Cole Younger In Stillwater Prison

Life, by our standards, was harsh in Stillwater, but in the context of the times, it was con- sidered a progressive prison. What follows are excerpts from an article that appeared in the Stillwater Messenger on August, 9, 1872 -- four years before the Youngers entered prison. It was reprinted in Convict Life at the Minnesota State Prison and gives a good idea of the life Cole, Jim and Bob were to lead for many, many years.

The State Prison *** How It Is Conducted The Object and Effect of Prison Disipline .....The prison will accommodate conveniently about one hundred and fifty-eight convicts..... There are five tiers of cells, one above the other, each cell designed for one occupant. It is furnished with a bed, single width, a wash stand, basin and water jug..... In the winter each cell has a lamp, which, however, must be extinguished by eight o'clock..... Near the floor is a small closet, large enough to hold a commode and furnished with a tight door. The halls and cells are frequently whitewashed, and the floors are swept daily. The cleanliness and good ventilation of the prison are in striking contrast to the filth and noxious atmosphere which too often pervade similar institutions..... At this season of the year, the prisoners are required to rise at half after five, to break- fast at six and to commence work at half after six. Their meals are served to them in tin trenches, which are rectangular in shape, and are divided into three compartments..... The food is abundant and of good quality..... each man has all he wants. A great deal of fresh beef is used, also corned beef, pork, beans, bread and soup. On Friday fish is substituted for meat..... Coffee is furnished in the morning and tea at night..... It is safe to say that many a lad fares better in the prison than he ever did out of it..... When a convict is brought in he is furnished with a zebra suit, and after a short time set at work in some one of the various departments of mechanical labor. If he is insubordinate either then or subsequently, he is disciplined by confinement in the dungeon, on reduced fare..... Corporal punishment (is eschewed because it) enrages a man. It wounds his vanity..... and excites his animosity..... On the other hand, confinement, accompanied by a diet of bread and water, induces reflection, draws the blood from the head, and cools the blood. A man seldom holds out beyond the third day and leaves the dungeon without any revengeful feeling toward the officer(s)..... Convicts who have enjoyed similar hospitalities in other states, invariably speak of Minnesota prison in the highest terms. More attention is paid to cleanliness and ventilation than is usual in other prisons, and the inmates are treated, as one of them expressed it, "like men instead of dogs."

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