Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988

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State Reformatory. (Photo submitted by Mildred Brown)
industry of each man and no more. He noted that the
plan of deducting a certain percent from a convict's
term. for good behavior. involved the same principle
and was working well.
This warden’s thinking was years ahead of its time.
In his 1883 report, he noted that there were 11 women
in the prison for which there was no building. There
were also three insane prisoners and a special place
was needed for them. lt was reported that electric lights
had been used since December 1882. Of the $176,484
appropriated since 1876. there was a balance of
$19,000.
Under Warden Martin's administration the first
quarry was sold and a second purchased.
In 1884. the Anamosa institution's official name was
changed from. ‘Additional Penitentiary‘ to ‘State
Penitentiary’ and in 1907. it was officially changed to
‘Reformatory’ where first offenders from 16 to 30 years
old were placed.
In June 1888. one of the 16 females incarcerated at
the Anamosa penitentiary escaped. She was serving an
18-year sentence for poisoning her husband. She made
good her well-planned escape. She had made a man's
coat and pants out of the grey flannel used for the
women's winter dresses and wore a black skull cap and
was ‘adorned’ with a black mustache.
To make her escape from the prison. she cut one of
the bars of the window where the females were kept.
attached a rope made from a blanket. and descended to
the ground. Her next move was to scale the 27-foot
wall. She did this by using a guy-rope holding one of
derricks being used in construction. She may have
escaped for good. but she headed toward Monticello
and misinterpreted a sign board. about three miles out
of Anamosa. and returned to the city.
The following night. about ll o'clock. she meandered
up Main Street. casually twirling her mustache. when
she was observed by Charles Buckner. who happened
to be a guard at the prison. and lived upstairs over the
Sheridan & Hogan's millinery store. He followed her up
South Ford Street and when she got to First Street he
took her in charge — much against her will — and she
was returned to the penitentiary.
Periodically. the Men's Reformatory. due to it's
physical structure. housed prisoners for the U.S.
government. One such instance was in 1893. when 10
prisoners were brought in by train from Texas. Five
deputy U.S. Marshals escorted the men. According to
the Anamosa Eureka. each marshal wore a ‘brace of
heavy Colt revolvers and in dress and style were typical
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Reformatory Work Force in 1903. left to right —
George Walker. George Beaman. A.A. Fife. Harry
Smith. Harry Powers, Dr. S. Druet. H.H. Kratovii.
William D. Thomas; second row — M. McCarthy. C.I.
Nelson. W.A. Hubbard. John Edwards. Michael Boos.
J. Mitchell; third row — J. A. Brummitt. Benbow. C. W.
Pulley, H.G.H. Harper. Conner. Oscar Svanberg;
fourth row — B.G. Rees. C.E. Bauserman. Charles
Gould. H.F. Hardt. G. Gwehle. Tip Patterson. George
Seeley; fifth row — Graham. J.N. Noel, Lieberknecht,
B.F. Morse: sixth row — James Taylor, J.H. Lowe. C.D.
Stout. Bert Waggoner. (Journal-Eureka photo)
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