The New York herald., 1870-08-27

lessly around, Watching with iack-lustre eye any
strange action. or listening in half idotc state
to any unusual noise, looking like venerable
ness. went up to one middle aged man. whose
powerful physique gave warrant OF ancient
prowess. and, with the liberty of the keeper,
asked him few questions.
~ am" he said in answer, ''forty-two native
OF ireland, and have been In America thirty years;
came here from New York under sentence OF ten
years, Tor burglary; had been a stevedore; was
able TO DO any work easily, and was considered a
strong man; had been in the shoe shop for about
o year, when began to be dizzy headed. with
pains In my back; had been used to noise before
coming here; seemed to come on me all at once;
could not keep my hands quiet, they trembled and
prevented my working; do not find any relief
here; have been in the hospital but medicine is
not what want; want air and relief from ths
living tomb; am dying, sir, dying and no power
i,,. on earth can save me but the Governor; am
willing TO serve out my time and work If could,
Dut cannot control these nerves, and ! feel
that it will end now in the asylum or in the
grave"
The poor fellow clasped his hands and bowed
his head 1t was no made cases. 1t was as surely
the advance of death as though the death rattle
was already sprung. Another younger man was
choking. "I can't stand it., sir,h he said ~ feel
every night as though the cell in which sleep
sleep fnd myself adding to my terror with
dreams, SO that wake to fnd myself struggling
at the door to open IL and fee. They ars very
KIND 10 me, and would let me sleep here If l
could, but my dreams torture me and cannot
of course this Is MANIA but it is none the less
interesting from its separation from our life and
its experiences"
FEEDING.
The monotonous life is broken three times daily
by the welcome summons to eat and the prisoners
gathering into close files, as close as they can
walk, and headed by some one called the captain,
specially noted for his staid behavior and capa.
city, march In squads of fifty or thereabouts to
the dining hall. Here upon long benches, before
deal tables, they are set down and served. Walk
Ing through the room before the dining utensils
were removed noticed that the sonp bowls were
not entirely emptled, and here and there part of
potatoe or piece of bread indicated that the
State was more liberal than the prisoners stomachs
were capacious, or else that the quantity was in
advance Of the quality. This latter was not per-
ceptible, however, for everything looked whole.
some, and 80 far as the odor went was so. As the
prisoners sit at table they are carefully counted
and If correct 1t is SO indicated by card
hung out from the keepers desk in one corner; if
not correct the doors are shut and the shops
searched; if the lost sheep are not then found the
prisoners are remanded to their cells and thorough
search made. Everything being found in order
the captain. puts himself in position ut head, the
body is made up and snakelike the squad move
away to work.
The arrangements for cooking the food are upon
a most extensive scale and the oven il work of
art. 1t consists OF large circular vault some
twenty feet in diameter, in which Is q huge wheel
that can be made to revolve from this wheel de-
pend six swing shelves, upon which the bread is
baked, the shelves being located at slip door
extending the whole length Of the vault,
each shelf as 1t is loaded being turned up and the
next one coming in place. The oven will bake
l20 loaves, weighing about twenty pounds each,
and Is OF so good quality that our aristocratic
Governor is said to have remarked upon behold
ing 1t, and in memoram of his early days at Sing
Sing, ~ would rather have that bread and good
milk than the best dinner ever cooked" As this
remark was made after the close Of the Legsla-
ture it was done in cool blood and may mean
something. ! would respec fully call the atten.
ton of the democracy to is. tits proper to saw
In this connection that under the care and atteI-
tion of Mr.. j. Marshall Guion, the storekeeper Of
the prison, the expense for rations has been de-
creased nearly twenty-five per cent and that
still greater reduction is confidently expected.
MEDICAL.
The hospital is under the care Of q skilful
practitioner, one well qualified by experience to
take charge Of the restve and tricky patients that
lieves that the results of medicine can be best
obtained from every attsinable means of cure, so
that ON warm afternoons in the early summer he
sends q portion of bis patients to sit in the sun,
rays may bring forth crop of morals as well as
improved health. OF course feigned diseases are
prevalent, and one is related Of man who
claimed that he was blind: Every means was
taken to discover the fraud for all were of opinion
that It was fraud. A steel point was
carefully adjusted, that it could not reach
the eye. but would stop at the very
instant of contact the fellow was brought
trembling indicated that anything was seen. Light
was flashed from a mirror into the eyes; no indi-
cation OF sense was observed. Every test was
exhausted with like result, and as last resort
the chap was taken out of the prison under
strong guard to bridge that some twenty feet
above the water crosses a creek running by the
prison walls. Properly placed, word was given,
"March forward ten steps" The marching was
hrnn rrt.k
bridges edge. Again, March, Straight into
the water went the chap. He was fished ont and
relieved from active duty. short time after,
his term expiring, he saw as well as another.
EXECUTIVE VISITS.
Once year the Governor, with the inspectors
visits the prisons, and at those times the prison
ers are allowed chance to- explain to him their
wrongs and their wants. Something like hum
ddred present their complaints upon each visiting
day; and this fatigue, together with the exha-
rating fare furnished to his Exceency by the
prison officers, tests to the utmost that officials
powers OF endurance. Mr.. Hoffman, by reason of
his judicial training, is able to give better salts
faction than preceding governors to the prison.
ers, AID by reason Of his convvial accomplish.
ments is in great demand by his entertainers. 1t
is noticeable that the long, involved stories that
used to be palmed of on the preceding
Governor are now discussed, and plain mat.
ter Of fact statements have taken their
place. One thing that astonishes an outsider is
that so many acknowledge the justice Of their
sentence, laying to whiskey, hard luck and mania
their troubles. These visits are something after
the Swinging round the CIRCLE order, and might
be called executive vacations.
PRISON CONTRACTS.
Upon this subject so much has been said, so
much written, that il Is hard TO strike out any
new features. The fact is that at Auburn three
hundred and ffty men are under shoe contract,
at the rate OF forty cents per day; that they are
able men; are watched carefully by men ap-
pointed by the State and by the contra ctOrs that
they are liable TO punishment for neglect of
duty. With all Of these Incentives IL seems
very singular II the contractor does not get rich.
The amount received by the State is entirely in
adequate to pay the cost of keeping the men, as
IL exhibited by the deficiency each year in the
money bills; and when we look at this ludcrously
small compensation It at once suggests it's own
answer, Do tho officials add to their store! IL is
ferret out the prison rats OF this State as the canal
rats were lately unenrthed, but the people should
know that there are such vermin, Il they do ex-