The New York herald., 1869-02-20
HOUSE o. DETENTION roR WITNESSES.

Descriptisu or tho Baildins and Treatment of
the Innates-Number Of the Occupants and
Periods Of Connnemeni-Protracted ImprIs-
onuent Of Witnesses-sraw Bail-Liberty
20 Criminals.
large imposing 1nd the main part OF 10 very sub
stantaily built, Is the House OF Detention for Wit
nesses In Mulberry street. II is four stories high
the lower story being front OF Nova Scotia stone
and the upper stories brick IL has front Of eighty
feet on the street and the main structure depth OF
thirty eight feet The lot is ninety feet deep. por
ton OF which is covered by wing twenty feet WIDE
OF the same height the main structure.
and the remainder occupied a. q yard. This
wing proves to have been unsubstantially
bulh having already settled . good deal,
ana causing rather startling crevces In the
walls The probability 10 that IL Will soon be torn
down and new and properly built wing be erected
In It's place Such Is the exterior Of this edtnce. 1t
was built eight years ago. and, must be confessed
nom the good taken Of It, shows very ttle the
years Of service it has already seen. All the windows
are strongly bound with iron.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INTERIOR.
An order from one OF the Police Commissioners
having charge Of the institution, or from commit
ting magistrate or the District Attorney Is the open
sesame" to the place. There are two departments,
one for female witnesses and the other for males.
The upper stories, fronting Mulberry street. are
occupied by the former and the wing alluded to
above by the latter. The rooms occupied by the
women are each nine by twelve feet In dinien-
sion ana ceilings varying from thirteen to ten
feet, as you proceed from the lower to the
Sedseads, With n straw @ mattresses ana pillows pillows ana
army blankets There Is no other furniture, and lhe
floors are carpetess. A female occupant having 2
taste for the luxury OF sheets, pl0wcases and bed
covering not quite SO rudely rough army blan-
kets, or for table or looking glass or any other
herself At present, however, there are no occu-
pants In this part OF the buildings so that the rooms
have specially bare and ghostly-llke look Passing
into the male apartment we md the rooms only
eight by ten feet in sze and with the same primf
lively meagre furniture a. IN the female department.
but Of course with extension OF less privileges to the
inmates to add to the room a supplementary
invoice. Each room Is intended for two occupants.
Happily there Is good ventilation the windows being
large and opening from the top and transom over
each door. At the extreme end OF the lower corri
dor there Is sitting room about l2xlo feet In size
1t Is about as melancholy looking sitting room as
that appropriated 10 passengers waiting at the
Second avenue railroad depot the periodically un-
certain trips OF the dummies. In the centre is
stove Of special gloomy pattern, and the sitting
accommodations four wooden benches without
backs We should have staosd, also, that there is
No other fires Ior the occupants are allowed except
In these sitting rooms. In each department there is
inmates excepI such - thew Choose 70 rnsh taem se
selves. On the frst fo0r Of the main structure are
the office and some rooms set apart for the Keeper
IN the basement Is capaclous laundry, kitchen and
FARE ALLOWED THE INMATES.
On the score Of fare there seems 10 be nothing OF
which any complaint can be made, but, rather, the
cuisine is managed on scale OF unusual lberaty,
considering the fact that the feeding Is done by con-
tract The allowance per case OF provisioning Is
ninety cents daily for each inmate or 81 30per week.
The preliminary OF soup is always furnished for DIN
or pudding for dessert Breakfast ana tea are on an
equally liberal scale. Mrs. Reynolds who has charge
Of this department., has evidently heart proper
tonate In size 10 her body, which has the unctuosly
mammoth magnitude OF u city alderman.
