PRISONS GUARDED BY ANIMALS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2371, 10 August 1899, Page 55

PRISONS GUARDED BY ANIMALS.

Various animals are pressed into service as prison warders in different parts of the world, and they are found to oe far more painstaking in their work than the human beings they supersede, besides being more feared by the convicts themselves. Dogs are said to be the most useful in this respect, and are employed not only in America but in Europe. Germany boasts of its canine prison guardians — large, shaggy animals known in the Fatherland as "CJhner" dogs, and very much like the bloodhounds of England. One convict prison in the interior of the country has eight, whose sole duty is to Walk up and down, four by day and four by night, outside the walls, and attack any prisoners who attempt to escape. Before the introduction of these strange warders, efforts to break out of bounds at this prison were common owing to the surrounding woodland, which aided criminals in getting away. Now an attempt is rare, and an ecsape practically impossible ,- even should the prisoner be able to get out of bounds without being seen by the dogs, he would be immediately tracked and brought down, for the animals have remarkable smelling powers. A large number of prisons in America have dogs to guard them, which are of such a ferocious nature that nothing short of a miracle can prevent a convict being torn to pieces if once they get hold of him. At one prison in paritcular there are only two human warders, the remainder being dogs, which jeopardise even the lives of visitors in their antagonism to anybody except the warders themselves. Only desperate criminals, who have made unsuccess* ful attempts to evade the aim of the law, are confined here, as it is well known that they will never get away alive until' their sentences have expired. More than one attempt at escape lias been made, of course, but in each case it I has resulted in the refractory prisoner being torn to pieces under the warder's eyes, who was powerless to prevent the animals carrying out their fatal work. One of the most curious four-footed guardians is that which keeps watch outside a prison in Siberia, and takes the form of an enormous Russian bear. The animal was originally brought to the place when a cub, over 20 years ago, by a warder, who ! trained it as a pet. The bear, as it attained maturity, soon learnt its master's duty, and before long took its place as a recognised guardian of the prison. On one occasion a desjxjrate Nihilist, who had been banished to Siberia for an at1 tempt against the lifg of the late Czar*

Alexander HI, made several efforts to escape from a neighbouring prison, and once nearly succeeded after having murdered a warder. He was brought back," however, and confined in the prison outside which the bear did duty, as it was considered to be a safer stronghold than the one from which he had previously broken away. Not long after he had been immured in his new home, he made what proved to be his last attempt to regain his liberty, and had" it not been for the bear, would undoubtedly have got clear away. One day frightful shrieks were heard, and on going to the place "whence the cries arose, the warders were horrified to find the self-same prisoner in the grasp of the bear. All efforts to rescue him were unsuccessful, and in a few minutes he was dead. The warder who first brought, the bear to the prison has died long since, but the animal lives on, and carries out its duty as a faithful servant of the Russian Government. A Bengal tiger has been called into requisition to carry out the double role of warder and executioner at the State prison of an Indian Principality. It is undoubtedly one of the finest specimens of the race extant, and is kept prowling about the prison yard on the look-out for those who try to escape from the living death within the' walls close by. When the date of execution for a criminal .draws near, the tiger is taken from the yard and placed in close confinement for a day without food. Hunger produces ferocity in the beast, and when the doomed man is thrown bound into its den, a quick but terrible 'death is the result. The animal is then given additional food to appease its appetite, and token into the yard to resume its duty. Unfortunately, on more than one occasion it has made a mistake and killed some of the prison officials ; but as life is regarded so cheaply in that part of the world, others have soon been found to take their places, and things go on as before. Two elephants are on record as being employed in lieu of human warders, and more curious still is that one of them draws the pay of a Government official in that capacity. This is in Algiers, where an elephant, originally taken there by a Frenchman, is to be seen daily marching up and down outside the chief prison. As its pay is more than enough to keep it in food, the balance goes towards helping such prisoners as have good conduct reports when they are released.