Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-02-20

OgR Couxrr JArL.-Although the county all
/ i =n institution in our midst vet but few have
ever vsitei IL. or know anything OF its condition.
1 the number aud kind OF people confined there
/ or how they are provided for. Ga Saturday We
visited the all, by The permission Of Colonel
! Robinson, our obligirg sheriff and found ter
ribIe state OF affairs. We found 43 men COFFIN
I ed there, OF all ages. from fourteen up. and OF
every color. and "a women. The interior of the
/ Jail IL divided into two departments, one for
4 males and one females The hall in the male
department Is about : feet vide. by 80 long
la this theie ~ men 1--we during the day.
1 There sre cells, each ; feet long and 8 feet
vide. In these cells ON four to siI men are
! locked up each night. and the overplus get beds
! in the hail There II plenty OF good water from
passage in each department, out there IS no
ventilation. and the odor arising from the 81 per
sons confined there II sickeuing. There II one
man very sick aud several that look badly
+ There two boys about - or Ii year. ofsge
that had their heads clipped 20 cose to the skull
/ that IL looked white by the other prisoners a.
matter of diversion. One of these boys had
nothing on but shoes, pants. and cark colered
shirt without arms The balance OF the male
Ir sonres were dressed completely enough
7 The provisions furnished are ample and well
prepared IL is served out in squsre tin plates.
each plate holding enough for prisoner
The hall in the female department Is about
feet aide by forty feet long, and in this the
poor creatures huddled, with no conveniences
but their beds, which on The bottom Of the
cells We saw young girls, apparently not more
than ID or Ii years old. cons ortng with the most
hardened and degraded Of their sex. Some Of
them have not clothes enough on for iecency.
! aud many are without shoes or stockings One
young girl apparently II or ID wears OF age, was
dressed in soldiers clothes. and looked more
comfortable than the m 'IDrty dressed in their
frOcks The most OF these womeu have been for
months. and wears, living in the woods and feds
ia the neghborhoed Of the city. without shelter.
except wheD they could get in hay or straw
stack living like biu,es Some OF them have
| rather intelligent faces. and might be reclaimed
AID made, under proper influences. useful cil-
zens
Our object in visiting the jail Was 10 call pub
/ lie attention 10 the condition OF its inmates, and
+ particularly to the females In this city. with
thlrty churches. aboct forty preachers. ard TWEEN
" thousand protesting christians IL u an out
rageOu, shame hat many degraded females
are permitted 10 live, year after wear. aud moth.
ing done TO reform them No person seems TO
care for them society IL formed TO try. in
some way 10 save them. but they are permitted
/ 20 GO on with their corrup;ing flences, con
taminating all that come within their reach We
] inquT ed whether any OF the clergymen of the
city ever visited the Ill or took ans interest in
the CONDITION OF the inmates. and we're told they
did not; that no preacher had teen there for the
last two years. and thai ibe only persons that
hnd ever taken any interest IN the prisoners. or
/ visited them. were some quaker women who
casionaly called aoj spent y few hours with
them.
We hope this notice will wake ~ some phi
lanIhropist, il there any in The city. 10 a
know ledge that have the heather al or
own doors and thai STEPS will be taken The,
will lessen these evils
Under Col. Robinson's charge the jail nae
been we'll managed There are no disturban-
! ce- but what are put down NJ once, ami there
/ have been escapes he assures us this i
: the strongest all IN the country bat it = very
poorly constructed, aud not uear large enough
Tor the number constantly in confinement there