Evening Star Newspaper, February 26, 1928, Page 79

. " MAGAZINE SECTION he Sunday St Part 7—8 Pages WASHINGTON, D. €., SUNDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 26, 1928, Lorton Reformatory Prepares A.C. TAWSE, DIRECTOR of‘ DISTRICT REFORMATORY- PRISONERS BAKING 600 POUNDS OF BREA Washirigton’s Prisons Are Life- Saving Stations—Materials Made and Buildings Erected. Automobile Tags, Brooms, Baskets, Clothing, Canned Fruit and Vegetables, and Many Other Things Produced by Prison Labor—Each Inmate Works Eight Hours Daily DY GEORGE H. DACY. | construction of two new kiins. ~New s {cars are being provided for running ERVING Washington o8 am men |the bricks into the ovens. The plant clent salyage B e steered |18 being expanded and modernized, 50 Tho have gon e g e tours o | hat its potential output will be double B oot paths of rightsousness | (hat of former years, with an average - | future production of 7,000,000 bricks. i rkable Denal | The shale supply for brick manufac- st of rolling hills near Lorton, Vs, | ture is unlimited. so that this profita- It is an adventure of astonishment | ble enterprise will be carried on in- for the average layman o visit the definitely. 3 District Pententiary, or Reformatory,| The commercial value of the bricks 5 it is best known, and to seek in vain | delivered in Washington ranges from for massive walls studded with steel | $18 1o 825 a thousand, and the direct spikes or broken glass, an army of | cost to the District for this essential guards, prisoners in stripes with closely | bullding material is “nary a cent.” cropped pates, the historical lockstep Dhiinie Sl Sothex heviderions of fortified INCAT- ,yuyp Cuestion of freighting the bricks ¢ bia s setting | mT%mfifi‘egmfiu%r the rest of house to Washington s now up for the universe. A wall-less g:nlwnlllry Gebate. Previously, the fleet of seven where men are saved from themselves— barges owned by the Lorton Reforma- and evil assoriations—is Washington's tory has provided cheap and simple eontribution W imprisonment’s improve- transportation. Five of the barges now ment. are W}Laub'lz m'mmuuw? nnd"nnh{"w‘: ¥ ¢ 0 her evil-doers who 8re sul lor service. w e e entences. | Ehe | My to Tehabilitate tnese walerway weaches them useful trades. Bhe trains “Irelghters” Bupt. M. M. Barnard has them for thet testing time when, by Prepared for such an emergency, how- good behavior, they have won paroles-- | ever, by building 4%, miles of railroad Sna once ugain walk the streets, free Ouring hix spare tme, which, inc men snd beter citizens dentally, 18 very imited —esght hours & week, each prison- | Using prison Jabor und oaken cross- . without other recompense than 15 cul from the reformatory wood- T ties he wears, the fo0d he eats | Jands, Supt, Barnard has built a stand- e Crmupanicy of the col where he @-gauge rallroad which links into the . l(lrhmun'},’ h;drn;i:hurz & Potomsc - Ajve work which these men ' bystem. The first freight cars ran over 'rvl;/rrfi';f“r‘;xk)'.x brick, brooms, suto- | this new track the third week in Jan- e lietise vags, brewd, steel and |Uary. An industrial Jocomotive belong- seszetry, clovhing, as well as dujing v the District s employed o haul ruction of bulldings, instaliing the frelght from the main line to the ment and i farming, keeps them ! reformatory and workhouse, Beveral v hundred tons of miscellaneous frelght I e feitle for worth-while Vasks wfter Uiy Have served teir sentences and are | are handled annually, as well as 1,000 Noerawd Tne reformatory wet #s 8 'tons of soft cosl, which formerly was wraindng school for these prisoners, many | delivered by water, ol whom were deprived of the oppor- | A bullding campalgn was begun &t s of Uade sehoodng. Each IDM&YW | Lorton several years ago, the goal being gt wome remunerstive manuel | ihe construction of 39 new brick butld- trads ings. Twenty of these substantial 1f every resident of Washington could ! styuctures are now compieted and some wat visi the Lorton Reformatory end ! wre occupled, while the work will be (1 peighboring District Workhouse, 864 | continued until the program is finished inspect there the wonderful achieve- i Ac u 50 per cent saving over the cost aeuts h”A hudnms &lv-«em whz'h l;“' of contract labor, sll this work has being effecied, they would return Y| jeen