The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-04-01

''SN''Ns us nv ~
ton.
had only spoon-the
largest soup spoon ever saw
to eat with.
Sometimes the Fish" i'm
the first dependency of their
arrival in prison, attempt
suicide. That's why did
not receive knife or fork.
Other prisoners ate in the dim
ing room. New prisoners must
eat in their cells until they shed
their fish-clothes.
1t was some time after dinner
that my first visitor arrived. He
was a young man with a wicked,
crooked smile, a sweeper,
well, how are they coming,
Wilson," he asked cheerily.
oh. can't kick, replied.
IT'S all strange, and I've lost my
appetite, but / guess I'll get along
all right"
Sure, you will he replied. In
spite of the peculiar smile, be-
gan to like him.
This amt a bad place. a-tall.
I've seen lots o. worse ones. Show
the fellows that you're all right,
and there won't be nothing too
good for you.
what YOU want to do is try
to keep out of the mill. tHe re-
ferred TO the jute MILL BY the
way, what's your line?'
I'm a bookkeeper," ] lied.
Fine" the convict exclaimed.
"You'll be all right. They won't
take guy like you out to the
mill. You want to try for job in
the library or in the front office"
All the prisoners at Walla
Walla have duties to perform.
There are dozen conyicts who
have offices of honor in the prison
library, and even sleep there. The
printing establishment. where the
prison paper, Our VIEWPOINT"
is published, is located in the
library. The front office is the
administration building.
PETER MILLER. SEATTLE'S
FAMOUS BURGLAR, WHO HAS
SO MANY SENTENCES AGAINST
HIM THAT He PRO BADLY
WILL NEVER LEAVE PRISON,
is TIE LIBRARIAN.
HE HAS TWO BANKERS, A
DOCTOR, AND \ HALF DOZEN
OTHER MEN OF BRAINS AS
SIST NC HIM IN THE HAND
ling AND SORTING or BOOKS.
During my conversation with
the convict with the crooked
smile, began my effort to learn
the inside truth of prison reform.
Say | said, as the trusty
Ilolied on the deck outside my
door, what do you think about
this place? Do you think it does
any good to lock us fellows up
here?
Where do you get that stuff?'
was the convict's retort. Re
form? Wen, should say not.
"If the Judges who send
men here would make the
| sentences six months in
stead of two and three years.
| for small Offenses, they
might do some good. Because
in the first six months a man
really suffers. He learns his
lesson. If he ever would go
straight again, because Of
fear of being pinched and
sent back, he'd do il at the
end of siN months in stir.
("Stir" is the prison term for
penitentiary.)
but IN EIGHT MONTHS
or 4 WEAR YOU GET
TOuGHENED Up. YOU
LOSE YOUR AMBITION.
YOU DON'T GIVE A D
WHETHER you COME
BACK OR NOT.
The reason guys come back to
prison as second and third-timers
is partly because they have lost
all ambition to be straight again,
and partly because they have spent
SO much time inside that they get
the wrong viewpoint of other
people"
This man was a clever burglar
He told me the next day about his
case.
Together with a pal, he had
pulled off a job in Seattle. The
pal had acted as lookout.
lie got $500 in the haul. But
he was caught. His partner was
also arrested. But the case
against the pal was weak one.
"They wasn't any use in both
of us coming over here. They had
| the goods on me, so pleaded
guilty and said that ! did the job
alone" he told me. "My pal got
off"
THAT FELLOW HASN'T
EVEN WRITTEN Me A POST
CARD SINCE I'VE BEEN IN
SIDE. THAT'S THE WAY PEO-
PIE DO WHEN YOU TRY TO BE
SQUARE WITH THEM"
| About the middle of the after
noon my cell door was opened by
trusty and | was told to go down
to the main corridor. There ! sat
on a bench wondering what would
happen next. Several trusty con-
victs gathered about me, asking
| ouections in whisDerS