Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-02-09
EVENING STAR.
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.


The next room entered is used as n sort of
store room, and in this there is a quantity of
woodwork, such as window blinds SASH and
the like, which was manufactured by the con-
victs, who were "farmed out" to a contractor,
who paid forty cents day for their labor and
found his own steam engine and machinery.
This work, which is well made, does not meet
with ready sale from the prejudice ere lied
against it by the stand taken upon the su oiect
by our carpenters, and the work is now sus-
pended altogether, and the contractor has
gone North to make arrangements for intro
duclng some branches of labor in the peniten-
nary, which will not come in conflict with the
interests of our own mechanics.
Our shoemakers have not been able to COM
pine 30 efectually against convict labor COM
Ing In competition with themselves; and the
shoe business is carried on pretty extensively
here. In the shoe shop the work is not farmed
out, but an overseer is employed, who buys
the leather, gives instructions about cutting
and making, and sells the work after it is
made. A large number of convicts were at
work here, in silence, while the overseer, sta
toned on an elevated seat, watched them
Ine convicts are not allowed to speak to each
other but 1t Is, of course, quite impossible to
prevent them from communicating by signs
the deaf and dumb alphabet, motions of the
features, expressive hemst'' and the like
over the bench Of a mulatto some rudely ex-
nounced to his comrades that he would posi-
lively lend no more tobacco
The prisoners have no share in the proceeds
Of their labor, and no incentive to industry
beyond that of an extra plug Of tobacco to
those who do the most work. This is found to
be quite spur, however. We cannot but
agree with Mr.. Thornley,, that provision by
which the prisoner would be allowed per
ton OF his wages on being discharged, would
have most beneficial effect As it is, they
receive at the expiration of their sentence,
two dollars In money and a suit of clothes
worth eight dollars, or if they have clothes,
they can take their money equivalent So
scsntily provided, they are almost necessarily
compelled TO resume their old career of vice,
for who will, knowingly, employ the peniten-
tary convict; and they have not sufficient
means to take them to a distance from the
place where their degradation is known.
We next visited the chapel, a commodious
room divided off for white and colored con-
vlcts, and with an extra division for the
women, IN the shape Of a canvas screen, in
asmuch as the regulations do not allow the
female eonvicts to gaze upon or converse with
their brethren in disgrace but
"Whoe'er possessed the power and skill
To stem the torrent Of a woman's will ,"
especially when that will is united to love and
strong curiosity. So the result is, that the
canvas has been punctured from end to end
which an aperture could be made to enable
the female eye to gaze once more upon the
loved form of man, The deprivation of a
meal is generally the punishment allotted to a
female for cutting and peeping, but it is by no
means efectual as it is not uncommon to find
one who will very cheerfully go without her
supper for the opportunity Of indulging the
inclination; and one young woman who has
twice been an inmate of the prison, almost
starved herself to death in buying peeps at
the forbidden fruit at the cost of a meal each
In the chapelis kept the penitentiary l.
brary, which consists Of about six hundred
volumes, and which was procured through the
exertions of Miss Dix. The books are in eager
request, and are given out to the criminals
each Sabbath. A considerable portion of the
library consists Of religious books, though
there is good selection of historical, biograph-
ical, and miscellaneous works. We noticed
Bancroft's History, Prescott's Works, The
Cabinet Library, Gibben's Rome, and other
valuable standard works. We were curious
to ascertain which books were most sought for
by the prisoners, and were told that of all the
six hundred volumes Of the library, Bunyan's
Pilgrims Progress was most in demand in
deed that 1t was always out, and always be-
spoken in advance. Considering the avidity
with which these books are read by the pris-
oners, and the opportunity thus afforded to
occupy their minds for good, instead Of evil, is
1t not strange that the religious and philan-
thropic have not made donations and acces.
sions to this little library to put it Oh hand
some footing? No doubt :" Borioboola Cha
has received generous contributions, while
this little library has received the donation of
barely one UOiHne since its foundation
Next we took a turn among the cells, and
that we might get realizing sense" of
their gloom, were locked up for moment in
one OF the dark cells, where unmanayeable
cOnvicts are locked up and fed upon bread
and water until they yield obedience. 1t was
perfectly dark, excepting ray or two of light
coming in through chinks in the door, and
must be sufficiently awful without the broad
and water accomplishments Twenty days con-
hnement In these cells Is the maximum of pun
ishment allowed, but a single night is generally
sufficient. 1t is worthy Of note that it happens
here, as it often does outside the penitentiary
that the most obstinate and unmanageable
cases are those OF female cOnvicts. One wo-
man staid out her entire twenty DAYS unsub-
dued, and at the end of the time cursed the
Warden, the President, the judges and Jury
and all having authority, and dared the Off
GERS to do their worst. She imagined that one
twenty days" was all the punishment that
could be inflicted, and great was her rage and
disgust when she was clapped in for another
twenty days for the fresh offence but she
yielded this time. Sometimes, a convict ON
being immured, beats against the door of his
cage with the fury Of a maniac, and ono fell
low, who must have possessed great strength,
succeeded In breaking a hole through the
massive door, with no other implement than
the handle at his pail.
Another set Of punishment cells are called
the "hard cells, which are entirely without
furniture, beds, or bedsteads-are ann and
chilly, and are much dreaded by the con-
yicts. As We passed these cells a man con-
fined in one Of them called out to the warden,
begging most piteOusly TO be released, and
promising the most Implicit Obedienca he
was let out The warden promised to release
him upon the promised terms, but with the
loss of his supper. This punishment seemed
very hard TO some tender-hearted, bright
eyed young ladies who were present, and they
interceded earnestly in the prisoners behalf,
to which the warden responded with a very
stern shake OF the head but we rather think
the man got his supper.
The diet of the prisoners is-bread and rye
coffee for breakfast, coarse meat and soup for
dinner, and bread and common black tea for
supper. The diet is varied somewhat with