atter
was the function of the guards, which they turned over to us. It was
up to us to keep order; if we didn't, we'd be fired back to hard
labor, most probably with a taste of the dungeon thrown in. But so
long as we maintained order, that long could we work our own
particular grafts.

Bear with me a moment and look at the problem. Here were thirteen
beasts of us over half a thousand other beasts. It was a living hell,
that prison, and it was up to us thirteen there to rule. It was
impossible, considering the nature of the beasts, for us to rule by
kindness. We ruled by fear. Of course, behind us, backing us up, were
the guards. In extremity we called upon them for help; but it would
bother them if we called upon them too often, in which event we could
depend upon it that they would get more efficient trusties to take our
places. But we did not call upon them often, except in a quiet sort of
way, when we wanted a cell unlocked in order to get at a refractory
prisoner inside. In such cases all the guard did was to unlock the
door and walk away so as not to be a witness of what happened when
half a dozen hall-men went inside and did a bit of man-handling.

As regards the details of this man-handling I shall say nothing. And
after all, man-handling was merely one of the very minor unprintable
horrors of the Erie County Pen. I say "unprintable"; and in justice I
must also say "unthinkable." They were unthinkable to me until I saw
them, and I was no spring chicken in the ways of the world and the
awful abysses of human degradation. It would take a deep plummet to
reach bottom in the Erie County Pen, and I do but skim lightly and
facetiously the surface of things as I there saw them.

At times, say in the morning when the prisoners came down to wash, the
thirteen of us would be practically alone in the midst of them, and
every last one of them had it in for us. Thirteen against five
hundred, and we ruled by fear. We could not permit the slightest
infraction of rules, the slightest insolence. If we did, we were lost.
Our own rule was to hit a man as soon as he opened his mouth--hit him
hard, hit him with anything. A broom-handle, end-on, in the face, had
a very sobering effect. But that was not all. Such a man must be made
an example of; so the next rule was to wade right in and follow him
up. Of course, one was sure that every hall-man in sight would come on
the run to join in the chastisement; for this also was a rule.