Rensselaer Republican, Volume 27, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 May 1895 — TOPICS OF THESE TIMES. [ARTICLE]

TOPICS OF THESE TIMES.

INGKXIOL4 C’ONVKTS. Convicts sometimes 'exhibit the most remarkable ingenuity while .-Obfine<Tm'pGnitentiaries.Honest effort of an equally zealous and ingenious character would place the, talented criminals in an independent position. But “as the twig is bent the tree’s inclined.’’ They get started wrong and generally continue in the same direction. A few years ago convicts in a Georgia nenitentiarv were discovered to be :urning out a very fair article of whisky from a small distillery which :hey had managed to construct inAde the prison walls without the knowledge of the officials. Their "sour mash - ’ was made from the ?orn bread served to the prisoners," ind in one way and another they nanaged to keep on hand a surplus of the alleged “moonshine” that was * great com fort to them under the eircumstaiices. This was supposed to be the climax of convict ingenuity. but the feat has been outdone at the Blackwell's Island penitentiary it New York. —About the first of April Warden Pillsbury found coup - terfeit ten-cent pieces-in the was lujowl of the prison. A quiet search the cells was made and in the one occupied by John Houghton a counterfeiter's outfit and over SIOO in uogus coin was found. When con’ronted with the evidences of his guilt Houghton confessed and implicated another prisoner. For three non ths the stores of Harlem ha ve oeen flooded with counterfeit dimes, quarters and half dollars. The detectiveshave been at their wits’ end, lifting unable to-discover the source M supply. The penitentiary was the nost improbable place for such an enterprise., Several convictions* for, “ passing spurious coin have followed as a result of their efforts, but, every prisoner was “true" and refused to ■eveal the place where they secured the- “stuff.”- It is believed that - Houghton’rf confession solves the mystery.and wi 11 restilt in many ar rests of his fellow,conspirators.