Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison Page #3

Get this.

You've been working too hard, Ben

and you're tired.

Your staff has let you down.

What you need in Folsom

is a transfusion.

New blood, young blood.

So we're sending Mark Benson

as your new Captain of the Guard.

New blood, young blood!

- What do they think I am, old?

- Mark Benson?

- Didn't he use to work at Quentin.

- Yeah, he was a sergeant. University guy.

Later they made him

superintendent of road camps.

I met him a couple of times.

Heard him sound off once at a

meeting of the Prison Association.

Cons are mentally sick,

or early influences.

- Society's to blame, that line.

- Yeah, I know.

What are we supposed to do,

give them a shot in the arm?

- You know what he wants to use on cons?

- No, what?

- Psychology.

- No kidding!

You know what that is?

- Well it's...

- Here.

The science which treats of

the mind of men in any of its aspects.

Systematic knowledge and investigation

of the phenomena of

consciousness and behaviour.

He better not try that stuff in here.

Oh, I want him to try it.

I'm going to give him

all the rope he needs

and watch him hang himself.

Yeah?

Mr. Benson is here, Warden.

Come in, come in.

Hi Mark, welcome to Folsom.

Thank you, it's going to be

a pleasure to work with you.

You've met Captain... Sergeant Hart?

No I haven't,

but I've heard about him.

- I'm going to need a lot of help from

you Sergeant. - That's what I'm here for.

Of course it'll take me a few days

to orient myself.

You know this is

a pretty big reservation.

Yes it is,

so take all the time you want.

Now that we've got new blood in here

I'm going to take it easy.

You know your job,

so I'm giving you a free hand.

Folsom means maximum security

and we're stuck with it.

But outside of that I welcome

any suggestions you have to offer.

That's very kind of you, Warden.

- I really hadn't expected...

- I know, I've got a tough reputation.

But my bark is worse than my bite.

- Eh, Cliff?

- That's right Warden.

- You been here before?

- Just once.

- Hart'll show you around.

- Sure.

I know we're going to get along

just fine together.

- Thank you Warden.

- See you later.

This is the guard relief.

The day shift just got on duty.

- Boys, I want you to meet Mr. Benson,

the new Captain. - How are you.

That's all fellows.

The Folsom guard line hasn't

changed much since I saw it last.

- Any high school men among them?

- Yeah, a couple I guess.

- It's tough to get good men.

- Only $60 a month and their keep.

You can't buy much for that kind of dough.

Let's go see the canning plant first.

Here's a character you should know.

Rufe, meet the new Captain.

- Rufe Mosier, the oldest con in the pen.

- Yep, I've been here since 1895.

He was eligible for parole

13 years before he applied for it.

- Then when he got it he

didn't want to leave. - Why not?

Well you see, I wanted to take

my dog Jojo with me.

I got the Warden's permission

to take him.

And everything went fine

until we got to the front gate.

Then he wouldn't move.

Nothing I could do

would make him stir his self.

So I figured

If Jojo didn't like it outside

maybe I wouldn't like it neither,

no sir!

- Do you permit dogs in here?

- Jojo's the only one.

He's a good ratter.

The joint's full of rats.

We manufacture and repair

all the shoes we use in the place.

Hello Leo, how's it going?

- OK, Sir.

- Meet Mr. Benson, new Captain of the Guard.

Hi.

How old are you Leo?

Twenty, Captain.

He's doing life.

Murder first.

Tell him how it happened, Leo.

I killed my wife.

She was 18.

Five bullets.

For every bullet

I quoted a word from the marriage service.

Until... death... do... us...

part.

Funny thing about it,

she didn't do what he thought she did.

- He knows that I suppose.

- He does now.

- That's a stiff climb.

- Sure is. My name is Borden

- Mine's Benson, the new Captain

of the Guard. - Glad to know you, Sir.

Get a good view of the yard from here.

Well, I see some old friends

of mine from the Sierra road camp.

Yeah, there's Hot Rand

Marty McCain

Hot's got rabbit blood in him,

always taking it out on the lam.

That's how come he

finally landed in here.

That's the noon call for mess.

How much are we allowed per day

to feed the inmates?

14 cents per man.

That's less than 5 cents per meal

That's right.

What kind of food

can be bought for that money?

Beans!

Beans for breakfast, dinner and supper.

Yeah.

What I wouldn't give to crash out of this

joint and get some decent chow for a change.

Yeah, me too.

Why aren't the men permitted

to talk whilst they eat?

Warden's orders.

Bad for morale.

I didn't like the looks of the food

I saw on those tables either.

I don't think the cons

like the looks of them.

- Kind of hot ain't it?

- Yeah.

- Can I get you guys some water?

- We'll get our own water.

Yeah.

- He's right on time. - Tate said we

could expect him through here about 10:30.

Watch yourselves, now.

- This is the stool pigeon.

- Stay away, you guys, stay away.

Hey guard, he fell in.

Get a rope, hurry up.

Quick, get him will you.

- Who was it?

- Gebhardt, he fell in.

- He can't swim, he'll go over the dam.

- There's a man in the river!

- Who was it?

- Gebhardt.

- He slipped and fell in the mill race.

- We tried to grab him, but it was too late.

- Alright, get 'em back on the job.

- Come on, let's go.

Who was he Sergeant?

Stool pigeon.

That was no accident, Sergeant.

Shall we go back?

Well, did you see everything?

I saw an inmate killed, Warden.

One of the men on the track gang.

He fell into the mill race

and was swept over the dam.

- Who was it?

- Gebhardt.

- An accident?

- Yes, warden, it was an accident.

Here's his file card.

Evens, bring in your book.

Carl Gebhardt.

The stool pigeon,

they come and go.

Write this man's wife.

"Regret to inform you

"Your husband died as of..."

Correction

"Your husband died accidentally

as of this date.

He has $2 on the prison books.

Please inform us

what you wish done with his body."

- Sign my name and so on.

- Yes, Warden.

Well, Benson,

what do you think of Folsom.

It's quite a place, Warden.

No, no, I wouldn't do that.

Yeah...

OK I'll take care of it myself.

Yeah, I'll call you later on it,

right, goodbye.

Like your new office?

- Close to the yard.

- Well, you picked it.

You remember that wire

we sent to the wife of that con

that was killed down by the dam,

with $2 on the prison books?

Here's her answer.

You keep the body,

send me the $2.

Warden, I sent you a list of changes

the other day that I wanted to make.

- Why don't you make 'em?

- I was waiting for your OK.

I told you I was giving you a free hand.

What more do you want?

That's fine.

There's one other thing.

What about those men

being punished in the hole?

What about them?

They'll be coming up for trial

in a few weeks...

They'll all get the death sentence.

- Don't you think that's punishment enough?

- Look, Captain...

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