The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1859-06-16
81 PACIFIC $500
Commercial Advertiser.


- a88E4
SHoh I'M Inxxca FoR nm xRAvELxn.
Ths exterior form Of the penitent;.rv nj BATON
.ee9e' or Yellow House, a. il is called, = that Of an
oDeese pesalleicGrsm. with elevated walls a fr a,
- eArdsu and lower ones from thence to the forest.
~ osy except sunday from sunrise 20 sunset the
'e.sr pun OF the steam engine may be heard
Lei as nov enter the penitentiary through the
s0wer and movable sentry-box. a. all visitors do.
Anfs KIND OF seutry-box turns on . pivot by means of
esInng acted upon in the interior. The following
- the method Of introduction. The visitor enters
To eowev and knocks; the spring is touched. and the
eo<1y.oox, which opened from within, turns until it
- a. trA court Then the warden who touched
- spring b SEEN This warden, without uniform,
basmsd With . pistol snd sword-cane Il II in this
Qssioas manner that be comes to receive his visitors.
This rsesptiou never fails to produce . certain effect
e the ladies uho visit the YelI.w House for the first
sioe: when ne have entered the first court. another
warden Is to conduct Us through the laby-
ninth Of chambers. workshops, courts, cells, sc.
On the len comes first the ropewalk, an immense
haA where twenty prisoners, are ut work. Next
ee~es the forge. then the 4 pdry. and the shops
Whers iron 10 subjected to evc possible transforms
sis.- All these are remarkably neat and orderly.
Ihe labor Is performed in sieuSe. Only q few rare
words are interchanged betwe n the warden and the
pri.ocers, and those always On the subject Of the
10 An the midst Of the large court where the various
bailiiDgs We have just mentioned are situated, is the
steam engine, which imparts motive power to all
sAsse immense workshops, and at the SAME time
furnishes water TO every part of the house. This
machine is of q hundred horse power.
The finishing shop, where are completed all these
works in iron, copper and wood, is admirably kept
In this part Of the establishment are executed works
Of rare finish. Of truly superior perfection. Every
thing Is neat and orderly. One can hardly form an
nsa how much this perfect order facilitates labor.
But there is something more wonderful still, the
spsnning-room or rooms 1t is difficult to imagine
the sight Of the numberless looms, whose perpetual
uffIA kAo. r~ f-4. mil srf nrDhf fh.rrs Ea6u
click In the first room the cotton arrives in balls;
from room tc5 room it is subjected to various changes.
And atrthe last it becomes cloth 1t is folded in
pieces, preset in a hydraulic machine, stamped and
sent Oh. These halls are esch two hundred and fifty
i've feet in length. II would take a volume to de-
scribe the details of the complex and immense labors
performed in the Yellow House All the machinery,
froca the most Insignificant TO the most important, is
Manufactured In the establishment under the direc-
ton Of the chief engineer.
After the cotton spinning comes the wooilen; fur
Their on, the dye house, then the bleachery, beside
which is q large piece Of water, constantly renewed
at will. All the buildings we have just mentioned
are situated in the first court, as well as the cells, Of
which We shall speak bye-and-by.
We pass from thence into a second court of i'm
mense extent. In the uidst Of this is the brickyard.
This is q shed Of large dimensions, covered by a roof
which is raised or lowered at will. by means of chains
and an ingenious mechanism of iron. Thus the sun
can be admitted or the rain avoided
Let us pass now to the most important OF all, that
W0BS0 SOuCSI , - Illntu0t 4AG ohSc< VI SSAAD
u to hundred and fifty. They are about seven feet
~ 8 OF equal length, and about half as wide. They
ass very neat, ofkn Hhitewashed. and furnished with
IN iron door with . large lock Besides, an iron bar
Of respectable circumference fastens three doors
together in . very solid manner. There are eighty
Of these bars whose extremities are fastened by enor-
nous padlocks, when the cells are closed for the
night.
nastrass and coverlet and places them on 3 railing
bS6re his cell, which remains open during the day,
dat the af may penetrate it; at night, each resumes
hs coach, the doors are closed, aad the most pro-
6uud silence reigns.
