Within Prison Walls: being a narrative during a week of voluntary confinement in the state prison at Auburn, New YorkOsborne, Thomas Mott
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Within Prison Walls: being a narrative during a week of voluntary confinement in the state prison at Auburn, New York
Osborne, Thomas Mott
Auburn Prison; Prisoners -- New York (State); Prisons -- New York (State)
Certainly, so far as appearances go, the prison system is a success in my
case. In arithmetic, as I recall it, we used to seek for the greatest
common denominator and the least common multiple; but in prison the
apparent object is to find the least common denominator--the lowest common
plane upon which you can treat everyone alike, college graduate and Bowery
tough, sick and well, imbecility and intelligence, vice and virtue.
In appearance, as I started to say, I am apparently all that could be
desired. Just as happened yesterday, the Warden leads this party through
the shop; they are all looking specially for me; they have been spurred on
by the failure of the newspaper men yesterday and are one and all
determined to find me. Yet they one and all pass within twenty feet, look
straight in my direction--and go on their way without recognizing me. I
must have the marks of "the Criminal" unusually developed, or else
criminals must look a good deal like other folks--barring the uniform. If
I had the ordinary theories about prisons and prisoners it might seem
rather mortifying that, in spite of every effort, not one of these
intimate friends can spot me among the toughest bunch of fellows in the
prison.
Certainly something must be wrong somewhere.
This appears to be an afternoon of excitements. Down comes the P. K.
again, for what purpose I do not know. The afternoon is cloudy and it is
getting somewhat dark and gloomy in the shop. After the P. K. has spoken
to the Captain he comes over and tells us fellows that we can quit work if
we want to, as it is too dark to see well. He points to the north windows,
where a car of lumber on the track outside interferes somewhat with the
light in that part of the shop. After he is gone we continue working, as
we can see perfectly well; and Jack is still more scornful than he was
this morning. He expresses the opinion that this proceeding is even more
raw than the former one. "I should like to know how long it is since they
was so careful of our eyes, so awful anxious about our health!" is his
sarcastic comment.
My answering comment is this, "I dare say, Jack, it's all right; but, so
far as I am concerned, they can't come it over me that way."
"Well, I guess not!" is Jack's hearty response.
After we have washed up and just before we separate for the night my
partner comes up to me in his engaging way. "Say, would you mind if I
called you by your first name?"
"Mind! I should like it; and I wish you would." As a matter of fact I had
been intending to ask him to do so.
So now it is "Good night, Tom," "Good night, Jack!" when the time comes to
fall in.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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