THE LIGHTER SIDE OF PRISON LIFE.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 246, 14 October 1908, Page 6

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF PRISON LIFE.

(By LONG SENTENCE.)

TOBACCO AND FIGHTING

. ... On the STimmit of an Isolated hill, five ] -o _ix~-_undred feat above the sea, overlocking its limitless extent on one side; ■ 1 on the other an open valley, with a range of low hills eight to ten miles distznt; ' valley and hills alike partly covered with 1 native forest "and- dotted: with numerous ' clearings with homesteads here and ! there. In its wildest flights, could the ] mind imagine a wider difference than be- ' tween such a scene and the interior of a ! ' prison. Yet it is in such a scene, after j * a long term of imprisonment, that I, alone ' • —unmolested, unknown, unsuspected as i to who I am, and what my life has been, I ; am jotting down these notes. ' In looking back over years of prison ] life one naturally recalls many circum- ! stances and events generally forgotten, and prisoners at one time notorious— * seme interesting to know—but now quite 1 forgotten and, perhaps, dead. ' These notes are written with the object • of showing the lighter and, in some in- ! stances, the more humorous sido of life ! within a prison. It may not be generally known, but the larger prisons are little worlds in themselves. There are the - came rivalries and jealousies, and, in a I degree, even the same ambitions. Men sort themselves out into little cliques, make little friendships, and, where the regulations do not get in the way, do just | as they would outside. Sometimes there I - are factions between whom bad feeling j exists, usually about- some trivial thing' not worth considering; but Th'prisons, in ' consequence of the seclusion and the! '. want of subjects of general interest,.' trifles are magnified and dwelt upon in < a maimer impossible for outside people understand. This morbid habit is j' jknbwn as "chewing the rag." Someone J .3£ a T. b a ve been accused of telling tales;-': or, in the old non-tobacco, days, of getting ' 'ihold of plants of tobacco belonging to < other men. The latter was a constant < .Eource. of dissension, often leadin_ to * '^ghfe-,. By phints is meant parcels of i ,-?*o_____- fidden in the prison quarry and : . -other places, by men who had been re- !' leased. Three out of every four rows..: • that took place were over tobacco. The '■. ■ ?Jiift_ißg for it with some men is intense, ! i especially with old soldiers and sailors. ' ■ Ihe difficulty and uncertainty of getting • tobacco was great,- men released usually ■ had little money, and though they might | make promises, oftener than not got drunk and forgot all about those left be- I hind. . j: •I once asked a man who had served several years, and who had the misfortune to return, what his feelings were on being liberated. He replied, .The first day I almost regretted being free, I j seemed to haveleft all my friends behind, | ant}..-_fe_£ intensely sorry for them, and would have done anything I could for ] them. The second day my interest in! them had waned somewhat. The third i morning, on waking, I felt they were all j just where they ought to "be." j To return to tobacco. The prison j officers kept a. strict watch to see it did | __ get in. If all the difficulties were ] overcome, a__d the blockade-runner : got through, and the contraband was properly planted, it can be understood how riling it wa_ if it got into the-wront-hands. ° Since the small allowance of tobacco granted by Mr. McGowan there have not been anything liks the punishments for minor prison offences there were formerly. Impartial observers cannot doubt that its effect generally has been beneficial. Tobacco is the gaol currency; but since it was generally allowed, its value has j greatly depreciated. Before the change i it-_ra-s worth more—than-gold—one-could-i be chewed the other couldn't. Its potency | lor good "of "evil is well summed up in the following lines, composed by a clever prison rhymster some years back:— Tobacco in gaol is most useful I'm told. In fact, 'tis more precious than silver or gold; To the pleasure it gives there's really no bounds, And ycra're boss of the stow with two or three pounds. If carefnl in dealing it out by the chew, There's no end to the evil or good yon may. do; It acts jost like magic wherever applied, its lmraence greater than all else beside. Contentions and strife yon can start let-s-act _tc__tFinn fi-en<_s you can sever and get them to fight; Disputes yon can settle and bring foes together, 'is oil acts on water in boisterous weather. When on the "mat"* — if support yon require, For a couple of chews there are men yon can hire, Who before yon will side with all you can say, Bnt donble the chews — and they'll put yon .-___<'_:_"'.' _* '. —;."" " t".. —"_____ With weed yon will always have friends to the fore. Admit _rs wiU floch to your side by the ! score; Bet constantly watch, yoo're weed to discover. If thwarted, loot out, they'll "get yon turned over." When prisoners leave gaol — Ah! then there's the fun! Twenty men you will see paying homage ta one; AH hoping a share in his plant to obtain. How oft are their efforts expended In vain! If the man feeeps his promise, and acts on the square, The sun c'en shines brighter, as each gets his share; Hammers ring blithely — smiles on eacn , face. .With plenty of 'baccy — gaol ain't a bad place. "Prisoners bronght before the gaoler or fcag_stra.es stand on a mat. The reference to fighting reminds mc of an incident amusing in its way. i Prison oEeers rank as gaoler, chief war-j der, principal warder, and warders. At this time the late Mr. Robt. Rutherford was senior P.W., and foreman of works-1 He was experienced, shrewd, tactful, and I possessed a i-'-temper -that .could not bel ruffled. Indeed, he had all -the- best' qualities of a prison officer, as well as i being a clever foreman of works. Fur-' ther, he had a keen sense of humour. He was short, strongly built, very bowlegged, and invariably was spoken of as "the little man." This rather lengthy description is necessary, as he will be referred to again. One of his duties was to take formal charge of the whole body of men when they were marched out to work, and exercise a general supervision pyer them during the day. One morning, without any warning, he was called into the gaoler's office, before a bench of visiting justices. .Nothing ever disturbed him. His voice never lost its even, deep tone, but, in his own words, "Every button stood to attention."" The chairman, in "Tils most official tone, greeted him with, "Mr. Rutherford, there _a more fighting, and more pnnishf «__n_ for fighting, in this prison than in ,»ar. etbrffl* in the c__ony. Ther* i* '■-..'' /

something radically wrong, and gross mis-' management somewhere. How is it?" In | his quiet, level voice, Mr. Rutherford | said, "There is something wrong." Then j why don t you stop k?" said the V.J.'s. "Because your Worships won't let mc." "What nonsense! It's the very thing we want you to do," said the chairman. "Well, sir," said the little man, "it's this way—when two fellows start scrapping they know, acting on your orders, we shall stop them; but it gives "em both a show to talk tug about what they would have done if the screws had not stopped them." "Well, what do you propose?" said the V.J.'s. "Let 'em fight it out," replied the little man. "We cannot authorise that; it's dead against the law. Suppose any one got seriously hurt, what a row the papers would make," said the V.J.'s. "1 don't ask you to authorise it," said the little man; "all you have got to do is to say, "Mr. Rutherford, we want this fighting stopped,' and ask no questions. I will undertake no one gets hurt." There was a short consultation of the justices, when the chairman said, "Mr. Rutherford, quite understand we don't authorise fighting, but we rely on you to stop it. Good-day." As the little man left the office—a brother officer affirms —there was a peculiar drooping of one eyelid. * The next time two men started fighting, the level voice ol Rutherford called out. "Form a ring, and fight to a finish." There was little fighting afterwards.