1. THE TREATMENT OF THE PRISONERS.
The inmates of the Missouri penitentiary are well clothed. In this
respect, this prison has
no rival. All the prisoners presented the appearance of being cleanly,
so far as their clothing is concerned. All are dressed in stripes. None
are exempt. Here are nearly two thousand men on an equality. None of
them can look down upon others, and say, I am more nicely dressed than
you. I never saw a convict dude in the entire lot. The prisoners are
well fed. For breakfast, the bill of fare consists of bread, coffee,
without milk or sugar, and hash. There is no change of this bill of
fare. If the prisoner has been there for ten years, if not in the
hospital, he has feasted upon hash every morning. Boiled meat, corn
bread, potatoes and water make up the dinner, and for supper the convict
has bread, molasses and coffee. The principal objection to this diet is
its monotony. Whenever a change of diet becomes a strict necessity, the
prisoner is permitted to take a few meals in the hospital dining-room.
Here he receives a first-class meal. This is a capital idea. A great
deal of sickness is prevented by thus permitting the convict to have an
occasional change of diet. On holidays, such as Thanksgiving day,
Christmas, etc., an extra dinner is given, which is keenly relished by
all. I have before me a
statement of the expenses for a Sunday breakfast and dinner. There are
only two meals given on Sunday. The hash was made up of 612 pounds of
beef, 90 pounds of bacon, and 30 bushels of potatoes. Fifty-one pounds
of coffee were used, and four and a half barrels of flour. The entire
meal cost $68.38.
For dinner, 1,585 pounds of beef, 30 bushels of potatoes, and
4½ barrels of flour, were used. This meal cost $100.61. It costs
about ten cents each a day to feed the prisoners. Some of the convicts,
after they get their daily tasks performed, do overwork. The contractors
pay them small sums for this extra labor. With this money the convict
is permitted to purchase apples from the commissary department, which he
can take to his cell and eat at his leisure. The commissary keeps these
apples on hand at all times in packages, which he sells to the prisoners
at twenty cents each. In prison, apples are the most healthful diet the
inmate can have. Should friends on the outside desire to send delicacies
to any of the prisoners, they are permitted to receive the same, and,
taking them to their cells, eat at their leisure. These luxuries are
highly appreciated by the men in stripes, whose daily food
is largely made up of hash and corn bread. The female prisoners must
subsist on the same kind of food as the males. In some penal
institutions, Kansas for example, the women have better diet than is
furnished the men. Not so in this penitentiary. All are treated alike,
so far as food is concerned.
Three times each day the men march into the large dining-hall,
which accommodates 1,500, and partake of their meals. The tableware is
of tin and somewhat meager. The tables themselves present the appearance
of the modern school-desk, being long enough that twenty men may be
comfortably seated at each. No table-linen is used. When eating, the
convict is not permitted to call for anything he may wish. When a dish
is empty it is held aloft, and an officer or a convict waiter
replenishes it. Ample time is given to eat. All have a sufficiency of
food such as it is. Every thing is clean. After the meal is over, the
prisoners, in ranks, return to their workshops, or to their cells in
case it is the last meal of the day. It is a very interesting sight to
witness 1,500 convicts eating at the same time.
The officials are to be commended for the
following privileges they grant the prisoners: On all holidays, such as
Fourth of July, Christmas, etc., they are let out of their cells into a
large open square, inside the prison walls, and are allowed to converse
with each other, and are given full liberty to do as they wish. These
are days of freedom. Officers, of course, are among them to see that no
fighting occurs, and also to prevent any from effecting their escape by
scaling the walls. The prisoners do certainly enjoy these times. They
shake hands with each other, run about, shout, leap for joy, and have
more real happiness than a lot of school-boys who have been shut up in a
room all day at their studies and are in the evening turned out for
play. The men are very careful not to abuse this privilege which they
prize very highly. There never have been any disturbances, nor fights,
nor attempts at escape during these holidays. These privileges granted
the prisoners demonstrate the humaneness of the prison officials.
The question often arises, why is it there are no more riots and
insurrections in this prison. Here are nearly two thousand men huddled
up together. They are prisoners, suffering the worst kind of bondage.
Why is it they do
not make a rush for liberty whenever an opportunity presents itself?
Many of them are in for life, and may never again see beyond their
prison walls. Why are they so docile? These questions can be easily
answered. Many of the men are short-time prisoners, having from one to
three years, and cannot afford to get into trouble, as their time is
short. Added to this, if the prisoner behaves himself, and obtains a
good prison record, he obtains a pardon and restoration to citizenship
when three-fourths of his time has expired. If a man is sent for ten
years, by good conduct he will be pardoned at the end of seven and a
half years. This is a great inducement to good behavior. The reason the
life-men cause but little, if any, disturbance in the prison is, that
they all have a hope sometime or other of receiving a pardon, and they
know very well that, if they do not have a good prison record, they can
never obtain a pardon. A custom also prevails at the prison, that has
much to do in causing the long-time men to behave themselves, and be
obedient to the regulations of the institution. Every Fourth of July and
Christmas the governor of the State grants pardons to two long-time men,
so there are
four chances annually for a man to obtain his freedom. Before the
governor will pardon one of these men, he must be satisfied, among other
things, that the convict has a good prison record.
Any one can readily see that this is a great inducement for the
prisoner to behave himself. Missouri is the only State, so far as my
knowledge extends, that has this custom. It should become, not only a
custom, but a law, in every State. It is founded on good sense.
