Part 14 (2/2)
On inquiring of a councilman, if, in this dismissal, they had been influenced in any measure by the aspersions in the Report, he said they had not; that they did not doubt but that I had been faithful in my duty, a.s.suring me that the reason was wholly political; to which I had no excuse to offer, as I had been guilty of voting the Republican ticket; and if I must be dismissed on that ground, of course no more words were needed. But there did seem a lack of straightforwardness for them to move as they did in the matter without giving this gentleman the opportunity of presenting what he wished.
The gentleman appointed was a good man, but feeble, and acknowledged to a friend that he could not do what had been done for the prisoners the previous year. But the idea seemed to prevail that he could do what was desired by the warden. Hence, as is understood, the secular school is largely a thing of the past, and finally the Sabbath school is given up.
Now, this is a very nice place for him in his advanced years, he being over seventy, where he has no care, and but little labor.
But what of the effects upon the inmates thus left with so much idle time on their hands? Anything but good. A young man, the previous year, was quiet and orderly, closely attentive to his studies, making good advancement; but, when left with all these unemployed moments, he turned his thoughts to planning an outbreak, was arrested in the execution, and for months condemned to the ball and chain. Whereas, had his mind been kept employed as formerly, no doubt he would have continued quiet. Does it pay thus to cut off educational and moral privileges and share such results?
51. _Prison fare under the new government._ I did not serve under this government for a period sufficiently long to enable me to learn from personal observation very much as to what would be gained in the fare of the prisoners, but thought some steps were being taken in the right direction. The cracked wheat dinner was abolished for meat and potatoes.
The evening after, I found the prisoners rejoicing over it. One exclaimed, ”_Didn't_ we have a good dinner, to-day? They have put away that wheat stuff, and now give us good meat and potatoes. Oh, _isn't_ it good?” A woman, leaving prison, gave us an account of the warden's scolding, that Councillor ---- ”was about poking his nose into everything.” This, if true, gave signs of a determination to know and remedy matters. But they had to work under difficult circ.u.mstances. They did not begin sufficiently near the bottom.
As informed, they went quite thoroughly into fitting up the clothing and bedding,--a welcome move, for no set of fellows ever needed it more. The next winter, however, I said to a man who was leaving, ”You fare better over there this year than last, do you not? You are kept warmer, are you not?” To which he answered, ”I don't see much difference.” Certainly, I was looking for a different answer from this, and did not know what to make of it.
52. _The warden question._ It was supposed and reported that the warden would be removed; then we learned that the political muddle prevented, some contending for a straight, out-and-out Democrat, others, for a Labor Reformer, the party with whom they had bargained and thus gained the power. Then there was another element which seemed largely to prevail, and which some thought acted more powerfully than all others,--the fear as to how the prison accounts would stand at the end of the year. They had found out the condition of things in the prison, and learned something of how they had been run the previous year, and had every reason to suppose that they could not possibly make so large a show of gains as was then made. A highly important matter to them, for, should they run behind, their opponents would, of course, use it to their party disadvantage in future political campaigns. What could they do in the matter? Of course, the most feasible way was to keep the same warden, with the hope, by his manipulating, of a less falling off; or the fact of their having made no change here, would blunt the force of the falling-short argument materially. Hence, party interests would prompt them, on the one hand, to remove the chaplain for a partisan; and on the other to retain the warden for his aid to them politically. Thus, it seemed that party considerations ruled the whole matter, and that the rulers, instead of rising to the true dignity of their position, and inquiring about the real interests of the prison, the best man for the place, bowed obsequiously to the shrine of party. True, late in the fall, or in early winter, they moved in the matter by appointing a gentleman of Concord to the wardens.h.i.+p, but under such circ.u.mstances, that he could not, for a moment, think of accepting, though doubtless he would have improved matters had he done so.
53. _Experience at the prison subsequent to dismissal._ This experience was limited, but sufficient to open another dark chapter in the history of poor human nature. I still acted as agent to the a.s.sociation. In August, a man was to leave, concerning whom they started the story that an indictment was made against him, ready for his arrest on leaving prison; but they promised that if he would leave within a half hour after his dismissal, he could go safely. I had a place for him near a friend with whom relatives had deposited money on his account, but whose locality I supposed he did not know. Very early, on the morning of his release, I, by a message, solicited the warden to forward him to me, so that I could send him on the five o'clock train. But seeing nothing of him, I at length went to the prison office and asked the warden if he would please let the man out, as I could send him by the next train. He answered, ”He has gone, Sir; went this morning at five, for New York.” I now turned to the deputy as usual previously, and asked, ”Will you please furnish me with a list of those going out this month?” He answered, ”No, Sir;” when the warden said, ”You have had enough to do with the prisoners, already. You are not to have any more concern with them.” I answered, ”Very well,” and, turning to go out, remarked to a man about to leave, for whom I had a place in readiness, ”Come to me as you leave here, and I will give you directions as to where to go.” The deputy followed me, indulging in a tirade of most abusive language. As he finished the words, ”You had better not be over here making a fool of yourself, but keep away lest you get kicked out,” I had arrived at the top of the stairs, where I stopped, supposing he proposed to kick me down, remarking, in a subdued tone of voice, nothing frightened or excited, ”Here I am. If you wish to kick me down stairs, you can. I came in civilly on business, supposing, as a citizen, I had a right to that.”
