The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-07-13
NEW YORKISMS.
From our o,0n Correspondent
The Hous. OF Dstsntiou. "


Ia intimately connected with the present dis
charge OF civic functions Such building is
the New York House OF Detention for Wit
s1esses, located in Mulberry street, few doors
south Of Spring. It is an Institution whose his
tory is involved in the criminal history of New
York; witnesses, as its name implies, being de-
tanned there during the progress OF the various
criminal cases.
1t is not an Institution very easy for stran |
ger 70 get into or q witness TO get out of Its
very aspect is forbidding as that of private
lupatic asy lum, so numerous are the bolts and
bars. In answer to his sum mons the applicant
at the front docr.bel is invariably confronted
with a deaf man, as being the most appropriate
communication OF Information TO strangers,
who requests you to repeat whatever you say,
and finally refers the matter TO Sergeant Fol-
ger. The Sergeant, who is sort OF natural
born Bunsby, that has never had an opportu.
nifty for n nautical expansion of the soul, Is
very affable and communi icative, and shows
you all over the house. garnishing the moments
when you linger over the thresholds OF the
various departments. with recouections of the
House as IT was aud the INN ltes as they are.
Nearly ten and q half years ago-namely, on
February 8, 1854 House of Detention was es-
tablished in two plain brick residences, Nos SO
and 88 White street, one of the houses being
used for the male witnesses aud the other for
the female. This arrangement continued for
sent building in Mulberry street having been
laid November 90, 1860. aud the female auu the
male cupants OF the White street house re-
moving thlther May l and June 5, respect.
lively.
During these ten years and half, witnesses
OF nearly all ages and conditions have been re
ceived. During the Rebellion the United states
had the privilege OF sending It's witnesses
thither. Some OF these were men and women
of wealth and culture. whom 1t would have
been barbarous TO compel to associate with the
other inmates For the vast majority OF de-
tanned witnesses are exceedingly rough; the
women and gil Is, in their way being not one
whit behindhand with the men and boys Ia
the accomplishments of unrefnement. Guilt
A" nave a good deal of glamour about it, but
''is little wiIchery In a witness. The pri-
Eoner at tie bar-especially If the prisoner be a
woman-awakens in us SO much sympathy, or
at least interest, that our corJectures, all en-
ployed on the question of her sentence or ac-
quittal, have no time to picture the worry sha
gives her compassionate jailor (for there are
few such creatures), the numerous
unpleasant little habits, which the solitude OF
the cell may have done an nything but cure her
or Not so with witnesses, who in the eyes Or
the populace are often as devoid OF romantic
charm as the real criminal is in the eyes of the
police If am to believe the assurances that
have been made me, there has scarcely been a
decent witness detained in the New YorK
House of Detention, with the exception of those
sent thither during the by the General
Government and the few ladies and gentlemen,
and the children of ladies and gentlemen, who
have been granted the blessing there of private
apartments At first, one of the largest and
handsomest rooms in the male department
twenty. one feet long, eleven feet high, and
fifteen. and a. half feet wide. was set apart as a
parlor for the men, but their conduct at the
was SO outrageous that no decent man, or
woman. or child of intelligent years would have
liked to pass. Ne plus uhrQs of obscenity. which
no mind not morbidy tottering from long
familiarity with the subject would ever have
dreamed of we're perpeJIated in language and
actions, and the parlor system was, therefore
soon done away with. The sitting. room down
stairs is a most dismal substitute for it, the
tire furniture consisting of three solitary
wooden benches without backs. These benches
are profusely adorned with i'm provised checker
boards, elaborately hacked with jack-knives
and giving the impression that the leisure OF
the inmates is devoted less to playing the game
than to manufacturing the material wherewith
TO play It,
AS rule the kindness in supplying witnesses,
either male or female with books, is entirely
thrown away. To the old White street estab-
lishment library of over 300 volumes. together
with the book. case containing them, was given
by Mr.. Benjamin II. Winthrop, a retired New
YORK merchant Three. quarters OF the books
were soon mutilated or lost, The women and
girls especially tearing out leaf after leaf TO light
their pipes with or make curl papers of. did
not have the advantage of hearing the opinion
of Mrs Reynolds the matron, but the sergeant
in charge assures me that the women are worse
in this respect than even the men. Perhaps
this rivalry is only apparent, as 1t is more than
likely the men never read at all,
In the minute books Of the House are entered
the date on which every witness is received
the full name as we'll that of the defendant,
the crime in evidence of which the witness is
detained, the name of the police Justice making
the commitment, the date OF the discharge and
the age, nativity, and occupation of The witness.
At the end OF every October the Sergeant in
charge makes an abstract of these minutes, and
hands II in TO Chief Clerk Seth G. Hswley, at
Police Headquarters. The capacity of the
House is for one hundred aud fifty witnesses
The average number is twenty. The greatest
number at any one time has been one hundred
and twenty eight; the smallest number one. /
q witness at the SUNNI ons OF the District
Attorney, leaves and does not return, II is taken
for granted that he is discharged. The various
forms of commitment and discharge are filed
away every month. so that Information can at
any time be furnished to the Controllers office
The form of temporary commitment is as fol-
lows
gbe Keeper OF the House of Detention for Wit;
nesses 10 the Metropolitan Police strict, Hstaollshed
nv the Board OF Pole will receive aud safely keen
for examination the S99ny OF = - ""heSS
against - -. Ohense, -