Arkansas true Democrat., 1859-01-05

So that his duties are often deferred or neglect ed and the prisoners suffer. By the plan propose, woman or boy can unlock the little opening in the door, pass in the food and wa ter and do this without danger When there is any danger of an attempt to escape, the jail- CT can retain the key to the inner door and per- init the attendant only to have the keys of the outside door and of the little door or wicket Desparate characters often escape by knocking down the jailer when he opens the door to fur nsh them with necessaries, but by my plan he will only have to open the inner door when he takes the prisoner out or visit the room to in- spect 1t and then he can be accompanied.- This is the plan of the doors in the celebrated tombs at New York, and is not very expen- sive.
 Again, the building being in public place prevents, in d great degree, persons tampering with the prisoners from the outside; at least, there Is better chance of detecting such per sons. Before an opening could be made in the iron lattice work sufficiently large to admit the passage of a man it would have to be sawed number of times, if it was rveted at every crossing, and the plank on the inside would have to be removed in such way that the jailer could easily detect any attempt to break jail This plan has been tried and proved to be successful
 The cost of such a jail would be simply what decent two story house would cost, with the addition of the iron cage of lattice work and the doors. Your suggestions, in answer to one plan you published about some counties not being able to build an expensive jail may be right, but permit me to say that if any county cannot build a good jail, it had better build none, for an insecure jail is an incentive to crime.
 Writing hurredly. may not have expressed my ideas clearly, but 1 hope the suggt stions made may be understood and prove of use. [ am practical mechanic-have been contract or for public work here and elsewhere, and any information l can afford 10 county courts or persons desiring information will be freely gy. en by addressing
 w. r. DAVIS,
 Eidorado, Union county, Arkansas
 r. 5. Since writing the above, I have seen MT. Watsons plan, to which, think, there are several objections. The object of al is to restra person of liberty, not to deprive him ot health. Now who in the name of wonder. can live without light? Without it vegetation soon dies and all a ,mated nature withers whe, deprived o it as the grass al tie approach oi frost. Again, who could live for six months confined in cage seven feet square, scarcely large enough to lie down in, let alone to walk. d perfect Casper Hausef affair. Further, what immense trouble to wait on the prisoner, clean his cage etc. person under sentence of death ought to have light to read by, and per sons confined on charges of which they may afterwards be found innocent should have light to read and write by. 1 have known new jail ordered to be taken down by the county court, not because it was insecure, but from the force of public opinion, it having been found to injure the health of its inmates consider my plan an improvement upon Mr. Watson's, be- cause 1t is equally as secure and cheap vet gives the prisoner a comfortable room, with light and air.
 l think the editor of the lndependento a clever fellow, and if he will send me his ps per, 1 will send him all order that will be ken for ginger cakes. w. F. D.