not permitted to talk from cell to cell, yet their
exists a kind of mental telepathy or a wireless, telegraph system
in there. Before long it was known in every cell what the old burglar
had said. Thus before taking charge, the new warden had the good
will of the boys in gray, and they anxiously looked forward to his
coming.
He came,
and accompanied by Chairman Maggi of the pardon board, called on the inmates
right away. From cell to cell he went and shook hands with the prisoners. He
talked with them freely, and many of them told him of their troubles. He
listened to all they had to say, and it seemed as if he inspired
hope in their hearts. Many of the boys told him that they deplored
Warden Delahunty's tragic death, and that they were not in sympnthy
(sic) with the murderers. Several of the boys knew the warden and
expressed pleasure at seeing him. He told them all that he wanted
to treat them on the square, and that he expected the square
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deal in return. All
assured him that they would do right and act like men. The next step for the
new warden to take was to meet the officials and guards. These he weighed,
and found many of them wanting. For instance, three were paralyzed, three others
were cripples, and some were too old to be of any service - several
were drunkards. These were given their checks, as was Turnkey Claus
Pahl, who in the hour of trouble, turned the keys of the prison over
to the desperadoes and then went into hiding in the cellar. The turnkey
post is an important one. He must be a strong, sober man possessing
good judgment, and one who can be depended on in case of an outbreak.
It took several days to find such a man. In the meantime Colonel
C. M. Branson, one out of several business men who came forward to
lend a hand in the hour of trouble, took charge of the keys. The
board of public lands and buildings held a meeting, and it was decided
to increase the pay of the
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