The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-09-06
MEN, WOMEN
AND THINGS

about little while back on my way
home from Montgomery did SO.
My boy Frank was with me and eager
to see what penitentiary looked like.
Now boys in their teens just naturally
eat up books of adventure, and his
mind was filled with thrilling escapes
and the wonderful work of sleuths.
and SO when we came in sight of the
high wall surrounding the prison
houses he was keyed up to a high ten
sion
I had passed by the penitentiary a
number of times but had meyer been in
it. The front of the institution has
real home like atmosphere and camou-
flages its real business, but soon after
entering it one can see the grim pur-
pose to which it is put by the state and
that in spite of it's attractive exterior
it is no summer hotel.
/ confess that all of the modern de-
vices worked out by safe builders fail
to impress me as much as do the pom
derous old style locks which takes a
any author wishes to catch the local
color of prison houses before the ad
vent of the latest thing in the way of
time locks all he will have to do will
be to visit the one at Wetumpka.
We were shown into an unused build
ing built so 1 was informed in 1889 just
four score years ago The walls built
of brick being three feet thick. Here
one gets to see the old style dark mar
row cells which have long since been
abandoned, but standing in the midst
of them it takes no Dickens to con-
struct the tales of misery hidden with
in their recesses. Their abandonment
shows the march in prison reform.
Now I may be butting in where my
advice is not wanted, but it seems to
me the convict board or whoever bust
ness it is is overlooking a good bet
in not altering the building referred to
above, for it could easily and without
great expense be converted into an as
sembly hall or utilized in various other
ways. I just offer this as a sugges-
ton leaving it to the proper parties
to work out the necessary details. 1t
seems pity to leave it unused when
there is chance to make it serve the
best interests of the state and the
prisoners.
I said to Pitman, "old fellow don't
let your new job rob you of the milk
of human kindness but remember that
you are dealing with human beings"
He took my hint with good grace and
replied that since he had been warden
he had not found it necessary to whip
any one. I had Just seen the old whip
ping stocks in the old building with
| the cells, and it seemed to me to be
| reminder of days which I hope have
passed forever in Alabama.
More than quarter of century ago
| | made visit to prison camp in JEFF
| ferson county with one of the states
physicians and to this day I can see
the surley face of big hulking negro
/ who had been placed in the hungry cell
, and who when brought out into the
light stood blinking like a bat and yet
unconquerored. 1t was a contest of
brute force degrading to the prison of
| ficials and to the prisoner I am no
mere sentimentalist, but from long
study of prison work 1 know a better
| way has been found.
I am glad that in spite of all the
| forces at work to make revenue out of
| convicts that the people of Alabama
lnv l. A..
may be transgressor of the law and
yet retain some good and be capable
of reformation. and I am HEALTHY in
| sympathy of taking, the prisoners out
| of the mines even though it may be a
| financial loss to the state. In this
twentieth century we cannot put pro-
perty rights above human rights with
out sacrificing our democracy.
| There are wardenS and wardens and
some of them in Alabama have been
disgrace to it I have been in convict
| camps where my blood was made to
boil at things 1 saw. 7 have heard war;
dens and guards talk in way to make
| me wish that they could be put in
stripes. But bad as it is for the men who
have the handling. of the convicts to
become callous, yet have more respect
for them than / have for the higher
ups who for business or political rea-
| sons blOCK every EFFORT at lettering
conditions and laugh at the idea of
treating law breakers with even COM
mon humanity.
; The warden at Wetumpka is no molly
| coddle and will see that discipline is
maintained but having known him at
Camp Hill l am confident that he will
never mistreat a prisoner himself or
allow any one under him to do it. 1 was
impressed by change made. 1t was
a little thing. We went into the car
! penters room and saw a coffin. 1t
was dressed and vanished. 1t is true
it cost little more than dollar more
but surely this great state is rich
enough to spend little extra to put
away it's dead decently even though
they went to face the Great Judge of
the universe from prison.
We went through the various wards,
the kitchen, the dining rooms. the hos
jpital, but the thing which Interested
Frank most was the office where the
new corners were weighed. measured,
and had their finger prints taken. Theo
Lacey was in charge of the Bertillion
system and explained it very thorough
ly to us. Boy like. Frank wanted his
finger prints made and so Theo got
his roller ready and spread the ink on
a glass and placing Franks thumb and
fingers in ink took prints on the card
board. There was general laugh
when Frank said. 81 am going to take
my card home with me to show the
boys, for I'm not going to leave it here
to be. filed away He had his wish