performed by the pri . N e e Caphial jastifiabty. prouq | Peen performed by the prisoners. Not only have they made the bricks from of weing citheens of the distranchised o Diatrict: which has brought such con- | '3, Virginie shale, recovered (rom nesghboring fields, but they lso have e itk ot ever | built the niew buildings under compe- day, in 1ts handiing of D bt | tent supervision and installed the heat- et uyw sweeping the United | 10¢ snd plumidng systems and other e wie, e Ut ot crmingls | DUngs and fxtures. And no better 0 more. han 6000600 bricks | CmsLIction can be found snywhere in & yeur made at Lorton will be delivered | the country P Weshington by both redl and water | ‘The Lorton authorities school the B f - | prisoners in carpentry, concrete con- | sruction, steamfitting and plumhing, foundry practices, hroom-making, bas- ketry, printing, haking, cooking end s used in the construction of schoo) hovses wnd other public works | “This brick-muking !;Amnn.: 18 one | works st Lorton eurrent :’ l:: ff.{um of $36,000 18 heing em- | other trades under skilled teachers. All ") ,).é‘ in the repair and remodeling | the work is carefully inspected on com- of ihe battery of elght kilne sna the ' pletion from the penitentiary and work- | D. ‘The new buildings include a dozen | dormitories, as well as a commodious dining hall which will accommodate 1,200 inmates. Because of the conges- tion at Federal prisons, the Attorney | General recently has ordered all na- | tional prisoners sentenced in the Dis- | trict to be sent to Lorton Reformatory, | except the most dangerous confirmed criminals. Four disciplinary dormitories. | which remind one of the traditional | “failhouse,” are provided, where vio- | lators of the honor system sponsored at | Lorton and other unguly prisoners can | be handled as the need for such action | arises. These dormitories for the refractory men contain,- each, 20 steel-studded | cells. In time of riot or similar upris- | ing each bullding would accommodate | 150 to 200 prisoners. The psychological effect of the disclp~ linary dormitories is remarkable. The fact that they are ready for use is suffi- clent to keep the prisoners in the best of order. To a man they are “jailhouse shy.” Since their completion none of the disciplinary “dorms” have been oc- cupled. “How s the wholesale escape of the | prisoners prevented? Who counts heads | regularly ‘and calls the roll> What | checkups are made and how fre- | quently?” A crew of 45 officers, working In three eight-hour shifts, keeps careful | tab on the Lorton inmates both by day | and night. None of the prisoners are allowed out of the sight of these guards. | A half dozen trained bloodhounds are also kept in prime condition for crons- | country chases. An expert, who has 1hlndlfl‘d “canine sleuths” of this breed !most of his life, has charge of the 1 hloodhounds. He has assisted in the | capture of ‘more than 1,000 Virginia and Maryland criminals during his Wife- tme. As you would imagine, these trailing dogs ure kept under leash. They oc- cupy comfortable kennels, sleep on soft cushions, are bathed dally and exer- cised and have the run of strong- fenced yards. Their ration includes corn menl pone, wheat bread, meat and bones. Olympic geme athletcs train no more faithfully then do these dog policemen ‘Three W four Umes a week Lthe dogs en- gage In actual chase after human run- an decoys In these exciting runs over hill and dale. ‘The “trusties” are given plenty of start, 80 that the dogs do not overtake them The chase, In every case, continues for one to two hours, ‘This training keeps the hloodhounds in splendid condition for feld service. Furthermore, the presence and prace Hee of the dogs exert advantageous pay- chological effect on the prisoners. The haying of the bloodhounds most & Isfactory source of seemly behavior among those sentenced to the District Institutions at Lorton. In fact, the at- tempts at esc Fe are very rare and all the runaways have been caught. Most of them are overtaken even before they | cross the boundsries of the prison farm, EIGHT LORTON KILNS YIELD 6,000,000 BRICKS ANNUALLY FICTION AND | Many for More Useful Lives SUPERINTENDENT MM:-BARNARD. which, with the workhouse, occupies a tract of land of about four square miles. TH! scales of justice are