The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-11-11

DEER LODGE, Nov. 5. - No mar
can spend term in prison withou
it affecting him deeply and per
manently-that is. providing he ha.
sufficient mentality to receive i'm
pressions. A lot of these fellow:
don't belong here at all They
should be over at Warm Springs
Those sub-normal mental cases arr
our greatest trouble. They do thing.
without reason and without objec
tive And they are the tools tha
the smart alexis use in fomentine
riots, fights and trouble
They sent a man in here las
year First thing he did after be-
ing locked in his cell was to pull
all the straw out of his pillow, pile
clothes and stuff on it. and touch
match to it. That man doesn't be-
long here.
Some of these men may be terrors
to the outside See that stooI
shoulder inmate there? He has
been here, in and out, for nearly
20 years, and he has never broken
rule as yet He is a model pris-
oner Why isn't he out? Well, his
record outside is bad-very bad
He is unsafe to roam at large in
society.
See that chap over there, the
youngish, light complexioned MANI
There was an aged retired police
officer living alone in his home in
a town not far from here. This
thug broke into it one night,
dubbed and beat him in a terrific
fight, then shot at him. If the Of
ficer hadn't been tough old fight
ing fool, he would be dead now That
fellow looks innocent enough.
doesn't he2 But you cant tell by
their looks.
These prison impressions are
meant to reform a man, to reclaim
him for useful position in society.
Frequently they do, occasionally,
they do not. This problem is as old
as society itself. It has never been
completely answered We can only
do our best. We do our best.
After you've been here a few
years, you sense things that are GO
ing on.S You sense trouble coming
in a certain group. and you break
1t up before it breaks out. You
scatter the men, keep them apart
1t man breaks rule, you can
discipline him by taking his priv
ileges away. If an overt act is
committed there are more severe
means of punishment
What privileges? Why. they are
permitted to attend a talking mo-
ton picture once each week. Also
to attend a religious service. Then
the privilege of working, of being
a trustee, of having magazines,
newspapers. visitors, special foods.
You can cancel these privileges for
a week or a month. There are
other ways, too
No prisoner will have trouble in
here if he obeys the rules. The rules
are simple and rigid. Guards have
to follow routine that is just as
rigid as the prisoners follow. Guards
cannot fraternize with the inmates
They cannot talk with them. They
must not allow prisoners to talk to
each other. We had guard here
while back who sought to SNUG
gle in stuff to a prisoner. He isn't
here any more. The guard PAGES
his station or sits in his watch tow
er every minute of his shift. He
IS watching constantly. He watches
every move the men make while
they are on exercise. He accom-
panies them when they empty gar
bage, he takes them to speak to the |
captain or the warden. He mothers
them, but he is a cold. harsh. cal |
culaung mother-and a wise one. |
too
Prisoners think they can fool a |
guard. Well, maybe one did fool
him once, but he is not fooled twice.
He. gets to know all the tricks, he
feels the undertone of discomfort. if /
there is one. He is brutal, only
when necessary He is just, always. |
He has to be. His job perhaps
his life depends upon him being |
just, but firm. There is no cod
ding in this institution. either of |
the inmates or of the guards and
employees. All follow hard, fast set
rules.
What are some of the duties of |
the guards? Well, take the day
captain, for instance. Captain John
McArrison of the morning shift. He
~@AAAoiS siiN pEA4S WlllAil IEll Lille /
guards and prisoners what to do. |
t1e rings the waking up bell, the
breakfast bell. He goes into the
kitchen before every meal and locks
up the kitchen and bakery. He
counts every knife before the men
enter the dining room, every uten-
sill that might be used as weapon.
He counts every spoon on each ia
BILE. There are five~men at each
table and two serving spoons to
each. There are over 500 men eat
ing in that one great room for each
meal
Everyone knows that meal times
are the dangerous times in prison.
The men march in at each end of
the room, which is nearly a block
long and go feet wide. They come
in in platoons, from Cell House No. /
and Cell House No. 2. The captain
stands in the center of the room
when this orderly crowd marches
by him. He pushes the bell to sig
nal them in. They stand at their
tables, 500 men from the most dan
gerous strata of American life
robbers, thieves, thugs
and just plain unfortunates.
II. H. rs