Karma, Dharma, Tiger, George, and Gracie, let's see youse cats up here too.
Be seated pooches and ummm, cats. Now listen up.
See this dog? His name is Pep, but the world knows him as Eastern State Penitentiary inmate number C2559. Pep was a Cat-Murdering dog, a black Labrador Retriever admitted to Eastern on August 12, 1924. Prison folklore tells us that Pennsylvania Governor Clifford Pinchot sentenced Pep to serve life without parole at Eastern State Penitentiary for killing his wife's cherished cat.
Prison records support this story: Pep's reported inmate number, C2559 is skipped in the sequence of the numbers assigned new receptions - receptions is prison speak for new intakes, plainly put, newbie prisoners.
Now the Governor, like all politicians, has another story for what went down...He claims Pep was sent to Eastern to act as a mascot for the prisoners.
His PR flack said at the time, "Pep is the answer. Here, in brief, was the answer to the Governor's thought, the fit and fine dog to be sent to those who are in prison. No despairing man brooding in his cell can feel that he is forgotten by God and man, who will feel Pep's loving tongue caressing his languid hand."
Yaright, who's gonna believe that sappy story?
Seems the Governor and Warden Herbert Smith were best buds.
Anyway, Pep lived at Eastern State Penitentiary for a least a decade...that is 70 of your doggy years you know and he's said to be buried at the Correctional Institution at Graterford. Sad thing is, they aren't even sure.
Now Pep, he weren't the only one. See this Beagle here? That's ESP-1B, he was admitted on July 7, 1957. He never left the place alive.
See this corridor? This is a cell block. Each of those doors opens into a room about 8 feet wide by 11 feet deep. It has a steel frame cot an end table and a smelly combination toilet and sink. Do you see anything remotely looking like a grass lawn? Or bushes? Or milkbones or butterflies? No...nor do you see any fire hydrants or interesting places to sniff and relieve yourselves. This is a prison. It's not a fun place for a dog. Any dog.
Got it? No murdering cats. No barking after quiet hours. No biting your own human. No wetting or pooping on the floor inside the house. Got it? Let's see your best behavior at all times. Nuttin' personal okay? I don't ever wanna sees you back heres again.
20 comments:
It's sad knowing they actually sent dogs to this prison. Sounds very inhumane to me. I guess that's one way to deal with an animal that wasn't behaving the way the owner thought it should.
The place looks pretty spooky. For inmates AND the dogs. Poor little canines. If yoiu were human and ended up there, that was a choice they made...but the dogs? Poor things. They couldn't even write home to warn the others.
Thanks for the virtual tour. I'm going to have to check that place out when in that neck of the woods.
:-)
I shall read this aloud when I get home as a good warning.
Shaking me head at you... thinking maybe you would do better looking around a loonie bin LOL
x
I have an interesting take on dogs in prison... as we have a penitentiary here in town and the dog training program started up there recently. (Assigning a dog to an inmate for acclimating to people -- dogs who have been deemed to dangerous to be around kids etc)
anyway -- we're wondering, with ALL that concrete, not much areas with grass, where in the world does that dog go potty?
that should have said, we were wondering, too.
so very interesting; like I said in yesterday's comment "if the walls could talk". I would be very curious about those two dogs and their fate. Although I may joke about it a lot, I would be horrified if Koda did such a thing to a cat.
Makes you want to take a group of juveniles who think a criminal life could be exciting and put them in one of those stinky cells for a little bit; might make them think twice about some of their choices
we've toured the old state prison in Montana and my hubby/son did Alcatraz, I think there are lessons to be learned at places like this if we are willing to learn them
again, thanks for sharing your trip there
betty
but the big question is..did you see any ghost?
Whiskey wasn't impressed - he's still a demon dog - thinks he's above the law ;)
That is one intimidating place - especially for dogs!
that place is really creepy..poor doggies..
Well, some people just put dogs "down" for doing such things. I guess being a mascot to some bored men in prison might have been a better life...? Unless they were imprisoned for beastiality...hmm. What a story.
I get shivers looking down that corridor. I bet it was a little unnerving to be there.
This is unbelievable! Doggy mug shots...I never.
Oh my gosh, those poor doggys, I sure hope Nova, Gracie and George paid attention to you, hehe. Your so sweet when your lecturing the animals :)
Ok, this is both hilarious and depressing at the same time. Those poor dogs!! Toby's lucky he's being very good (read: quiet) right now...unlike a few minutes ago.
What an interesting tour, by the way. Those pictures are creepy though. Do you think they host night tours around Halloween?
It's very difficult to get a cat to do anything when you want them to--so I had to read it to her, of course. :) Even tho Karma is larger than most small dogs and hasn't used up a single one of her nine lives, she will probably hide under the bed from now on when she hears that miniature weiner dog in the hallway. I do predict twitchy cat dreams in her future for all her bravado.
She said to tell you that living in a cell would not be much smaller than where she currently resides. No big deal. As long as I am there and she has her food, cat box, and her comfy chair she's good to go. Plus she thought the place looked like a likely spot for mice and bugs--thought it was awesome!
But I know that's all B.S. :):)
Dogs in prison?! No way!
I think you've just made all the dogs lined up to read this very nervous! ;-)
The Bachman WOULD NOT be happy in jail. If he had to live in a place like that his tail would probably stop wagging.
I say "probably stop wagging" because we have actually never seen it stop and we aren't sure that it actually does stop.
OK, Kero wasn't impressed... You got the butt treatment... I said, "did you hear that, Kero?" and he turned away and walked off. Nice try though. :)
Yeah, read it to Katy and she just yawned at you. Dharma just kinda smirked.I think you just gave her some ideas. Oh dear.
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