modified at Lorton by the daily conduct of the individual prisoner. The system recog- nizes no man as a total loss to soclety funtil he has irrevocably demonstrated himself as just such. It gives human initiative an opportunity to make good. There are two classes of prisoners in any prison. One still possesses the seed germs of manliness, The other is the casehardened criminal, who will offend against law and order as long as time continues to fly. The merit system at Lorton strives to cull those who can be saved from those who sidestep all such attempts. Under efficent handling, the good reform. Tho bad have to “toe the mark,” obey the * ook ok or else commune with themselves in solitary cells of the finest steel. ‘The usual “hangdog” prison expres- slon s wanting on the faces of the in- mates. Neither grumpiness nor grouch- iness survives. Insignia of prison deg- radation are banned. Yet every pris- oner appreciates fully that, in the labor of his hands, the ache of his muscles, the perspiration of his forehead and his loss of personal lberty, he is pay- ing for his offenses against the rules of law, right and justice. The District Reformatory—the ages of its prisoners run from 18 to 75 i a 1,100-acre District estate, 30 miles south of Washington, overlooking the Washington-Richmond highway. When the bullding eampalgn is completed, it will accommodate 1,000 men. Its roster of Inmates now reaches 330. Tt 1§ under the supervision of A. C. Towse, ence, ‘The District Workhouse s 1 mile |down the road, covers a tract of 1700 acres, now cares for 550 men and 60 | women, and 15 operated under the di- 7 of C. C. MacClaughry. he District Jall in Washington, the third member of this prison frmll), i under the charge of Maj. W. L. Peake. M. M, Barnard, who lives near Lorton, I the general superintendent of these | three penal establishments. Previous to feoming to the Distriet, 12 years ago, | Mr. Harnard was director of leadin Btate penitentiaries in Indlans ane Michigan. After joining the District service, he was made 'enn‘al superin- ent of the three District prisons. The men serving sentences at the District Reformatory are held in duress for crimes ~which run the gamut from petty stealing to murder, while thelr terms of Imprisonment range from one year and a day o life. _Only the Federal pyisoners from the District, sentenced in the District Bupreme Court, are sent to lLorton fler supper, which is served at 4:30 n the afterncon, when the day’s work s Antshed, until “Taps” 1s sounded st 0 o'clock, the Inmates can read, atudy, play games, take part in outdoor sports or otherwise amuse themselves. Fa- cllities for base ball, foot ball and rughy are provided, while at the head of each dormitory 1a a special lounge regulations, and live the life prescribed | | prison expert of many years' expert- | PRISONERS PLAYING BASE BALL AFTER DAYS WORK. | room, where the men can play check- ers, dominoes and various card games. | | No gambling in any form is permitted. | “on> night a week a motion-picture | | entertainment for the prisoners is held, | | the leading “movie” hous Wash- | | Ington furnishing the films for these | free shows. One of the prisoners is skilled in the operation of the motion- g plcture machine | Religious services are held by dif- | and 9.000 apple, pear, peach, plum and | ferent Washington pastors each Sun- |cherry trees. The apple crop during day. An excellent cholr, organized and |8 favorable season runs from 10.000 to | maintained by the prisoners, provides | 15.000 bushels, while more than 1.000 musle for the church services and en- | bushels of pears and scveral hundred tertainments. ‘The men also maintain | bushels of peaches are harvested. Be- an orchestra, which plays several times | 8INNINE next Summer, the bulk of the each wock, Prisoners who are trajned | ITUit crops will be canned. ~ The can el nery was established without any musiclans lead and direct the orchestfa | (o a1 " appropriation from _Congress, - | the equipment being leased on the QOME of the prisoners devote their | "OYmity, basis : h 3 | "One thousand of the 2700 acres at days to producing vegetables and | the reformatory and workhouse have | fruit or caring for the large herds of | been cleared by the prisoners. and pure-bred dalry cows and pedigreed (500 acres are now