1813, on a ten-acre lot in the southwest corner of Columbus, which was conveyed to the State for that purpose by the original proprietors of the town. It was a brick building irouting on Scioto street; the dimensions were sixty by thirty feet and three stories in height, which included the basement partly below ground. The basement contained the living-rooms of the prisoners, and could only be entered from the prison-yard. The second story was the keeper's residence. The third or upper story contained the prisoners' cells, thirteen in number, nine of which were light and four dark cells.

The prison-yard, about 100 feet square, was enclosed by a stone wall from fifteen to eighteen feet high.

In 1818 a new brick building was erected, and the prison-yard enlarged to about 400 by 160 feet, enclosed by stone walls twenty feet high and three feet thick, with a plank floor and hand-railing on the top. Workshops Workshops were arranged within the yard. The new building was 150 by 34 feet, two stories high, and formed a connecting-line with the old building, which was remodelled as a residence for the keeper.

The dining-room, kitchen, and fifty-four cells occupied the ground floor of the new building; below ground, accessible only by a trap-door in the hall, were five dark and solitary cells, and on the second floor two adjoining rooms served for a hospital.

Until 1819 the keeper or warden was appointed by five inspectors chosen by the Legislature. That year, however, the office of State agent was created, and both agent and keeper elected by the Legislature for a term of three It years. was the State agent's duty to receive from the keeper all manufactured articles, make sales, collect debts, and pay over to the State treasurer all cash receipts. The office of State agent was abolished in

1822.

The first warden or keeper of the penitentiary was James Kooken. At that time the prison contained but few convicts, the keeper was kind-hearted and as lenient as was consistent with official duty, and, there being at times but little work for the prisoners, they were permitted to indulge in various amusements, one of which was ball-playing; and when, as sometimes happened, the ball was knocked over the prison walls, a dog they had trained for the purpose would run to the main entrance, summon the guard, pass out, get the ball, and return with it to the players.

The labor of the prisoners was employed in blacksmithing, cabinetmaking, gunsmithing, wagon-making, shoemaking, coopering, weaving, and tailoring, the manufactured articles being sold or exchanged for provisions or raw materials.

Attempts at Escape.-There were more or less individual attempts to escape, but only one outbreak at all general in its character. One day, during the year 1830, about a dozen prisoners, under the leadership of a daring fellow, Smith Maythe by name, secreted

themselves near the outer door of the prison, and, when the turnkey unlocked the door, Maythe sprang upon him, securing a firm hold, while his companions rushed out. Then, releasing the turnkey he bounded out, and joining his fellow-conspirators fled to some woods a short distance southeast of the prison. Their liberty was short-lived, however, for soon they were all recaptured and returned to the prison. Maythe, the leader, was eventually hung by a mob in Kentucky for an attempt at robbery and murder.

Liberties to Convicts.-Previous to 1836 convicts were frequently taken out to work in different parts of the town, and sometimes without a guard. Among others who were allowed great liberties in this respect was one Scott, a printer, who was permitted to earn money, a part of which he was allowed to keep for himself, by working at his trade outside the prison. On one occasion he got uproariously drunk, and, meeting Gov. Lucas on the street, he besought him to grant him a pardon, and, backed up by the whisky he had imbibed, became very urgent, much to the governor's discomfiture. Perhaps it is needless to state that Mr. Scott served out his full term, and with restricted privileges.

The Asiatic Cholera.--In the summer of 1833 the cholera broke out in Columbus, and soon became epidemic within the penitentiary. Out of 303 convicts few were exempt from sickness. One hundred were confined in the hospital, forty of them with pronounced genuine cholera, and there were eleven deaths before the disease disappeared.

In 1849, the prison having been removed to its present quarters, the cholera again made its appearance, and with a fatality that was appalling; and notwithstanding every precaution, more than one-fourth of the inmates became its victims.

Heroic Devotion.-It broke out in the prison on the 30th day of June, having previously prevailed in Columbus and surrounding towns for eight or ten days. The first day there were two fatal cases, and the daily mortality increased to five on July 7, eight the day following, and twelve on the 9th of July. Dr. Lathrop, the regular prison physician, was attacked by the disease July 3; fifty to sixty new cases were occurring daily, and, although Dr. Trevitt was in attendance, having been called the first day the epidemic broke out, Dr. Lathrop felt that his duty was at his post; and although advised by his physicians to keep his bed, totally unfit for any labor, on the 6th of July he was again at work administering to the sick and dying. His heroic devotion cost him his life five days later.

July 8, nine days after the first appearance of the disease, 396 out of 413 prisoners had been attacked by cholera, 21 had died, and the next day 12 more died. The condition and prospect of affairs was horrible to contemplate. The directors called to the aid of Drs. Lathrop and Trevitt other physicians in the city, as Drs. B. F. Gard, Robert Thompson, J. B. Thompson, Norman Gay, and J.

Cincinnati long after the incidents occurred, describes his action: "When the cholera broke out in the Ohio penitentiary Gov. Ford was absent from Columbus. To be used in extraordinary cases, he had left a small number of blank pardons with Mr. Samuel Galloway, the secretary of state. The scene in the penitentiary and in the city was fearful. Galloway could not withstand the piteous appeals for liberty, and he soon exhausted the pardons and wrote to Ford at his home in Burton, Geauga county, for more. This the governor refused, but wrote Mr. Galloway that he would come down to Columbus immediately. He did so; went to the prison, examined the hospital and patients, assembled the convicts and told them that no pardons would be issued while the cholera was in the prison; that to those who behaved well, nursed the sick and aided in cleaning the prison, pardons on the recommendations of the officers would be freely granted when the danger was passed; even those who had homes to go to could not be half as well nursed or attended to as in the prison hospital, and that the appearance of a single man in the neighborhood who was known to have been in prison and pardoned because of the cholera would create alarm and perhaps produce the much-dreaded disease. The men were satisfied. The effect in the city was good, and the heroism and good sense of Gov. Ford were much commended. At the risk of his life he personally went among the sick and personally attended to their wants.

