GHOST OF SING SING

Dunstan Times, Issue 3333, 9 August 1926, Page 7

GHOST OF SING SING

America’s tulnl wave of crime haf turned public attention to ;llie griir Bastille of the Underworld known at Sing Sing Prison. On one hand oik hears tales of the'luxury lives of the inmates, and on the other the hairraising adventures with a ghost thill roams inside the ’prison at night, terrifying warders and prisoners alike. According to stories current, the Spook of Sing Sing is a tall, gaunt figure, with contracted features suggesting the result of execution in the electric chair. The ghost is alleged to walk the corridors of the prison almost nightly, b,ut when warders run to the spot, it vanishes and leaves no trace. There are prosaic folk who say that the whole thing is either a deluson ol the warders or the outcimc of a clever practical Joke, resulting from the laxity in the prison (hat permits almost unrestricted movement to some of the inmates. But others see something more than an illusion, for without knowing What tlie warders have seen, prisoners in their cells have reported the passing of the stranger along the corridor and of furtive peeps as he passed. All agree that he wears the prison garb, and that it is, the garb of tea years ago at least, rather than that of to-day. Men have heard the mystery man sighing outside their cells, and blood-curdling noises ns he passed. .Many of the prisoners have been removed to the infirmary, suffering from nerves, caused by the uncanny disturbances during the night. One of the manifestations of the ghostly visitation is the regular ringing of the bell in the cell occupied by those destined for electrocution. Hepeatedly this has happened, and warders who have rushed to the spot have found no explanation. Higher authorities treat the mutter so seriously that a commission of investigation has been sent to the prison to solve the mystery. On the first night, when they ,took up their positions at the point agreed on as the most likely for the spook’s appearance, it was suddenly reported from another part of the prisoii, and when the investigators hurried to the scene the ghostly prowler turned up in yet another part of the building, and so terrified a warder that he has since been off duty. According to this man, ho was at the ! end of one of the corridors leading from

tlio condemned cell when lie saw the figure appear id the opposite end nnd move towards him, beckoning ns it came. Half-way along the corridor the figure seemed to disappear through the door info one of the cells, but when the reli was visited the inmate was fast asleep. But if Bing Bing prisoners have ghosts to terrify (hem, they have pleasanter diversions night and day. It is possible for those with means to have food supplied from the ouside, and even under the “dry” regime alcohol of any kind can be brought in with impunity. Some of the inmates have their meals from the finest restaurants of New Vork City, and it is possible for mon to live on the proceeds of their crimes much better than if they were at liberty. The theatre lias been equipped regardless of cosf, and is admittedly the best of its size, in the. world. The plays, produced at least once a week, are equal to the best staged in New Vork. There is a picture theatre always going. Under certain circumstances prisoners may dress for dinner, and be waited on by outside waiters if they are wealthy enough to afford it. Baseball and other outdoor games arc permitted freely, and those who desire

coaching can have it free. Cards, chess and other Indoor games are permitted, ' and “poker” parties are also well patronised, money seemingly corning in freclly from outside to enable the players to carry on. In one section of the prison wireless has been installed, and a few favoured prisoners are allowed private installations in their own cells. There is little restraint on intercourse of the prisoners, and at musical evenings the services of some of the best artists in America are provided. The circulating library is up to date, and the latest books of the best seller type can Inlaid in the prison as quickly as outside.