New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1847-08-13


bail and the poor witnesses sent to herd with
thieves and prostitutes in prison
The Prison Associstions Agent says in his Re
port FOR 1875
Stated reports should b required Of the yscsn
10 the sanitary condition Of the prison At present be
makes DO report to any neither does he keep any
record Of the that Occ1r Il IL not uncommon for
corpse to be left for day or more IN The sans room
with prisoners Of al grades and ages. 10 my diary
June 81 IL the following ensry Two boys seven and
nine years Of age both OF them blind having strsyed
from the Asylum were taken up BY the police and com
ritied 70 prison 10 the same room with them were
persons of abandoned character and among the rest
corpse
Usefa Employment Of those rho de'ir, Il.
After remarking that the admission OF known
prostitutes into the cells Of the male prisoners had
not been an unusual occurrence in our City Prisons
the Committee on Detentions offer the following
useful suggestions pages "a and -:
Employment Of a useful and profitable character
should be provided for ell lnder detention who are vii
no properly regulated mind Is satisfied with idle
ness Ii Il not element Of our being. Even mere
diversion or Amusement substitute for vedirected
Industry In awakening cheerfulness nsurns content
ment with ones lot Whist then must be that mans
condition who Is left for days weeks and months With
absolutely nothing DO but TO sleep eat brood over his
wrongs and wretchedness, or hold converse with the
abandoned aud the depra5ed How can thinking, res
sonng suffer the existence OF this evil from year to
year count is victims by thousands snd yet take not
one step toward its remedy Yet such has been the
apathy of the authorities of our City Ia relation 10 the
inmates Of the City Prison time out OF mind And this
Association will be wanting In the duties imposed on II
by the legislature If Il fails to press this point until tbs
desired end IL reached.
This forced ideness Is IN Just to the families Of the
detained Not having been scjUdged guilty by the law
society has light deprive them or their families Of
the avas Of their labor There s pies Of necessity
be- nterposed justification for doing for work
msy be furnished them n confinement The prisoners
themselves feel this nstn ctyely and oisn complain 20
the members Of the Committee that their families
suffering by their confinement
And II should not be forgotten that those whose
claims present the extremely poor. Others
can procure bail They may thus continue their proper
svocstons for the benefit Of those dependent on hsn
But cels for tins poor and starvation Tor
bis wife aud children
Proper Medica1 Ahcndancc
There is no hospital attached 70 the City Prison
no chaplain-no re,ident physician. The Com
mittce remark
Proper medical attendance should always be at
hand The physician OF the City Prison makes II his
business call there daily between the hours Of 10
NJ. and ? PM and at other times as requested But he
10 always accessible when needed. Al night es-
peciay there is ono 20 attend 10 the sudden wants
of the prisoners OF 10 90 for the physician Use mere
would not be such occurrences a. that OF the night OF
the 4lh Of May last when woman who had been com
itted 10 ono of the cells OF the lower prison short
time previous. commenced about o'clock screaming
violently calling for help. until O'Clock IN ne morning
when she died Her hands were found dreadtuly
mAneled from beating At the door for belp The "o-
man insane-whcti Tier from the use ot liquor, or
some other cause, could not DO ascertained. r ~
Volumes could be filed with recorded cases Of
wanton cruelty, oppression and persecution in the
prisons Of England, France, Ireland, Spain and
Austria of the most heart rending. soulharrowing
character: bat cm b0nO2 IL is no excuse for the
freemen Of America, when they neglect the duties
of their glorious mission to alege that other men
in less free aud favored lands have done like
wise 1t is the duty of free Americans 10 educate
well ind wisely all iriellow citizens, and where
the verdicts of Courts of Justice prove that they
have failed to do 60 or where the bad OF other coun
tries commit crimes among us, we should seek dill
igently the moral amendment OF the prisoner while
we nr. r..-i-hios IA" -sioa against society with
jast and sautary se' Gritty.
While streets and lanes. inhabited by the
poor laborcr and mechanic, arc badly cleaned, and
no effort made to lift 20 the level of Gods earth, ana
place in better habtaiions thereon. the wretched
inhabitants of the dark damp. fetid cellars OF New
York, Crime and Misery will surely be abundant in
our midst
Instruction Of Criminals through the medium Of
Books and Pamphlets.
When Generals Lafayette and Latour Mabourg
were incarcerated in the Austrian Bastile OF Oh
mutt. the latter described their situation-sur-
rounded by waters which caused them to be annoy
ed by musketoes. and frequent iogs which coca
stoned dangerous levers-the sewers Of the town
opening under their windows emitting an Insup-
portable smell and when entirely uncovered, dis
seminating exhalations really pestiential -
themselves clad like beggars, that H. In rags -
but allowed the use Of some of their books mot in
GLIDING however n solitary volume that had been
printed after lss9 and now and then permitted TO
peruse volume from n German Library. How
pleasing their recolections are Of the solace and
comfort afforded them during years Of privaton by
/ the means OF these books
Governor Seward, in his Legislative Message Of
January. lsn. describes the condition Of Auburn
Prison in which he had introduced the benevolent.
wise and humane practice Of allowing the guilty to
read books calculated to produce love OF upright
ness and virtue. He says:
eThe complaint. of cruelty which heretofore engaged
public sympathy and brought our pententiary system
into disrepue, have altogether ceased. sunday schools
have been maintained, and 10 pursuance OF my recon
mendaton. the cell Of each prisoner always supplied
with volume Of the School District Library. his
measure was followed by gratifying improvement IN
/ the conduct of the prisoners Many wesrisome hours
OF solitary confinement begued resolutions Of re-
pentanee and reformation formed and the minds q
the unhappy cOnvcis. accustomed % the contemp alton
of virtue and expanded by knowledge, are gradually
prepared to resist the temptations which await them on
! their return 70 society.
To the City Prison here, though only House Of
| Detention We DO not see that any other book than
the Bible is furnished. Page sol Why not intro
duce the practice OF lending useful and instructive
publications TO the prisoners, whether in the form
Of book, pamphlet or news sheet into every prs
on or pententiary or connected with the Island
1.-THE tyrants Of the cid world 50 dread TIE Pass
that they place it under formidable censorship 70
prevent the spread Of important trnihs among
those Of their people who are out OF JAIL why
should not the friends OF humanity IN the Rer use It
as means ofenticing from vice and crime their err
ing brethren We. TO be slured back 20 the love Of
virtue
Our citizens send pious missions to Bengal and
China-the ostentatious Christianity Of our land Is
| heard of nj tho utteruost corners OF creation -