The Twin Hells: A Thrilling Narrative of Life in the Kansas and Missouri PenitentiariesReynolds, John N. (John Newton)
History
The Twin Hells: A Thrilling Narrative of Life in the Kansas and Missouri Penitentiaries
Reynolds, John N. (John Newton)
Prisons -- Kansas; Prisons -- Missouri
punishment he remained in the dungeon several days and nights, and wore
the ball and chain for over a month. This man has not been tried yet for
making his escape. It will probably be overlooked because of the change
in the prison administration. His original sentence was five years.
Another prisoner made his escape, was away for five years; was then
discovered, brought back, and is at present eight hundred feet below the
surface, digging coal.
One day a young man was brought to the penitentiary under three years'
sentence. He was handsome and had winning ways. It was not long before
the officers had learned to like him. He was a natural confidence man.
It was difficult to resist his influence. After he had been in the
penitentiary a short time he was made a "trusty." For awhile he was very
dutiful and obedient. He was no fool. He gained the confidence of the
officers so that many of them would have confided their pocketbooks
to his care. He was permitted to go beyond the prison walls to quite a
distance. Finally he walked off. That convict has never been heard of
since. He was a slick one. After his departure it was found out that he
had walked away from the Colorado prison in the same manner.
The following is an instance of the shrewdness practiced in effecting
escapes. A hog-thief was convicted and sent to the prison. He related
that while traveling through the southern part of Kansas, a mere tramp,
passing by a farmer's residence, he saw a number of hogs in a lot
adjoining a grove some distance to the rear of the house. Passing up
through the grove, unperceived, he removed one of the boards and drove
the hogs out through the woods into a small pond where they covered
themselves with mud. Then driving them around on to the main traveled
road, he started with them for town some five miles off. As he was
driving along the highway, the owner of the hogs met him and inquired
where he was taking them. He replied that he was going to market. The
farmer said he was making up a car load and would give him as much as
he could get in town. After some further conversation the parties agreed
upon the price, the farmer buying his own hogs from the tramp, who went
on his way rejoicing. An hour or two thereafter the farmer, going out
into his field to see his hogs, found they were gone, and upon examining
those recently purchased, which by this time had rubbed all the mud off,
he discovered it was his own hogs he had purchased from the tramp. He
immediately set out in pursuit of the thief, whose whereabouts were soon
determined. The thief, after receiving the money, went to town, took
a train, but stopped off at a little place nearby, and instead of
secreting himself for a time, began to drink. While dissipating he was
overtaken, arrested, and held for trial. Had he left whisky alone, he
could have escaped. At the trial, which soon followed, he was convicted
of grand larceny, and on his arrival at the prison was immediately
put into the coal mines.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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