The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-28
LETTER FROM NEW York.
lrKoM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT


New YORK, September 20
Hark. from 1the totnbs a lloIefll sound-th
sound ef,Afouitries .ysice in Conversation VIII
the prison-keepar as with noiselesS tread II
walks along the gloomy passage-Ways' hheo o
either side with still gloomier cells IN which ar
confined delinquents and criminals OF every graoe
Moultrie has paid visit to the tomps, ano "ouD
post the readers Of The News on Whathe Say
therein. The subject is grave one, and shoh'
not be treated lightly nor facetiousy and yet oN
Moultrie note even in the tombs itself, persons all
incidents better calculated to produce snils
than tear There s, however, abundant 1oou 10
pathos, besides abundant material for Valuable III
struction and consequent reflection Ill "ha' Gil
be acquired from d visit to tnls "oiii-ie
nowned City Prison. In the male depart
ment there are four lengthy halls, ona above
the other lined with cells similar to those in the
Penitentary, and in these cells are the criminals
confined -irunkards, vagabonds, thleVes' Dursiars
murderers, and in fact, men who nave coiii'ni1'e
every felony in the catalogue OF erlme-some U
them not vet tried, some tried and convicted, ou
not yet sentenced; some tried, conVicted seh'eic
ed, and destined in a,few short days I'd eno ols
graceful. life by terri Die and degrading death
1t is impossible to Judge from the countenanoea o.
the criminals either the nature and grade OF thel
crime, or whether OF not they have received then
death sentence Ofan the prisoners there connn'
ed, the dusky hero of the Eleventh street WIG
murder seems most careless and regardless as to
his present position or future fate. Yet this man
is the perpetraor of one Of the most cold-Diooded
murders ON record. In the women's department
there are no felons none of the poor unfortunates
having been committed for any grayer offence than
drunkenness, a failing, alas! but too common TO
such fallen angels i.i"i
majority, if not all, OF the greatest novelist'
who i,sye ever lived have contended and do CON
tend that there is Something so degrading II
prison life and the contamination consequent upor
the Associations attendant thereupon that in nine
ty.nine cases in a hundred man imprisoned tor
minor offence comes forth into the world 80 hard
ened and demoralized IS to ensure the commission
Of greater crimes. They furthermore claim thai
there is but ttIa, if aught, in the prison regula
tions calculated to lead to thought repentance anc
reform This is not so at least, in the case OF the
New York Tombs Prison. The management OF tho
womens department of the prison is entrusted tt
the superintendent of q kind looking, kline
hearted elderly woman. Of pleasing countenance
and pleasant manner snd conversation. -1hit
good creature has held the position OF keeper 1oi
the past twenty-five years, and to my friends and
myself she kindly volunteered to act as guide over
the establishment None of the poor unfortunates
were locked up in the gloomy cells, majority OF
them being huddled together in the prison yard
and others in the cells, but with the doors LEFT
open. Through one Of these. doors that slood
ajar we saw sight that would have moved
heart of stone to. s.drop tears. as fast as the
Arabian trees their medicinal gum." There, upon
q rude couch, in the cheerless cell, lay yonne
girl apparently bnt eighteen years of age, albeit
her eyes were red from weeping, and her cheek,
God help her, flushed with that which was not the
bloom of health and youth as perfect model ol
female beauty as my eyes have ever beheld-and
vet not perfect either, for that was wanting
without which the most perfect combination
of form and feature still lacks real loyelness,
as the cunningly constructed, but spurious imita-
ton, lacks the lustre Of the pure and genuine
= p'oA
young girl is the light OF innocence. She is a
mother, but no wedding ring has ever encircled
her finger. Her babe, poor little creature, will
never know fathers name or care, and as one OF
the prison attendants dandles the child i'll one OF
the more airy: portions OF the jail, 1t smiles aud
coos like other infants and is jdst as happy too,
though its mother lay upon the rude prison couch,
bar oh ho-a sxritl IN hqn1S
and battlin~ ya;nly against the demon of intoxica-
tiom '
Our guide next conducted us to the pris III church.
a few rough benches rudely fashioned, hut COM
Portable and neatly arranged the crucihx elevated
upon platform similar to an altar, well-executed
statue Of the Virgin, appropriate quotations from
the Book of Books inscribed upon the walls, ard
here, day after day, is moral instruction n
parted, and the balm of religion poured into many
a sorrow-stricken and wounded heart. .;
In the boys department, was pleased to note
that there were but few prisoners, and these saw
in the school cell, where, as my friends and my
aeif approached, we heard them repeating the ten
to good lady who visits the
Toombs daily for the purpose of givn gratutous
instruction OF such kind. "Moulhie, I" being NO
orator as BRUTUs was, did not address the boys
who however were, many OF them, moved to tears
BY few well-timed remarks and moral adm'n
tions of a. wiser and more eloquent friend, who
had come in per virtue Of ''Moultries" compre
hensye complimentary ticket OF admission. After
this the boys sang hymn; but am sorry to ado
one of them seemed to labor undcr the impression
that it was capital comic song, and thus gave s
wrong expression thereto.
change has come over the spirit of the oierl
of the weather's dream. The Fall weather has Sc
in in good earnest. 1t is cool-winter garments
have appeared, overcoats are in fash'on-tht
winter of our discomfort is coming. There will b
music again to-day on the lake at Central Park bu
the music will soon cease--the lake will soon b(
abandoned, and anon frozen over when old Decem
ber comes 10 tell US OF the approach CT Christina:
and the coming of good old Santa Claus. Th'
Summer has gone, bu the Charlestonians have
not; the names Of those who have been here thu
Summer is legion, and day after day does Moultrit
have an opportunity Of performing pumping
operation upon the arm and shoulders OF SOM
we'll remembered friend, come, perchance, t.
WV -
seeing, and what is the best way to get yalu
received out Of limited supply of greenbacks
An insane gentleman named SoLLErTE, mes
senger Of the Merchants Union Express Com
pany distracted twenty thousand dollars from tn
safe, came to his senses and returned the dollars
then lost his senses again, and will probably b
sent over to Blackwells Island to keep compan
with the Cholera man and other OF the inmates @
the Asylum.
The police force don tn ir winter costume to
day, and dead man, IL lame, unknown is announc
ed to be living in state at the Morgue in no cos
tune at all. The dead man in no Costume WI
not feel the cold in the approaching winter
kcenly as the live policemen-thus it is that, i
flying TO others that we know not Of, We obviat
the necessity OF bearing the ills we have.
MAX MARETZEK's Italian Opera Troupe, at til
Academy. is, with the exception Of PAREpA Rosl
rather second rate. They held forth tonight i
the opera Of Othelo.
The French Opera Boufe, at the Theatre Fral
cais, is quite SUCCESS, and is we'll patronized
the creme de la creme.
D,nro,, go o-,;obt os th q Virgin Queen: FORREs