Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-07-12
THE PRISON LIFE OF THE FENIAN
PRISONERS IN TORONTO.

A correspondent of the New York Herald
gives the following account of a visit 70 the
Fenian prisoners now in confinement in
| Toronto:
The ninety-six Fenians at present impris-
oned in the old Toronto Jail have been
handed over to the civil authorities. Wis
itors are not allowed to see the prisoners
without a special pass from the sheriff, and
THIS is not granted excepting to those per-
sons who can convince that officer that they
visit the prison melted by other motives
than mere impertinent curiosity. On max
ing known my desire to the sheriff the other
day, and stating to him that believed many
Of the friends Of the imprisoned in the
United States would like to know how they
are treated, and the way in which they
bear themselves while in durance vile, he
cheerfully give me and friend the necessa-
ry pass.
The old Jail is situated on the eastern end
Of the city, on Front street, near the side of
the bay. 1t is a gloomy looking pile of
stone, and for some time had been unoccu-
pied, another and better appointed prison,
more recently erected in anotherportion of the
city, having been insufficient to accommo-
date all the criminals. The building con-
sists of a central tower, from which branch
off two wings, one west and the other south.
The central portion is four stories high; the
wings are three stories The Jail yard is an
irregular parallelogram, two of its sides
formed by the wings, and the west by a stone
wall fifteen feet high; the southern bound
airy is a board fence of about the same
height The entrance to the building is
from Front street. The Jail sets back about
thirty yards from the road. The visitor is
obliged before he reaches the massive
oak portal, studded with iron, to pass two
soldiers on. guard. In obedience to our
summons the key Of the warden grated in
the old lock, and the massive door slowly
grating on its hinges stood partially open,
and we caught a view Of the interior.
A very mild, benevolent looking old per-
son is the turnkey, He quickly sent boy
to the Governor with our pass, and in the
meantime we had an opportunity of looking
at the lobby and its occupants. A clumsy
wooden grating with uprights separates the
lobby FROM the main hall. . fierce looking
soldier, dressed in red, and armed to the
teeth, was walking up and down his confined
beat while many other red coats, employed
in various ways, could be seen on the other
side Of the grating. Twentyfour men OF
the 4Ith regulars keep guard here day and
night, and the officer in command sleeps in
the building On being admitted through
| the grating door we turned to the right, and
defending two or three steps a few PAGES
4 brought us to the door Of the rOoIa in which
| one body Of the Fenians is confined. They
/ are about fifty in number What strikes q
I person as most remarkable on first seeing
| these prisoners is the extreme youth OF
| nearly all of them Many of them are GER
| tainly too young TO undergo the fatigues of a
/ heightened campaign. They are, however,
/ taken all in all, a pretty hard looking crowd,
/ and should judge compose the very best
! fighting material.
! They are ordered TO fall in TO the right
when any body comes in either TO identity
! them or for mere curiosity; the latter, how
| ever. are few, as strict orders have been Civ
! en- 10 exclude them. The majority of this
! batch were dressed in shirt and pants, very
! few sportet a coat II Is noteworthy that
/ so far as hands and faces are concerned there
! is every appearance that they are not at all
/ restricted in the supply Of soap and water,
4 and their heads also exhibited traces Of the
] comb and brush. # H
On leaving this room, in the hall, imme-
1 diately on the left going toward the yard,
1 are the cooking utensils, principally consist
! ing Of large coppers for the manufacture oi
| soups. In the yard and in. a room Of the
I south wing we found the other main body
Of the Fenians They present much the
same appearances as the Others With whom
they share alternately the pleasures of the
open air.