New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-19
Tribune Reporter De
SCribeS His Second Day
in Reformed Prison.
AS PRISONER, GUIDES
INVESTIGATING PARTY
Sees Meeting of Neighbors
in SOLITARY" Brought
About by Voice.


garb Of a convict at Sing Sing.
Nr Wood made no effort TO deceive
either guards or prisoners. This was
thoroughly understood between him
and Warden Osborne before the lat
ter gave him permission TO become
cell inmate. The convicts-lifers
and short termers-knew that he was
newspaper man; knew this and.
apparently. did not resent II. What
this reporter has written reflects
truly--as far as he can telI-the
attitude Of the convict toward Thomas
Mott Osborne's humanitarian regime
up the river"
BY LEWIS WOOD.
spent my second day at Sing Sing
with the Auburn boys" who had been
sent TO Ossining from their own prison
TO study conditions. II was a relief.
after a night in the cellhouse. to be
with these men. The cellhouse had
left mental scar.
The Auburn men were a picked lot
representative of what can be done
with the most "rebellious" convict
quote the word. Because | single them
out is no reason for imagining that !
consider them superior TO many Of the
others. lappenod to be thrown close
" with them. That is all They ex-
! Cnplify what can be done by a rule
of humanity and common sense. l. is
a hackneyed saying that you can lead
most men but cannot drive them.
There never was better demonstra-
tion Of this than among the Auburn
seven now visiting" at Sing Sing.
These men can eye you straight when
they talk. There is nothing of the ira
ditional look OF the thief or murderer
about them. They seem like strong
fellows. the sort that make good sol
diers. One of them WAS a soldier once.
He happens to be most prominent in
Auburn's Mutual Welfare League.
/ They are sincere to an astonishing
degree. When they describe talking 10
some one on subject near TO the
heart they sav: "The tears came to
my eyes. just couldn't help it."
They say it just as simply and easily
as you remark TO a waiter, I'll have
the potatoes French fried" Men don't
/ talk that way outside of prisons. On
| the outside they're CLOSED and var
Iished. But these men, Gagged together,
90 back to the simplest things.
Talk Man to Man.
Those men talk to you actually man
TO man. Two hours after ! left them
/ on Sunday | was eating luncheon IN a
university club. in the Forties. My
/ host disappeared for a moment, and
/ sat thinking of the men ! had left back
/ Of that great brick wall. At the next
/ table were three young men. One
/ stretched in his chair. putting smoke
! ring toward the ceiling.
81 bid two on diamonds and was al
most set" he laughed.
Can YOU imagine anything more
banal? Just two hours earlier ! had
been sitting with a group, huddled on
prison cots. The group was discussing
the parole bill. One. clean-cut fel-
low, was talking; the others listened
tense, earnest.
We we're up at the dormitory then,
900 of us. The dormitory Is where they
mt the overflow from the cellhouse
It's a part Of the chapel. | was
propped up on a cot. Gathered around
me and man who was telling me
some things | wanted TO know were
6fteen convicts. Some peered over the
shoulders Of others IN their efort 10
bear Smoke hung in n blue haze
over in n corner an Italian with the
blackest hair and the heaviest eye
brows ever saw was playing guitar
1--WE can never forget were IN sald
this man. He takes care Of the flowers
oNo: never" he continued. iii tell
vou why. Do you remember what
cverv man tells you when you ask him
how long a bit he has 10 do?'
And then did remember The an
swer would be. 1.-TWO years five months
and three DAYS" or Eight years seven
months and fifteen days" They never
forget the "and days
Yeggman Tells Story.
A yeggman with steel -shod jaw anc
eyes that peered from Juttlng Dro"s
broke in:
"You see that little white house az
m tho ton of the mountain yonderF
lie nointed toward the Hudson. when
was here in 1903 | always said 20 my
self that when ! got out | was gong
nm IN that house and sit on the porch
and look down here at the prison and
500 what il looked like. used "a
think and think of that. After while
knew that what | wanted was not 50
much TO look at the prison, but Just 20
ee. out and get up to that house I'm
going there. too. the day I'm sprung.
made some notes in the cellhouse
tho frat night. but Friday and Satur-
dav | couldn't make any. There were
so many men wanted 10 talk with
and so many who wanted 10 talk 20 me-
One reason they wanted TO talk 10 me
was because of the messages they
wanted 10 send 10 the outside world
not messages for themselves, but mes
ssges in behalf Of all prisoners IN the
wide world. | made az least ten en-
yaCements didn't. and couldn't, keep.
The mems eagerness for publicity stuck
out everywhere. They want VISITORS 10
come and see Sing Sing. They want 10
-slk with them. No feature OF warden
: Osborne's whole plan has done more 10
Gain him the mems support than ms
attitude on this point. The men don
fear visitors. They don't fear that any
one from the outside will say they
have too many privileges and that the
prison is easy" They are anxious Tor