ater effort to manage them. The uniform
testimony of the men leaving prison has been in the same
direction,--that they were more inclined to watch their overseers and
take the advantage to commit little misdemeanors, as would naturally
arise from this increased prompting to vent their ill-feelings.

So far as I learned, more contraband information was smuggled in during
the second than the first year; certainly I heard it often alluded to.
They would hint at outside matters that I knew nothing of, and in a way
that showed considerable knowledge of them. Take an illustration: The
day after Pike's nomination as governor, a prisoner said, half
inquiringly, "Well, it seems that Pike is nominated." I could not say
"No," in truth, and, from my position, was not allowed to say, "Yes."
Hence I answered, in a joking way, "How much you think you know about
the outside world;" to which he replied, "I do know. I had a paper
brought me that very afternoon, before it was dry, giving an account of
the whole proceedings. He will be elected, too, and we shall have
different fare at the prison."--What one knew would be communicated to
others, so, of course, this fact was generally understood among the
inmates.

I have since learned, that, during the second year, a somewhat regular
correspondence was carried on between the two wings, three couples, I
think, thus making their arrangements for marriage, to be consummated
shortly after their release. And the enjoyment to them was, that some of
these letters were passed directly before the warden's face and eyes,
without his notice.

One letter from the south wing was miscarried, and fell into his hands,
for which the sender was locked up and thus gained the knowledge, above
referred to, of the men's rations. But, nothing daunted at the fate of
this missive, she prepared another and sent it before her release, or
very soon after, which passed in safety. Besides this irregularity,
parties in prison corresponded with those even out of the State, giving
a pretty full account of the prison management, a friend of mine being
shown quite a pile of these letters.

Hence, taking all things into account as to the deportment of the
prisoners, we are forced to the conclusion that no improvement was
secured the second year over the first, but rather a loss, that is, so
far as I saw or heard.

The warden, of course, did his best towards preventing all prison
abuses, for he considers himself a very s