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
The prison enclosure contains about ten acres of ground. This is
surrounded by a stone wall some fifteen feet high, and six feet thick at
the base. It is not more than four feet at the top. At each of the four
corners may be found a tower rising some ten feet above the wall. A
guard is on duty in each of these towers during the day. He carries a
double-barreled shotgun loaded with buckshot. In case a prisoner tries
to escape he is liable to get a dose of lead, provided the officer on
duty is a good marksman. The western wall is almost entirely made of a
large stone building with its two long wings. The main building is four
stories. The wings stretching to the north and south, each two hundred
and fifty feet, contain the cells. On the first floor of the main
building are the offices of the warden, clerk, deputy warden and
turnkey. The upper rooms are used by the warden's family.
I was first conducted into the clerk's office and introduced to Mr.
Jones, the clerk. He is a very pleasant gentleman, and spoke kindly to
me, which I can assure all was very acceptable, for just about that time
I was feeling very badly. His remark was: "I am very glad to meet you,
Mr. Reynolds, but sorry to meet you under these sad circumstances." On
his invitation I took a chair and sat down to await the next part of the
progamme. As I sat there and thought of the kind words spoken to me by
the clerk, I quickly reached the conclusion that if all the officers
of that institution were as kind as Mr. Jones, it would not be as bad a
place as I had anticipated. I had no experience then that would justify
any other conclusion. Soon a side door of the office opened and in came
the deputy warden, Mr. John Higgins. Mr. H. is the sourest appearing man
I ever met in my life. At least, it seemed so to me on that day. He can
get more vinegar on the outside of his face than any other person in the
State of Kansas. He did not wait to be introduced to me. He never craves
an introduction to a criminal. As soon as he came into the room he got
a pole with which to measure me. Then, looking at me, in a harsh, gruff
voice he called out: "Stand up here." At first I did not arise. At the
second invitation, however, I stood up and was measured. My description
was taken by the clerk. In this office there is to be found a
description of all the criminals that ever entered the Kansas
penitentiary. I was asked if I was a married man, how many children
I had, and how much property I possessed. These questions were easily
answered. After the deputy warden had discharged his duty he retired. I
soon discovered that it was according to the rules of the prison for
the officers to talk in a harsh and abrupt manner to the prisoners. This
accounted for the way in which I was greeted by the deputy warden, who
is the disciplinarian of the prison. I may say, in passing, that all the
harsh manners of Mr. Higgins are simply borrowed for the occasion. Away
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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