The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-12-30

red on In shops in the prison yard. Most OF the
men work nj the shoe business They learn " make
shoes quicker than they to do almost anything
elte Many OF them are In ON short sentences-some
for only ok months; and there Is no other occupa-
ton to which they could be put 30 Autobiography.
There are Thirty seven In the shoe shop now. and
they average about twenty cents eash per day.
These men are not 10, out to contractor. An over
seer or "boss" Is employed. who buys the leather
and sells the shoes. SO tine United States govern.
nent IL engaged in the manufacture and sale OF
shoes.
Only eight OF the men now work in the sash and
blind shop. Formerly there were more But pre-
judice has got abroad against buying the prison
manufactures and this branch OF business has. con-
sequently fallen on. The contractor pays for these
men ioriy cents day, and furnishes his own steam
engine and all bis machinery. The government
merely supplies the shop with the bare walls. The
| prisoners very much prefer this labor 10 working
| in the shoe shop. 1t affords them much more nc
| tive exercise Many in the shoe shop complain Of
pains in their chest from their long continued stoop-
| ing position. The men work In the summer from
| ak to six and In the winter from sun to sun, ex
| cepting the requisite time for their meals.
The prisoners have no share In the proceeds o
their own labor beyond their support. At the expi-
ration of their sentence, they receive two dollars
and either suit OF clothes worth eight dollars
they do without the clothes the equivalent In
money Thus In day or two after they regain their
| liberty the poor wretches find themselves literally
pennyle as well friendless; hungry well a.
alone, In world full OF plenty as ofpeoplc: 10 they
say, Labor IL denied me, starving; will rob,
or will steal At any rate ! shall get something.
and If nm sent back To prison shall not be worse
| on than am, pershng from want One old man
has been sent back again and again for petty
inns nj ha lsAta nf ia
| lie within the walls OF the Pententary. Another
il serving out his firth term for petty larceny, aud
he Is one Of most industrious and best behaved Of the
| prisoners. The Warden, Mr.. Hcnry Thornley, In his
report Of this year to the Secretary OF the Interior.
recomD ends that portion OF the prisoners earnings
should be paid to them when they leave the prison.
He thinks II would promote their industry and
| greatly assist IN their discipline. and give them
something to help themselves with after they get
| out.
The food Of the prisoners is substantial. but pretty
| good. They have az much bread they eau eat.
| Formerly tie bread was weighed out, and the same
allowance served 60 every MAJ. This was Ike dress.
| ing Daniel Lambert and Tom Thumb In suits Of the
sm s2e. One man ieft halt his ration, while
another suffered continually from the Cravings OF
| neyereppeased hunger. Now every prisoner re-
ceives as much as he will eat up clean They are
supplied with tobacco, and an extra plug u com
| mon reward for industry and good behavior.
The Warden informs me that after long
| succession al experiments la weighing the
| product In bread OF different qualities OF -four.
~ - hiS OPINION tlaf the supcfhhe Hour The
| economical to buy. There L. prejudice against
giving prisoners superine flour 90 he buys the next
| best quality.
| A library Of five hundred volumes has been pro
yided for the prisoners. Tue appropriation Tor this
| was obtained through the solicitation OF Mis- DIX
The books are highly priced by most Of the prison.
| ers who are able 10 read.
There is q regularly appointed ehaplaia, and wor.
ship IL conducted at the chapel in the prison once
| every Sunday. ! smile, IA ! write this, Of the re-
| menbrance OF a dodcat1ry sermon which ] heard
many ye ~ ago IN the chapel OF n jail. With the
| exception OF some balR dozen visitcrs, who. like
myself, had been specially invited to attend. aud
| two or three officers the audience was made up en-
| tiiely OF inmates OF the jail. Some OF them were
| convic's, ard many were awaiting trial on charges
| Of every grade OF crime. One unhappy wretch bad
just teen hung within the walls The clergyman in
| stead Of showing forth the efficacy of repentance
and reform ut the eleventh hour with singular
nelicity preached at great length upon The LANCER
and fatality Of the first sin: ard insisted that the
only way 10 keep out % he'll was never to
make the first step towards il. II he failed 10 c,n
| vince the unhappy wights to whom lac addressed
himself that 1t was gone case with them and
that il WINS mo use trying" II was not the fault of
| his effort.
Did you ever read PTcnticcs sonnet written on
| meeting his lady love In church, many years ago
] remember the lady-shc was fair N the morning
! then. The sonnet u Of the sweetest that love
ever inspire1. II consDss thus -
There cen there
In the dread temple eopsecrate 70 prayer,
Ny trring spirit brea' he'd too soft sigh,
| And tn, nil from fhr mercy sent above
kneh 81 this desrer shrine u human love"
The Inspectors Of the United States Pcnitentiary
in the District Of Columbia, have carefully
Ia their chapel. The female prisoners are
seated near the desk on the left, and between
| them nnd the men . tall screen IL placed de-
signed 70 obstruct all sympathetic vision. This de-
curiosity which begacd Eve to take bite Of the
apple Just 70 zee how y tasted, seldom forsakes her
| daughters. Various schemes, sone OF them very
| cunning, arc Iesorted TO 70 damage the screen.
/ One young woman who has been twice nm inmate OF
the fententiary would invariably succeed by means
Of her scissors something else In making pune
ture IN the canvas, through which she could look
upon her brothers in crime. II they not gsdly
he thought they were good TO look upon
The principal punisbmcnis inflicted for misbcba
sior In the prison are. confinement on bread and
water In dark cells, Or confinement on the same diet
In what are called bard cells. The ordinary cell IL
Twelve feet long by five wide, 81 a convenient height.
| with an arched roof and iron grated door. The
dark cell In similar except TINT the door IL lined
with sheet iron Prisoners are sometimes punished
| by confinement 10 these dungeons walled up alive
IN q tomas long as twenty successive days. AZ
Ter lew days the pupils Of their eyes become 40
| dh,cnd.d that they eau see sotnc; and u u sod
that they dread even this entombmcn, less
| known ~ the hard cels." These are
bkc the otbcr. only they destitute of furniture.
The bed and everything elsc--eyep the blankets
ali taken out. The temperature Is rather chilly,
such ~ 10 keeps man sliyering little, aud he has
10 stand there and look al the baro walls, or lie
down the cold stone floor and all this under tho
compulsory and most rigid practice Of the vegcta,
rian creed. This punishment which l. more dread.
cd than any other IL seldom continued longer than
two three days For the sick or insane, cells 81
double size provided. FlogginR il not 70 much
resortsd to - formerly. The sbover bath, o
meaus Of punishment, has not been introduced.
Two sides OF the prison abu! upon the street. and
the oher- connect with capacious yard, which II
enclosed by high briok walls. On these wall. two
sen,es are stationed through the day, with diree-
toDs II they see prisoner going over the wall To
order him back. ard II he refuses 70 obey. u shoot
him down without further ceremony. No outside
watch IL sept during the night, when the prisoners
are locked In the csll,
Seventeen prisoners 10 all have escaped from the
peulienffsry. About three months ago . man. call.
ing himself" Lghtfoot." feigned sickness. and was
placed IN the horpiia-a large room On one side Of