In the courts, in the chambers, in the workshops,
~ o9oss. in fne. everywhere, are wardens.
rhN sardens@n - Nth sxord canes, and pis-
concealed in their pockets They wear no uni
Besides these wardens in the interior, there
are watchmen without the building. Here and there,
in the grounds around the prison, are placed little
cabins, in each Of which stands constantly q man,
having on him loaded arms. ard beside him a double
bArrelled gun, also loaded. Every morning, at q
certain hour, these watchmeu discharge their arms
and Immediately reload them, that the powder may
be constantly renewed. These daily discharges seem
TO show the prisoners that their keepers are vigilant.
Each Of these watchmen has in his cabin q lantern
and a fireplace for the long and cold nights of winter.
There is also a secret surveillance exercised over vi.i-
tors, Who Tor the most part, do not suspect IT. As
soon a. q stranger has entered the penitentiary, a
man follows him and observes him at q distance. in
order TO prevent any communication with the pri-
sion from the cfcero7e is previously obtained
The impression which one carries with him, on
leaving the YellowJHouse, is that of a chilling sad
ness which is not destitute Of a sort of dignity. 1t is
not the horror inspired by many Of the European
prisons. a horror which makes one almost condemn
society, and inspires one with \ kind Of pity for the
prisoners, to such a degree that an escape would
almost afford pleasure. On the contrary, when we
have seen the penitentiary Of Louisiana, we are little
disposed to cast censure on the jury who condemned,
or TO pity the criminal; and if an escape takes place,
all the citizens are unanimous in aiding TO re-capture
the convict
At 6rst sight. the prisoners seem only mild and
quiet vorkmen, earnest and intelligent in their labors
and with little to excite pity; but by degrees their
absolute silence and the almost sepulchral tranquility
which reigns in these vast halls chill the heart and
the imagination. Especially when we have seen the
white aud narrow cells, where, solitary and forsaken,
they spend, alone with their thoughts, the long hours
Of Sunday. and perhaps many hours Of each night,
we cannot but reflect seriously, and respect this VEN
geance Of society, which abstains from inficting a
petty tortures not written in the Code, and
contents itself with Furnishing severely by means of
isolation, Of separation from the world, those who are
not worthy to live in it, and subjecting them to con-
slant toll.
We have spoken of the manner in which the cells
are fastened each night, after work is over, when the
prisoners have returned to them. First, an enor-
nous and complicated lock; then, a transversal iron
bar, secured at each extremity by a strong paddock.
The door, Of iron. is Of very comfortable thickness; its
hinges are sealed deeply into the wall, and there is no
other opening. Well, in spite of all these precautions.
the genius Of a criminal succeeded, a short time ago,
in making . passage through all these obstacles,
githout noise or violence. This miraculous escape,
during the most difficult period. night, is still in the
memory Of all the inhabiiants of Baton Rouge
The man in queseiur 6und means, alone, to fabri-
cate . sort Of keyE has not certainly its like in
the worid.-and VIZ, from the interior Of the cell.
was thrust between the bars where the hand could
not ps., and opsued noiselessly, one fine night, the
Complicated lock. The iron bar remained;
H silently detached il BY means Of opening one Of
tie tUp padIoeks, then descended to ne ground by Q
npA The prisoosr then opened the door. and went
CT quietly, eou6ding in his good genius. took .
v1tshman's cane, hat, aud great coat, from the pegs
q he eslIsry, and len, never to return The brave
naa bad svsa the conscience. perhaps the pride. to
neesssn Ii cell and to replaces the bar and the pad
ks1, - that il must have seemed TO all a. IL his es-
60 bad been supernatural The uext morning, in
-. vAea tho cell vss opened slong nth the rest.
sud fbuud empty, and When not the slightest trace Of