The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-09-17

remarked tne OOVernOr, Win all bno "thu
suddenly taken out Of his sails. "0f course,
you can't keep babies quiet.'
We were further informed that as many IS
fourteen Of these small Knockers and dehers OF
gags and governors were born in the jail
within the year. The mothers are permitted
to take charge Of their children. In every
cell door there is peep-hole Of about the size
Of penny, covered first with wire gauze and
then with shifting metal cover. Putting this
last aside, we peeped in, and there we saw the
little rebel who had 80 audaciously put to rout
the Governor and his silent system, sitting on
the bed bright and lively, and getting rare fun
out Of a skein of darning cotton, while its
mother, seated on stool by the bedside, was
busily finishing job of sock-mending by
the fading light that shone in at the high
up barred narrow strip of window. II
would be hard to say whether the presence Of
the innocent baby with its cheerful little face
and its general air Of content made the gloomy
little cell look more or less prison-like. How
the mother would have answered had the
question been put to her need not be doubted,
but of course she was prejudiced person. By
the way l wonder If the silent system in all
its grim severity is imposed on mothers with
babies 7 The cobbler is at liberty to pound
away at his leather till the gloomy corridor
echoes again, but he no more dare whistle as
he hammers than he dare demand a pint of
beer wherewith to whet his whistle: the
incarcerated tailor, to beguile the tedious
time, may think a tune If he pleases, but to
hum one would be to peril his prospects of din
ner how is 1t with mothers and their little
onesi Are they bound to caress them (and
you may depend that they are not so debased
as to have overcome the very natural habit
in dumb show Do they convey to them
words of endearment under their breath, and
indoctripate them in the soothing nursery
jingle by unsounding movements of their lips
-. \ H.
worthy governor will ask him all about it.
Every day the prisoners, male and female,
old and young, are made TO attend chapel, and
twice ON Sundays. The appearance of the
sacred edifce quite upsets ones ideas of "free-
DOM of religious worship. The chaplain's
pulpit is perched high up against the wall at
the end, SO as to enable hiur to get view of
his entire congregation. Otherwise this would
be impossible; for while the larger body of adult
male prisoners occupy the body of the chapel,
the women and children are partitioned off
on either side by tall partition that quite
precludes the possibility of their seeing BE-
yond. Before the great space where the men
sit is pair of tall grim iron gates and they
are ranged on seats rising one above the other
with warders in attendance and constantly on
the watch lest for single instant they,
through the whole of the service, depart from
the rigid rule of 'eyes right" They must
look steadfastly before them, regarding
through the iron bars the preacher in his pull
pit, and they must raise and lower their
prayer-books with elbows squared and all at
once like soldiers at drill. They may not
scrape their feet upon the floor without having
afterwards to explain the movement. They
may scarcely wink an eye or sigh without dan
ger of rebuke or punishment. God help them,
poor wretches
1t says much in favor of the Holloway sys-
tenn, however, that it exercises no injurious
effect on the health of the inmates. There is
comm0dious infrmary; but out of the large
number of four hundred and fifty only three
were invalided and that-at least in two cases
not through being unable to bear up against
the severity of Jail discipline. Of the two cases
in question one was that of an old man turned
eighty, an experienced "smasher," or passer
of spurious coin, while the other was tall,
languid young man of decent appearance, who,
coming of family Of thieves, had always been
himself thief, but who was now in the last
stage of consumption. He was going home to
formed. "He may as well 60 home and die,
since he wishes it, as die here" When fever
cases occur in the Jail they are removed at
once to the Fever Hospital, and when he is
cured he gets his liberty; on what principle,
however, is not very clear
There are peep-holes ia the doors OF the
cells in which the male prisoners are confined.
India rubber shoes favor stealthy approach,
and the sliding corner of the peep-hole- may
be shifted quite without sound, so that at
any moment prisoner may be under the
suspicious eye of the warder, and he never
know it. 1t was now o'clock "a fact the
great shining bell hung in the hall
announced in deafening accents, the signal
for striking work for the night. There yet
remained an hour till bedtime. "What do
they do meanwhile :" we inquired. "Look
and see for yourself" replied our guide; and
noiselessly pushing back the peep-hole screen.
The majority were engaged in the healthful
process of washing. They are not bound to
wash themselves over night, but as they are
expected to show clean and ready to COM
mence the labor of the day at half-past 5
o'clock in the morning, they find it convenient
to perform their ablutions before they retire
to their hammocks.
The prisoners are afforded every facility for
cleanliness. In each cell water is laid on, and
the not unliberal allowance daily is six gal
Ions. Each prisoner is provided with a bowl
for washing his face and hands, and a neat
little tray, holding about gallon and half
in which he is expected to perform the same
necessary operation on his feet, when neces-
sary. Further, he has a wooden soap-dish,
and handy bit of yellow soap, and a good
towel. Every day the men go to church;
but on Sunday godliness and cleanliness
go specially hand in hand. On the Sabbath
morning the governor makes a tour Of sanitary
inspection, and every prisoner appears at
his cell door with his trousers pulled up above
his shins and his feet naked, while his shirt
and jacket are turned back at the collar so as
to expose his neck and shoulders. Once a
week in hot weather, and once fortnight in
cold, every prisoner has bath.