That is not mis-
stating the case. Why, during the
summer, when the men have no under
clothes. they are compelled to worB
and sleep in their trousers, which are
never washed.
A Sanitary Contrast.
"Cleanliness7 Why in Sing Sinl
every man has his own cup and brush
for shaving. On Blackwell's ISLAND
about six do for LOO men, and the
healthy ones are forced to use those
that are fresh from the faces of the
less fortunate. The quarry gang use
one pail Of water. 1t gets so dirty
that the idea of shaving becomes re
voting to any one with a sense OF de
cency. The week before | came out
man in horrible condition was SHAVED
and then | was next
"'Not me- says |.
"'You are mighty particular, SAT-
the guard.
"'Where my health is concerned
have right to be-
Then you get no shave said he.
"All right said /, 'whiskers are les'
of an infiction than i'll health an(
they sayed on.
"As a result of that sort Of thinl
there were several cases OF barber
itch on the island when left.
warden Hayes on BlackwelPs Isl
and has one advantage over Mr.. Us
borne. The cells are larger and bette
ventilated. But Osborne more thai
evens up conditions by seeing 20 !
that the cells are clean. Blackwell
Island cells are anything but clean.
Another thing, where the prlsone
in Sing Sing is better off. Osborn
oocourooes the men TO keep clean