devoted to culti porkers. Seventy-five Holstelns supply | vated crops. Corn, clover, alfalfa and from 150 to 200" gallons of milk dail¥. | wheat are grown on an exiensive scale. One thousand Poland China and | Following the practices of succasstul Duroc Jersey hogs are raised annually, | farmers, the District seeks to raise as fattened and butchered at the re-|much as possible of the feed which formatory and workhouse. A former | the live stock consumes. glassblower, serving u 20-year sentence, | Beginning with the 1928 tags. the has charge of the reformatory hogs, | Lorton Reformatory has assumed full and has gained great skill in animal | production of the 127,500 pairs of auto- husbandry since hix imprisonment. [ mobile license plates for the District Pork s produced from the feeding of | Supt. Barnard added this activity to sanitary District garbage. The swine | the everincreasing schedule of work are served with liberal allowances of [ because of the difficulty in securing corn for four to five weeks before | satisfuctory tags on time from contract killing time sources. A well-equipped plant has All the District institutions enfoy | been mobilized for this specialized serve ronst plg andfresh pork at Thanksgiv- | ice. Electrified machines replace hu- ing and_Christmas. After. the 1926 |Man labor as far as possible he hurvest Supt. Barnard also distributed | 33-8uge steel from which the tags are 4,000 bushels of apples among other | MAde comes i sheets, ten pairs of Ii- District prisons, homes, orphanages and | €eNse plates belug cut from each sheet similar_establishments Fhe, tags, in otderly sequities, are Several thousand hens and pullets of | 3Amped. punched, patited and baked. popular breeds provide the egg supply. Experts who have examined the Dis- Criminals are mending thelr ways and | (et (8% for l1‘1‘3“1\1‘1:5::\";‘.‘»“-“:::\:\:{( wance for thelr offenses close Close | (heir kind _ever produced. They hotes of chanticleer | souiq be used indefinitely without any ates fading of their colors. The Districy and mules are velerans | gy ay made by prison labor can be of the Washington Fire Department [ jifiiced at a saving of & conts & pair and other District stables, Most of | gyer the cost of inferior plates made them were sent to Lorton because of ¢ On the soft uoll | U, contract pavement soreness. On the soft soll [ . e e ook e | The most interesting and_(ngenious mals have regained full leg power and | #PPATALIS i the tag TSl are now important factors in the agri- v the tags up one by one, dips them in culture at the penal establishments. | g1 {5 W SR B Qe s Thet I Last SBummer more than 48,000 Ja%s f oupries them around and around of vegetables were canned In the ef- | TRt an eleatrieal oven whose teme ficent. cannery which s now an fmpor- | sttt B G0t e e it the tant cog in the food-preparation cam= | paint {s baked thoroughly. Each tag palgn &t Lorton. Tbree hundred acves | iy dipped and baked four times be: of such vegetables as tomatoes, sweet fore this process 1s completed. Reven potatoes, Irlsh potatoes, cabbage, sweet | jy ’ v 22y t{ly a crew of 10 men operating U corn, string beans, peas and simiar | nachines in the tag plant produced products are valsed annually, ‘The sur- excellent motorcar plates at the rate plus tr which 1 not eaten divectly of 2,000 patrs & day after harvest Iy canned for Winter use. | Eventually, the tag factory will be Beginning with next Summer, the can- | kept busy throughout the year, as, in ning plant will be operated six months | addition o producing the automobile I the year license plates, 1t also will manutacture All the canned food above the ve-[all the traMo signs and sumilar wetal quirements of the reformatory and markers used n Distriet workhouse v"lll be distvibuted to other [ All the brooma used in ihe Diatrtet Diatrict institutions. offices are wade by hand at the The orchard consists of between 8,000 Lovton Reformatory. The output last LORTON LOCOMOTIV n and his flock The 75 hors E TRANSPORTING PRISONERS TO BRICK PLANT. the remainder of his term. In the case of a 10-year man thus means thatl be be reieased as a result of good avior after he has served three years and four mo b former prisoner is given a good iothes and $3 i cash, and & 1 i oblained for him. Subse- y. he reports once a moath