Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1855-07-06
GREELY IN PRISON.
Fdllonal Correspondence oftheN.y. Tribune.
No 20 Rue DE CLrcHY;)
PARIS, June 3, 1856.

the world don't know the other hal
lives" This is not merely true, hul
good deal incide of the truth. We
visit scores Of people, feast with them,
dance with them. buy and sell with
them; yet how very few do we really
know how they liveI Just think
Of US travellers, for instance, whose
displays Of our ignorance are only more
conspicuous and emphatic than those
of other people-Shst do we know as
to the real mannerof life of the nations
we write about? Torealize how much
ignorance may be crowded into q
l2mo., open almost any volume Of re-
cent travel. Think of a Frenchman OF
German whisked through the United
States, steaming up few rivers, OF
over n dozen railroads. taking break
fast in New York. dinner (in twenty
minutes at Utica, and tea at Buffalo.
and on the strength of three months
OF such racing and as many weeks
spent among his particular friends,
mainly forei gners of course in two or
three of the great seaports, undertake
ing to tell Europe what sort of people
we are, and how we live? Fairly con.
sidered the mere audacity Of the at
tempt challenges amazement if not ad-
mlratlon.
have been looking at things ifnot
into them for good many years prior
to yesterday. | had climbed noun
tains and descended into mines, had
sroped in caves and scaled precipices,
had seen Venice and Cincinnati, Dub
lin and Mineral Point. Niagara and st.
Gothard, and really supposed l was
appfoximating a middliug outside
knowledge oil things in general. l had
been chosen defendant in several libel
suits, and been lattered with the in
formation that my censures were
deemed of moie consequence than
those Of other people, and sho'd be
paid for accordingly. had been thro'
twenty OF. our States, yet never in Jail
outside OF New York. aud over hall
Europe vet never looked into one.-
Here | had been seeing Paris ioi the
lass six weeks. visiting this sight, then
that. till there seemed little remaining
worth looking Mt or aftcr--yet had
never once thought OF looking into
debtors prison. L should probably
have gone away next week, as igpor'
ant in that regard as | came. when
circumstances favored me most unex-
pectedly with nm inside view of this ia.
nous "Maison dc Detention" or Pris.
on for Debtors. 10 Rue de Clichy.
think what | have seen here, fairly
told. must be instructive and interest
ing, and l suppose others will tell the
story If do not-and don'tknow any
one whose opportunities will enable
him to tell itso accurately az ! can. Sc
here goes:
But first let me explain and insist on
the important distinction between in
side and outside views Of a prison.
People fancy they have been in pris-
on when they have by courtesy been
inside of the gates: but that is properly
an outside view-at best the view ac-
corded to an outsider. IL gives you
no proper idea of the place ut all--no
access to its peaetraiia. The differ.
encc between this outside and the
proper Inside views is very broad in
deed. The greerness of those who
don't know how the world looks from
the wong side Of the gratings is pitia'
BILE. Yet how many reflect on the dis
dain with which the lion must regard
the pumpkin who peryerts his goad.
stick to the unnoble use of stirring said
lion up? or how many suspect that the
grin wherewith the baboon contcmpla-
tes the human ape who with umbrella
at arms length is poking Jocko for his
doxy's delectation. is one of contempt
rather than ccmplacency? Rely on
it, the world seen here from behind
the gratings is very different in aspect
from the same world otherwise inspect
ed. Others may thinks so Il knou
it. This is how:
had been down Mt the Palace o.
Industry and returned to my lodging.
when. a little before A o'clock yestnr'
day afternoon. four strangers called
for me. BY the help ofmy courier
soon learned that they had writ O
arrest for me Mt the suit of one Mons
Lechasne, sculptor. affirming that h,
sent statue to the New York Crysta
Palace Exhibition, at, or on the way
to which, it had been broken. so tha'
it could not be (at all events it had
not been restored TO him--wherefore
he asked Of me, rs Director anc
representatives of the Crystal Palace
association, to pay him "douze mill,
francs." or SO. 500. Not happening
to have the change, nnd no idea O
paying this demand. i'll had it. | coo
only signify these facts; whereupor
they told me that | was under arrest
and must 80 along. which | readily
did. We drove circuitously the sculp
tors residence at the other end of Par
is, waited his convenience for q lons
half-hour. and then went to the Presi
dent Judge who had issued the writ
| briefly explained to him my side o
the case, when he asked me If wishet
to give bail. | told him | would Civ,
bail for my appearance ut court any
time, hut that | knew no man in Paris
whom | felt willing to ask to becom,
my security for the payment of SO larg,
a sum rs SO, 800. After a tlittle par
ley named Judge Piatt, U. s. Secrc
tary of Legation, rs one who. | fel
confident, would recognize for my mp
pearance when wanted. and this sug
gestion met with universal assent
Twice over. l carefully explained tha
| preferred going to prison to askin,
any friend to give bail for the paymen
in any case of this claim. and knew
was fully understood. So we all, ex
cept the Judge. drove of together. /
the Legation.
! There We found Judge p. who readi
ly agreed to recognize as required
: but now the plaintiff and his lawyc