The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-05-27
CHAPTER VIII

ncidents-because of the interest OF
a girl of Independent means and her
confidence in me.
CHAPTER VIII
A western county Internationally
the Jail of a county wherein the state
capital is ituated-contain many
different classes of persons. 1t may
have Migrants, who, in order to get
housed and fed for time, diliberate-
ly execute some minor offense. 1t
may also contain young men of good
past; one may find all types from the
clerk cashier who spent just enough
of the firms money to bring him
within the embezzlement statute to
the hardened old-timc yegg burglar
with many state prison terms be-
hind him-all of the last named types
awaiting trial, which would decide
whether they were to go to the peni-
tertiary or go free.
Then, too, in such a western county
jail there is seldom if ever a time
when one cannot find there one or
more persons awaiting trial on a
charge of murder in some degree.
The public at large imagines, per-
haps, that the last type are the
worst. That would no doubt be Il
matter of opinion; but to separate
and weigh the types would take the
combined knowledge of psycholo-
gists, biologists, naturalists, sociolo-
gists, criminologists, alienists, spe-
cialists in pathology of all kinds,
sages, philosophers, prophets seers.
revelators and demigods supermen
and saints-and then, after all de-
cisions had been cached and record
ed, up would spring some new phase
to set all former words of wisdom
at naught.
However, murderers have no dis
. l.,
either specialist or laymen may sin
gle them out from the others. Every
guard, jail-keeper, usher or any other
officer who has been on duty at
prison could tell of laughable Incl
dents due to average good citizens
attempts to guess at some of those
who stood classed as the bad men.
Almost invariably they would pick
out some hardl,Jking but or the
most part harmless man as the one
of the hardened criminals" while
the fellows who had CHANGED to go
far enough wrong to kill someone
would, as a rule, be put in a class
w tn minor offeaders-those that are.
in the words of q woman who adj
dressed some prisoners once, not so
terribly bad as those who are worse"
Wife Visits Cell Neighbor.
AS a matter of fact then, that
county Jail where l was being held
contained all types of law breakers.
And the younL man who celled next
to me-whose wife was expected to
visit him on that certain Wednesday
afternoon-was one who, in COM
pany with two other employees of
railroad, had taken and sold a guam
tity of brass and various fixtures.
They were expected to go on trial
the following month.
We were all allowed to shave and
Slick up" generally twice week
the forenoon OF visiting days Visit
ors were not permitted until the aft
ernoon. Fortunately for me, that
mornings mail had brought a brief
letter from a friend who lived some
fifty miles distant and the letter con-
tanned five dollar note. With that
amount to my credit in the office of
the Jail, | was sufficiently wealthy
to send out and buy few extras in
the eating line and ten minutes after
being notified of the receipt of the
money L prevailed upon the jailer to
send for my laundry left before my
arrest. With clean linen, close
shave and careful attention to my
toilet generally-and also with my
own clothes, which L was permit ed
to keep presented an appearance
at least equal to that of the average
man in Jail.
person to visit relative or friend
in that Jail had to pass muster at
the office. The officials had to know
the visitor W. the person repre-
sented and they had to be reasonably
certain the visitor would not likely
try to do anything whatsoever
against the law or the interests OF
the place generally.
All inmates had bee sent to their
cells right after the midday meal.
On the floor where l was confined
they were, as my neXt-doo neighbor
said, "a rather decent bunes of guys"
and therefore visitors who We're
kn.wn to be all right might, after
being turned into the outer corridor
or run around, just walk on until
they found the person they wished
to visit with.
Second Woman.
L had Just finished answering the
letter of that friend who had sent
the five dollars when 1 herd the
outer corridor gate click and a NOM
ent later came the bulky jailer then
on duty followed by two :-oung
women.
Fred" 1 heard the jailer address
my neighbor, heres your wife and
a friend. I'm having chairs brought
in here. and you folks may visit as
long as you like"
All right, r. Durridge," 7 heard
Fred reply, thank you'll appreciate
that
When reds wife haG shaken
hands with him, l heard her explain
ing about the other young woma 4.
Fred, it seemed, had known her in
his childhood: and she, upon hearing
of his difficulty, had sought out his
family while on a visit in the city.
Durridge, the jailer, stopped in
front of my cell as he turned back.
Say Kane" he addressed me in a
low tone. we allow poop, who are
all right just to come in and visit
this way alone.
We have our hands fun watching
some of those VII, visit downstairs
and VI can hardly watch everybody
and do justice. And | needn't tell
yo,- that they're not supposed to talk
to anyone up here but 1'TcI there
and no one else is allo' | to talk to
them" He hesitated there.
Certainly understand" was my
quick reply. "Of course it's hardly
likely they'd w-nt to talk to me-
] stressed tha' 'me'-"but maybe you
had better call their attention to the
rule; that might prevent their try
in. to talk with me, If they should
being PIT. in a rather embarrassing
position"
He laughed. LAS pretty as they are
fellow would like to sit like a
rum dunn if they should speak to him.
Ell? III explain it to them" And
! heard him speaking to them in a
low tone.
O O O
Is She Curious.
He had not been away five minutes
when | saw Frees boyhood friend
move noiselessly across to the end
of the windows and begin a seeming
| inspection of it or something beyond
| OF course, | knew that she did not
want to remain too close listener
to all that Fred and his wife might
want to say; but on the other hand
her every move and a casual sweep
ing glance OF the corridor and the
front of my cell told me that, with
fem ipine olIriOSifV was daeirni1 C