Percy Wetmore's Cruelty

Paul Edgecombe reflects on Percy Wetmore, a young guard on E Block who is related to the governor by marriage. Percy is cruel, vain, and incompetent, constantly combing his hair and carrying a hickory baton he is eager to use. He has no business on death row, where the job is to keep condemned men calm, but his political connections protect him. Edgecombe and the other regular guards—Brutus Howell, Dean Stanton, and Harry Terwilliger—must constantly manage Percy's dangerous behavior. Edgecombe has a confrontation with Percy over his treatment of John Coffey, sending him away to help move the infirmary, which Percy resents.