The Express.
London, England, 1866-10-12 00:00:00

~ ~

THE PRISONERS OF '4B.

Mr. Ernest Jonas writes to the Daily News :
rope Hennessy, ia his paper en the " Be-
premien el Crime," read at the Social Seism* Con-
gress, having, while inveighing against the treatment of
the Irish political prisoners, used the following words—
"The imprisonment of Leigh Hunt, Mr. Ernest Jones, and
massy others, proves the lenient and considerate treatment
which had been the cuseemin this country "—permit me to
sweet the great error into which Mr. Heintesy has
Mesa
- Of the treatment of Mr. Hunt, his imprisonment having
been long before my time, I cannot 'peek, but of my own
I can assert theta was in nowise leas severe than that of the
Irish prisoners et the present day. I was kept for more
than two years in separate confinement on the silent
system, most rigidly enforced, so rigidly that for an in-
voluntary smile I was sent for three days to a
dark cell on bread and water. For the first
nineteen months. I was kept without books, pen,
ink, or paper, and had to spend that time in a cell
12 feet by 7, locked up in' solitude and silence, without
even a table or a chair. To this cell (the day cell) were
three windows, two without glass, but with rough wooden
shutters, through which the wind, and snow, and rain of
winter blew all over the place. My night cell was of far
assailer dimensions, 9 feet by 4 ; its window was un-
glued ; its shutters did not meet the window frame or
each other by one or two inches ; there was an aperture
over my bed 18 inches by 12, through which the snow and
rain fell on me as I slept, saturating my clothing with
moisture, so that often the water dripped from it as I put
• it on ; the bed itself was a sack of straw and a piece of
carpeting. From this bed I had to go, when I rose at five
is the morning, acmes two yards in my shirt and trousers
only, to wash and dress in the open air, often getting
wet through in the rain and snow while drowsing, and
Meng all day in my wet clothes in my fireless osll ; for
daring the first twelve months I was allowed no fire.
During the intense frosts of the winter of '49 I had to
break the ice in the stone trough, in which I was com-
pelled to wash frequently in the same water that other
prisoners had used. The diet was so poor, and often
ef so revolting a kind, and the treatment so severe,
that at last I was unable to walk across my cell without
support through loss of ;strength. Neither knife nor fork
were allowed at meals, and I had to tear my food with my
lingers. Bent to the ground with rheumatism, and racked
by neuralgia, I applied for permission to have a fire, but
this was denied me (as above stated) till the second year of
say imprisonment. Then I led become so weak that I was
compelled to crawl on all-fours if I sought to reach the
door of my cell to knock for assistance. On one erasion,
while trying to do this, I fainted, fell against the grate,
and had a =row escape from being burnt to death. It
will be recollected that, in the year 1849, the cholera raged
en fearfully in London that on one day as many as 417 per-
sons died. During the height of the plague, while suffer-
ing from bowel complaint, I was sent to a dark cell, on
bread and water, because I did not pick the oakum which
was brought as my day's task.
Such was the treatment Mr. Hennessy calls " lenient
and considerate ," but this was, to me, its most lenient
part ; during all this time I was, after the firstfonr weeks,
allowed to hear from my wife and children only once every
three months ; and once, because, though unasked by me,
at the desire of several members of parliament, Sir Joshua
Walrnsley and the late Mr. Wakley got an order to visit
me, I was not allowed to see my wife for six months, and
this in the height of the cholera plague, and while 417
died, as stated, in one day, and though I implored them to
let me know whether my wife and children were still
alive, even that was denied me !
Out of the four other political prisoners who were sen•
tsnoed simultaneously'with myself, two—Alexander Sharpe
aid John Williams—died in prison after about six months'
endurance of this treatment, and the coroner's juries in
their verdicts attributed their early deaths to the suffer
hags they had undergone, censured the treatment, and re-
commended its discontinuance ; but it was continued
unaltered notwithstanding. The third—John Vernon—
died soon after his release, which was granted him six
months before the completion of his sentence—that is,
after eighteen months' imprisonment.
I ask you, in justice to myself and the others who suf-
fered with me, to insert this statement of facts, and I have
revealed but a portion, a small portion, of the suffering.
inflicted. I have paraded this, never spoken of it
or written about it, but I do think it is rather hard that
after having undergone all these things we should be held
up as examples of lenient and considerate treatment.—l
am, be., ERNE ST JONES.
47, Princess-street, Manchester, Oct. 10.
You will probably recollect that the late Lord Dudley
Stuart brought my treatment before the notice of the
House of Commons, where the aborts facts were elicited in
the debate which ensued.