July 10th the epidemic reached its height, the number of deaths being twenty-two, a greater mortality than on any other single day. On that day Dr. Gard was attacked and Dr. Lathrop again stricken down by the disease. The two heroes both died noble sacrifices on the altar of professional zeal and large-hearted humanity. On July 11th Dr. G. W. Maris filled the vacancy caused by Dr. Gard's fatal sickness, and from this date the virulence of the epidemic gradually declined until July 30th, when the last death from cholera occurred.

Number of Deaths.-During the thirty days of the epidemic 116 prisoners had died from cholera, and out of 413 convicts, the number had been reduced by deaths and pardons to 273. With the subsidence of the disease the prison discipline was gradually resumed.

When the cholera prevailed in Columbus between August 30th and November 29th of the year 1850 there were twenty-two deaths attributed to dysentery and other disease by the regular prison physician, but since then the prison has been exempt from epidemic diseases.

The Present Penitentiary. In October, 1832, the legislature passed an act for the selection of a site and the erection of a new penitentiary, and a site in the western part of Columbus, on the banks of the Scioto, selected; but there being some complications with regard to a perfect title, five publicspirited citizens of Columbus-Joseph Ridg

Work was started on the building in 1832 by the preparation of much of the material, but the structure itself was not commenced until the following spring, and operations were suspended during the summer owing to the cholera epidemic. Convicts were employed in the work. When the building of the new penitentiary was begun. convicts whose time would not expire before its completion were promised a pardon when the building was finished if they would faithfully perform the tasks assigned them and make no attempt to escape. Those making this promise were employed accordingly, and in no case was there a violation of the terms.

New Rules and Regulations.—In 1834 the new building was occupied ; and in 1835, with a new building, new officers, new rules and regulations, the old system of barter was abandoned and the present system of hiring the convicts by the day to contractors and manufacturers, who employed them in the prison workshops, was inaugurated. Rules of great severity were rigidly enforced which have been relaxed of late years and kindness and humane treatment substituted, with the object of reformation as well as punishment of the offender. Solitary confinement instead of the "shower bath and the "cat" is now used to bring the refractory convict into subjection.

In 1837, at the east end of the main building, an addition was constructed which contained eleven cells, with capacity for twice that number. This addition was used as a separate apartment for female prisoners.

The cost of the new penitentiary, when completed, was $93,370, besides 1,113,462 days of convict labor expended upon it. The buildings and prison walls formed a hollow square containing about six acres of land, which was increased in 1868 by the addition and enclosure of ten acres of land lying north of the prison. These ten acres of land were purchased from the representatives of Dr. Lincoln Goodale at a cost of $20,000.

New Humanizing Features.-Many improvements have been made in the labor system since the adoption of the contract plan; a recent one is that of having piece-work given out to the convicts, who are thus stimulated to greater industry, and many of them, by increased application to their labors, often leave the prison upon the expiration of their sentences with sufficient money saved by working extra time to start them in useful callings. During our visit mention was made of one prisoner who will shortly leave with $540 earned in that way. The habits of industry thus acquired, with the consciousness of possessing the reward of faithful efforts, cannot fail to have a beneficial effect upon

criminals and do much toward making them honest and industrious citizens.

All prisoners who are physically able are employed in the different labor departments. Those who are experienced in any particular trade upon entering the prison are given work in their specialty; but the majority of the convicts have never learned trades when first imprisoned.

In the female department a number of the inmates are employed making stogies, and we were informed during a recent visit to the institution that in every instance the trade was learned in the prison. The cooking and laundry work in this department is all done by the female prisoners. At the present time there are only about thirty-five females in the department, who are entirely separated from the rest of the prisoners. It has two dark cells or dungeons, which are seldom used, as the women generally are well behaved.

The Reformatory Principle.-Every effort is made to improve the moral and religious condition of the convicts, and to carry out the reformatory principle as far as possible. Religious exercises are held every Sunday, in which the prisoners take an active part. The prison Sunday-school is divided into classes that are taught by different teachers from the city. Convicts who are members of the Catholic denomination have a large chapel devoted to their special use. The uneducated are obliged to attend night - school for a few hours every evening, with the exception of a few vacation months in the summer. prison library, which contains over 2,000 volumes, besides a large number of monthly magazines, furnishes another means for intellectual improvement, and is a great aid to moral reformation. Humanity and kindness is shown in every possible way in the treatment of the prisoners, every incitement to good behavior given them. As a result of the influences, out of over 1,200 convicts there are not over six or seven daily infractions of the rules.

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The Suit of Honor.-The prisoners are graded by different-colored clothing. The wearing of a suit of clothes striped gray and white instead of striped black and white is a badge of good behavior. The plan was suggested by the prisoners themselves, originated here, and works so well that this Ohio idea is being copied in other States. To entitle the prisoner to don the gray he must sign a special agreement to implicitly obey all the rules and regulations in spirit as well as in letter, and must for six months receive the highest possible rating for good behavior. With these conditions fully met, the convict becomes entitled to his mark of honor-the suit of gray. The plan works well as a reformatory measure.

A mail department has been established within the prison, where convicts are allowed to receive letters or papers from their relatives or friends. One day of each month a prisoner is allowed to receive visits from friends and relatives.