CONVICT INGENUITY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1693, 7 January 1874, Page 4

CONVICT INGENUITY.

The Pall Mali Gazette states that a strange discovery, whicH speaks volumes in .favor; of .the ingenuity of the convicts .at Siiig Sing, prison in .the United States, has just been made at that establishment. It seems that for some time past the convicts have occasionally been noticed, to. ,be under the influence of strong idririkj bu!t all efforts on the part of the officials-failed ! to elicit from them* where the liquor had been obtained. The other evening, however^ 'an, -incident; occurred which ultimately led the prison authorities fto the fountain of copvict bliss. As 'one of the night guards was pacing the galleries his attention was attracted to a cell' occupied ' solely: by a prisoner known' by the name of "Irish Tom." , -This captive appeared ,to bo talking .^ ih_ a. conversational sort of way" to some person near him, whom he alternately chided and caressed, using such terms as a man under convivial 'circumstances. . might ; pddress to a bosom friend of' benefactor. ' On opening Tom's cell the guard found him in a glorious state of intoxication, giving some affectionate advice to a black bottle, the contents of which were almost exhausted. Next morning, on, being threatened with severe punishment unless he ■ confessed where he obtained the liquor, Tom, after some hesitation, stated that he had obtained it from another, convict named John Short, who was working in the marble quarries. Without informing Shoft^ a search of the -quarry was imme-diately-instituted, where, in a secluded corner, sheltered by a few rough boards, was found a' most remarkable contrivance for the manufacture of whisky. A couple "of the prison tubs, holding perhaps twelve or fifteen gallons each, contained the mash, which was composed of pota- % tojeSj : ' scraps ;6f ; : bjread, a sprinkling of " toTnafoeß,*with some corn and coarse meal' collected in the prison stables. An iron kettle answered the purpose of a still, while' ai section bf half-inch gas-pipe [artis-tically-bent formed the worm, thus completing an apparatus which it is understood w|nsjcapable of producing five gallons { of "homespun spirits daily. This frightful liquor was retailed by Short to his fellowconvicts, iti !sar3aparilla bottles, at the moderate price of one dollar each. Before Short was ■ informed of the seizure of his distillery, he was searched, and on his person was found a belt containing over 600 dollars, .being. the. proceeds* of sales from his illicit business, which' he has,for a time at least, been compelled to relinquish; '■■'•■'■■' '' ' ' ' ;