to Supt. Tawse? &i the reformaiory abd telis how m one; 8. how much he is saving, how he spencs his spare time and 0 on. A visiung call at his pace of ® he lives at any year amounted to 500 doren The Activities of the broom factory have |been exiended to include the produc tion of handmads: baskets Pote fally, Su Barnard plans to make all the ste-paper baskets, clothes baskets and market baskets needed in the District offices and at various insti- | tuttons. These baskets are made of ash and oak strips cut from tumber felled | tn the adjotung wood! The supply jof raw material is unlimited, for. after all the ash trees are exhausted. there jare more than 3.000.000 caks available for basketry and other | reformatory, where the | sers, underwear and other clo | the ‘prisoners are made. In addicion. | this shop, which has been in operatia fonly a short Ume, makes the clothing {for’ the inmates at Gallinger Hosp {tal and the District Jail. Ultimately, |1t will manufacture the clothuing for ail the institutions and tadliahments | maintained by the District | ment. | Some of the District’s best bakers are men who learned their trade at Lorton | The bakeshop is fully equipped and | boasts one large oven, where 600 pounds of bread can be buked at a charge | Eleotrical mixing machines are em- ployed to prepare the dough The ars rangement is such that the bakery goods are protected from all dust, dire ;and smoke during proparation. Men Who knew nothing about commercial baking when they artived at the “pen” g0 forth at the termination of their terms as qualified bakers, able to earn more money than ever before i M| the enrollment of the young over lives ol The wa prisaners have i When the reformatory moves all #3 creased from an average of N @ 1928 goods, chattels and prisoners 10 e | 1 more than 60 at present new butldings durtng the current Sums | The mstallation of eght large dotlers {mer. the former quarters, WRICh a1 | was recently In progiest The refrm. {well bullt, will be held In tWerve a3 atary is saving $30.000 on this eQuip- emorgeney Mructures, suitable Or o0eus ment. which comes fom Camp Hum :‘»:rm' I case of congesthon At the | phivevs and 1% & §UT e the War De- o, { partment. Kag) Y o “The District Commissioners are much | A 150 harsepover and o ming S interested fnand enthusiastie about ) apd mstalled by prisom labor. A sav- the human salvage activities whlsh are ' jng of more than $908 was made by datly dolgs at the Lorton prisan. They | using prisan lador to frame the stec! Are co-operating with Supt. BArnant | tryees: and Teof spans @ the snackouns And his aldes to the full degree fn mak- | guing room, which is 80 by 1 et ing the establishiment the mast suceess- ' i far duensins, That . wis fl ful and effclent insticuthn of its KOG amount which contract labor demande i this or any other country [ for the wark, Although the reforma LR \mr{ hl\ull\lu .;:vu“hrfl l;;\v: revious "o " v tackiad sueh & task, thev made good lulc parole system-a salient feature | i “nasterly fashion on this P 2 of all Federal prisons—ds i foree | job At the Distriot Reformatory and Work- »xhx‘ 'uew !um\'.::e\‘ nh\‘\n:\ k:rwn * e S . olated tram the other buikiings e e puavded Ahat Ay el | protect them fron i ke and st 0 madel-conduet reeard duIg | §s pow waduciag wil the grate dars, the flrat ane-third of his sentence s eligi- | alley gratings and othsr castings wsed ble for parole. He 8 summaned before by the District Water Departiment, not & special parale board, and 1f all condi- | 1o menthon the fran and stesd work tions are satistactory for his release, | turmad out f sarvice at the reformas he ds Mbevated as a parcle man’ for lary and workiouse. representatives of tory and workhot tl tab on them to see tha Eht and narrow path of honesty shtevusness. om 40 W 30 men an- nually are paroled from the reforma- tory and a record of less than 10 per cent vielations of parale has deen made on of the honor system 0 Several hundred skilled WOrkinen are now earnmig monthly pay checks fous parts of the District fram the: DerY, mAsNIY, brie! electricians cooks, carpenters. gandeners and et races e Govern- 4 the last tour and one-hait yoars there has beenl an morease 1nom 1300 to more than 100 inmates. AU ages Are represented among the prisoners there deig 10 oulstanding crease w