The deputy e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, ”A d----d poor citizen,” the warden also having followed, and joining freely in the vituperation. Seeing no active signs of putting the threat in practice, I started on and came safely away, but was subsequently informed by one then standing at the foot of the stairs, that he kicked towards me, when I had taken a few steps. But he did not hit or injure the object of his rage. In this experience I was more fortunate than a guard, who, as he a.s.serts, when leaving service there, was followed to the front door and kicked down the steps by the warden, upon the ground, the foot hitting his back and causing such lameness that he had not then, after four months, recovered. He was purposing to prosecute the warden for damages.
Thus, while they have smiles and words of suavity for some, they can deal freely in such abuse to those who doubt their highest perfection.
Now, if they would treat me and others thus, what would they do to the prisoners? One will say, ”They were irritated towards you, for you had told the Governor and Council about the prison management.” That was no doubt the fact. And they will become irritated with the prisoners also, who are helplessly in their power, where they can treat them as they please.
As to the two prisoners, whether the one pretended that he would go to N. Y., and took pa.s.sage accordingly, or was forced to that, I never knew. But he would have taken pa.s.sage to any place the warden proposed, in order to escape from his hands, as, through his influence, he doubtless feared the arrest. For the ticket, the warden expended the man's five dollars allowed by the State, and advanced him five more, probably supposing that it would be paid him by the a.s.sociation. The man, as I learn, rode until he felt safe from being seized, when he left the cars, traveling on foot for lack of means to go by public conveyance, and, at length, arrived at this friend's, in as bad a plight, probably, as any before spoken of. He said he had been sick, confined to his cell for weeks, was neglected, and sometimes was not furnished with water to wash for days together.
The warden, himself, accompanied the second man to a place in the city, and put him to work as he had previously arranged. Soon hearing of his locality, I called, found his new pants with a bad rent, after only part of a day's wear, and furnished him with suitable clothing, pointing out the place also of my arrangement to which he could go, or remain where he was.
Another leaving prison, and calling on me, remarked, ”I asked the warden where you lived, to which he answered, ”I don't know;” an additional specimen of the truthfulness there.
But one queries, ”Why was the warden determined that you should not see the men coming out?” He could have had but one reason, the fear that they would tell me the stories of their sufferings. The one ticketed for N. Y., I learn, gives some spicy accounts.
54. _Prison report for '72._ This claims a better financial show than that of the previous year. Thus says the warden, p. 4, ”I am permitted to record another year of financial success.” Then the committee, p. 10, ”The financial affairs are in a highly prosperous condition. You will find, by looking at the treasurer's report, that there has been a net gain, to the State, of $5,501,03, after paying all outstanding bills, which is a greater gain than the previous year, considering the less number of convicts and the larger outlay for clothing, &c. When we consider the large appropriations that have been required from year to year to run the prison, it must be encouraging to the tax-payers of the State to know that the prison has added the two past years, $10760,20 to the revenue of the State, with no outstanding bills, and no complicated matters to embarra.s.s the inst.i.tution.”
This, surely, is a glowing picture; one so greatly enjoyed by its authors, that it would seem almost too bad to spoil it by letting in a gleam from the light of truth. We see from the Report that our present managers here follow closely in the footsteps of their immediate predecessors as to their statement of financial facts, though intent on outdoing them in appearances at least. Like them, they reckon only a part of the expense in running the prison, leaving out the warden's salary, and other large items, and thus pretending the gains to be what they are not. They could equally as well have omitted the sums paid the physician, deputy, guards and overseers, thereby making the figures indicate a gain of over twenty thousand for the two years, instead of over ten thousand. The principle of statement would have been the same and equally truthful. It certainly appears as though they were straining every nerve to secure the greatest personal and party popularity on the dollar and cent question. Nor would we, by any means, censure them for that, provided they proceed with a due regard to truthfulness, the rights of the prisoner and the best interest of the State. But the people can justly require them to give these a proper place in their plannings and efforts. The pecuniary question is of high import and not to be lost sight of for a moment, but should not be allowed to swallow up every other interest with a miser's greed and with even a measure of disregard for what is really true.
In estimating the entire amount of expense to the community, this year, in running the prison, of right we should reckon a somewhat large item not above alluded to, the sum expended in caring for those made invalids the past year by the prison management, and thus sent out to the public charge. Of these there are probably six at least,--those two sent to the Insane Asylum, and four others. Thus, deducting all the real expenditures, but a small list of gains are left.
To be able the better to judge comparatively and see the drift of things in our prison management, let us select the more important items from the Reports of the years '70, '71 and '72, forming them into a table, taking the average number of the prisoners for each year, obtained by adding the numbers at its beginning and end, and dividing by two. Under the food and clothing items, let us insert what they pay in Ma.s.sachusetts State Prison per day for food, and per year for clothing, to a prisoner or per capita:
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