The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-26


Ibe others. Keats said of a certain locality
That il was beautiful enough to make one
almost in love with death In like manner, it
might be said that the vicinity of Yorkville is
Almost attractive enough to make one in love
with captivity Fresh breezes rush up from
East river, and, sweeping over the prison,
are blended with others ca
feering over the wide extent
of park. The exterior of the prison is i'm
posing-the stately row of massive grey
stone pillars inspiring less the idea of peni-
sentiary than of a baronial hall. The facade
is abundantly intensified with long wide win
dows The same fenestrad arrangements pre-
vail in those portions that overlook East river
ind the park, so that the interior is amply
provided with light and air. The cells are ar
ranged in tiers, and are void of dampness.
Water is introduced into every cell, which is
also provided with a wooden settee, where the
prisoner may sleep off the effects of that hor-
rible '1ast night, and wake up to face the
consequences upon that not less horrible
E'next morning. One of the features of
Yorkvile is the dark cell, where refractory
prisoners are put, and for a prototype Of
which the reader is referred to Charles
Reade's graphic description in 'It is Never
Too Late to Mend 1t is in this Yorllville
prison that some of the most ridiculously
painful notes that were ever penned by NOR
aal man have been written by an incormgible
Bohemian, who has long since gone the way
incorrigible Bohemians go, and who, when
living, used to be notorious for always getting
drunk at the wrong moment. Somehow or
other, let him get drunk where he would, he
always managed to stumble into Yorkville at
last, whence he would despatch despairing and
Dnaudlinly- y-eloquent notes to the managing
EDITORS Of the various newspapers with which
he had at one time or another been con-
nected His memory is still cherished by
fhe warden Of the place. Perhaps he
would be remembered by Philadelphians
were his name mentioned, for 1 regret to say
he was a Philadelphian by birth. Yorkville is
not represented in the daily press-with the
exception of the Her0ld-as well as it ought
10 be. 1t is so far up that none of the dailies,
excepting the HeraSd, seem to think it worth
while to detail a man especially to attend to
it. The Herald keeps one man perpetually
posted at each of the four police stations, viz.
Jefferson Market, Essex Market the Tombs,
and Yorkville. Consequently, its reports of
the transactions at Yorl1ville are ever fresh
and reliable. 1t is mistake to suppose, be-
cause this police court is up as far as Fifty
Seventh street and Third avenue, that nothing
of interest does notvery often transpire there.
Essex Market.
The Essex Market Court is the smallest of
hll the courts, is gloomy-visaged and has a
heterogeneous smell. This comes from its
being in the rear of a market, which, at this
Heason of the year, sends up a perfume like
choice extracts of cholera and yellow fever
combined. Justice Mansfield is a jewish
looking, corpulent young creature Of about
forty, with big Brazilian-pebble breast-pin
and enough shirt-front to answer for half a
dozen ordinary men. The building extends
she entire length of the block from Essex to
LUDLOW street. The principal entrance is
from Essex street. where you enter into a
courtyard that conducts you to the jail ilproper
Upon each side of the prison are
shree tiers of cells-one side being de-
voted to the male prisoners and
she other to the females. The cells are
over fifty in number, and each prisoner is
Hsualy accommodated with one. Suicides have
been so frequent that the iron-railed doors are
7ined with strong network, the interstices of
which are too small to allow anything being
passed to those confined by friends outside
The cells upon the first tier are devoted to
ordinary prisoners, those who have committed
no greater offense than being drunk and dis
orderly, and who, when morning comes
around, will be only too glad to pay the ten
dollars fine, or to be let off with q reprimand
and the promise to never do so no more" The
number of persons thus furnished free lodg-
ings every twenty-four hours is scarcely more
than half that the cells would accommodate
Hupposng there to be one prisoner to every
cell. Until after trial and conviction
prisoners of every grade are al
lowed to purchase their meals from
outside if so "dispoged," and there is nothing
10 prevent the unsentenced murderer feasting
like fighting-cock (however that may be), if
he has the ''stamps." The cells in which con-
Vlcted felons are confined are on the second
tier, and are much stronger than the Others
st is enough to make an innocent man feel
Eelonious to gaze upon these low-browed dens
Df confinement. The doors are barely four
zeet high; the atmosphere is gloomy and
Sitting; through it steals the steamy odor of
5he butchers stalls and shambles without; the
doors are double-barred and studded with
enormous nails, and when they are shut upon
him the prisoner feels that he has indeed en-
sered place where he has left Hope behind.
No prison in New York State has more inoe-
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