LETTER OF GENERAL GRANT.

(From the New Alhany (Ind.) Daily Conncrrial, Sept. 24.)

Mr. Kerr, in his speech at Hardensburg, startled
Ms hearers by the assertion that General Grant was a firm
supporter of President Johnson and " his policy." The
sensation created by this extraordinary statement was con-
siderably marred upon the proof being call d for and pro-
duced in the form of a letter to Mr. Kerr from Brevet
Brigadier-General W. S. Hillyer, of New York City.
General Gresham, not feeling completely satisfied with
the proof adduced, wrote to General Grant conoerning it,
with the following result. The orreapondence referred to
we give below :
" Headquarters Armies of the United States,
Washington, Sept. 15.
" General W. P. Gresham.—General : General Grant
directs me to acknowledge the receipt of your letter
of September 10, and to forward you the ac-
companying copy of a letter sent by him this day to
General Hillyer. You are at liberty to make what use
you please of the enclosed.-1 am, Sir, very respectfully
your obedient servant, ADAM BADEAU, Colonel and A.D.C.
" ' Headquarters Armies of the United States,
Washington, Sept. 15.

" ' I see from the papers that you have been making a
speech in which you pledge me to a political party. lam
further in receipt of a letter from General Gresham, of
Indiana, in which he says that his opponent for Congress
had published an extract from a letter received from you,
In which you pledged me to the supporter President Johnson,
and u opposed to the election of any candidate who does
not support his policy. Neither ion, nor any man
living, is authorised to speak for me in political matters,
sad I ask you to desist in the future. I want every man
ile vote according to his own judgment, without influence
from inc.—Yours, &c., U. S. Gn.urr.
" To Brevet Brigadier General W. S. Hillyer,
New York. ADAM BADZAU, A.D.C.'

THE SALOON PACKET COMPANY.—At Vice-Chan-
cellor Stuart's chambers yesterday Mr. Wickens, as wh-
etter to the Saloon Packet Company, applied to Mr. Hall,
the chief clerk, to apt Mr. Turquand provisional
liquidator, under a windmg up petition, which had been
presented to Vice-Chancellor Wood. He relied on the
affidavit of Mr. Brooks, the secretary, and urged the im-
portance of the application. The assets of the company con-
sisted of the Alexandra steamer, and two smaller vessels.
The latter two were advertised for sale this day under mort-
gages, and the large Alexandra, which was also mortgaged,
might shortly be sold, as proceedings had been threatened.
It was most ruinous to sell steamers at the present time,
and he hoped, for the sake of the shareholders as well as
the creditors, the court would protect the property. The
chief clerk was not disposed to interfere in the matter, as
it would be on the 29th instant in the proper court. Mr.
Wickens entreated the chief clerk to make an appoint-
ment, or the vessels would be sacrificed. Although they
were mortgaged, yet customers could be obtained on
higher term, and a new company might be formed. If
the company " came to grief," then the court could not be
blamed, as it had done all in its power. The chief clerk
appointed Mr. Turquand provisional liquidator to see to
the realisation of the property. Order accordingly.
DEATH IN A CA B. —An inquest was held on
Wednesday evening before Mr. Langham, at St. George's
Hospital, on the body of Janet James, aged 65, late a
housekeeper in a family residing at 8, Lanadowne.villas,
Pathan'. On last Saturday afternoon, an independent gen-
tleman residing in the house heard a slight noise, and on
going to sec what was the matter he saw deceased lying
unconscious, apparently in a fit. He called in the police
immediately, who took her to the Walham-green police-
station in a cab. Witness did not give her anything to
endeavour to revive her, but washed her face. On arriving
at the police-station the divisional surgeon was seat for,
but he was not in the way. She was taken in a cab to the
lidzttal, where she arrived at about a quarter to six, quite
Dr. Bright. the home physician, said be saw de-
ceased on her admission.. He should suppose she had been
dead about five minutes ; the body was still warm. He
bad made e. post-mortem examination. The cause of
death was disease of the heart. If a stimulant had been
adminiatored to the deceased at the time of the attack, or
shortly after, no doubt she would have recovered her con-
sciousness, and her life might Lava been prolonged for a
few days ; but the heart was opub diseased. The jury
returned a verdict of "Natural death, arising from disease
of the heart. •
A private meeting of persons interested in Bar-
ned's Bank (Limited) was held in Liverpool yesterday, but
the result was not known when our Liverpool parcel Jett.