"You feed your family we'll" we remarked, look.
ing on es q os xe Il sRss5& os pRn TABLE, our visit hap
~ Ike good things myself" she replied "and I
know my boarders do, too and I'm bound they shall
''You are model landlady," we rejoined, 'and
are not up to the modern dodge OF making money ont
OF boardcr so prevalent In our puDIic Institutions"
"pm paid well, and mean my b0artiers shall live
well,o she continued. "Fact Is. my boarders get
fat-I like to see them get iat. DO you know have
seen boarders come IN here as thin as SPIDERS web
yourself we interrupted, rescuing her from the
dlmculiy OF hitting on something OF sunlciently
obese dimensions 10 make complete the c0mpart-
"wer It's about so in some cascs, tell you'' and
physical agitation displayed by santa Claus when
under the influence OF mrthiul concelL Not belong.
ing to the class OF unfed BohernIans, we VIM not
| linger longer ON the dinner.
gMM NUMBER OF INMATES. M
Very variable are the number Of inmates at this
institution. There have been ~ high as 12S In the
institutional one time. At present there only
three-Patrick Murphy who Is detained as wit
ness against Macmillan Muller alleged TO have set
IRE to the house OF the former about year ago. in
which Muller's wife and two children were burned
to death; Morris Gleason whose testimony " wanted
against VIM. Dunno, charged with highway robbery
In Kings county; and Samuel Brown, who prefers q
similar charge, the alleged offence however, having
| been committed IN this city, against Thomas Grady.
GLOW does il happen you have 50 few inmates ~
| we inquired OF Sergeant Folger, IN charge.
'Ccar as daylight" quickly responded the clear
| healed sergeant. "The Judges have been making
| clearing work OF criminals. only short time ago
we had forty inmates. Our occupants diminish In
the same ratio with the conviction Of crnlnais."
II requires no process OF ratioclnaion 10 show the
correct stating or the case by the sergeant 10 is
unnecessary 10 dwell on this point.
PERIODS or CONFINEMENT.
These vary as vary the number OF inmatea. Many
stay but lew days, but IL n very often their com.
| pusoTy sojoufn Is pr0traCted through months.
fake Tor instance the OF Carpenter, the prln-
clpal witness against Real recently convicted OF the
murder OF policeman .sInedick lie was detained
here 2O4 DAYS The iui records OF the institution
during It's eight years OF existence here and four
years In White street, show numerous Of sinh
| larry long confinement.
pRIyIIEGEs AND PgRQuIsITEs OF THE INMATES
| A large exercise Of humanity ~ shown towards
the inmates as general IA ny. There ~ library,
| repenlshing, TO which they have access. lie also
| mentioned The four bath rooms. For exercise the
freedom OF the capacious yard is also allowed them,
| and IN addition TO this, some-those who can 10
| trusted-are allowed 10 40 In and out wheu they
please to take walks or visit friends or 40 TO places
| OF amusement; ia fact are permitted tho entire
freedom Of the city. ON Sunday there is preaching
to them, n that may DC set down az privilege,
though II ~ the privilege OF each TO or stay away
as he or she pleases. IL win be understood FROM
what Is written above that there ~ no charge for
board. The only thing charged Il for Washing and
rs 10 this the inmates can do their own washing u
they please. A TO indemnity Tor loss OF time that
/ remains discretionary with tile courts. To the Wit
Carpenter already referred 10 the sum OF 500
| was paid, which is about the average maximum al
lOwancc.
TIE CRUEL FEATURES OF TBB CASE.
The Injustice OF which theso detained witnesses
arethe Victims forms the worst aud most cruel fed
ture OF the case. The real criminals often get
leased on straw ball. and are at large aud plying
their criminal yocatlons, while the unfortunate wit
kept IN dirance vile. This IL what needs
rcmedylng. While the Institution IL conducted on
| spirit OF broad humanity, and the largest freedom
consistent with the ends OF justice IS allowed the m
mates and while the present system - great I'm.
| provement the old one, when criminals aud
witnesses were alike consigned 10 the Tonbs rndi-
cal reform IL needed, through which the innocent,
and very many OF thom nom the country, vcumlled
by the ceaselessy busy hordcs OF our city criminals,
and having no one here 10 become surety Tor them,
4