The chapel is the place where prisoners get most of their public instruction aside from what is obtained in the library. It is not often that they have the privilege of attending educational lectures as if they were attending a college or public school; however, in our better prisons steps are being taken to give the well-behaved prisoners advantages on this line occasionally. The general meetings on Sunday are held in the chapel, to which the prisoners are marched in regular order, where several hundred are in weekly attendance. The chaplain generally conducts the regular services or has ministers from the city to take their turns in preaching to them. Prison evangelists are often given the privilege of talking to the prisoners or visiting them at their cells for the welfare of their souls. There are prisons where all visitors and gospel workers are admitted free, while other prisons charge twenty-five cents admission fee. Aside from what is known as the regular chapel services, the prisoners who desire to meet before that hour or remain after, in a social religious prayer-service or Bible class, can have the privilege of doing so. All prisoners are allowed to sing at the general services, although they generally have a select choir. One man in giving a report of the prison choir said: “At one time we had two horse thieves, two rapists—one with a sentence of forty years—three murderers, two hog thieves, and several others with equally villainous records.” It would be difficult at such a place to select a choir that had a clean past record. While these men were criminals when incarcerated, some of them will doubtless always remain criminals, while others have so reformed as to be worthy of a better name.
Many prisoners during their confinement actually get a real experience of salvation, and those desiring to be baptized by immersion go from the chapel to the laundry, and there in a well-filled tank or long troughlike tub receive the ordinance of baptism. The chapel does not have stained-glass windows nor the finery of many modern church buildings; nevertheless the place is supposed to have everything neat and in order, and the men are to observe the strictest decorum and reverence while in attendance.
SCALING THE PRISON WALL.
There are in almost every prison those who are called “trusties”—prisoners who are given the privilege of doing work outside of the prison, going on errands, etc., without the presence of a guard. Others have unusual liberties within the prison walls. Life prisoners and those who have received a sentence for a number of years and have not yet made up their minds to reform, often give the officials considerable trouble in trying to make their escape; although, as a general thing, life prisoners are well-behaved persons. There have been some noted and desperate efforts made to escape prison. Desperate characters have used all their ingenuity in devising plans for an escape and watch an opportunity to raise an insurrection at a critical time. There have been times when the insurrection was so great as to defy the prison officials, and the disturbance could only be quelled by the daring boldness and wisdom of the warden or general officer in charge. When a number of desperate prisoners get such an advantage they will fearlessly face death rather than yield. A few such noted instances are on record. It is, however, very difficult for a prisoner to make good his escape. If successful he must go under an assumed name and always be a fugitive from justice. If a failure is made he is apt to have to serve his full sentence instead of having advantage of the commutation of “short time.”
Scaling the Prison Walls.
Bloodhounds are kept at the present time for the purpose of capturing those who try to make their escape, and there are men behind the prison walls who carry ugly scars made from deep flesh wounds by the bloodhounds during the time of their capture. There are times when a fire breaks out in a prison which must receive immediate attention of all available help. It is at such times that desperate characters undertake to raise an insurrection and make their escape. Many prisoners have been known at such times to show their manhood, and offer their services and manifest their loyalty by aiding the officers in keeping the prisoners in subjection and in extinguishing the flames. Such prisoners should be highly rewarded, and many of them shortly afterward receive their pardon in honor of their loyalty and good principles shown. The prisoner who desires to have favors shown him in prison should, upon first entering, decide to obey the prison rules to the best of his ability. Anything to the contrary will bring the ill favor of the prison officials upon him. An attempt to escape will not be forgotten and he will be very closely watched and denied many privileges which he could have otherwise enjoyed, and is not apt to be made a “trustie.” It is therefore a wise plan to decide upon perfect submission from the beginning of the confinement.