, 1870-01-13
OUR COUNTY PRISON.
The Old and the New Iafl--The
Celebrated Cell No. 81
General Defects of the New Prison.
How Prisoners may Escape.

Very few persona ever 60 into js!l OF their owl
free will and accord and II Ia eale to say that IN
honeas portion Of the community Know little,
anything, Ct the County JAIL an Institution wit,
which the favaRes Of a1ctety are perfectly famil
TAI. This old County jan. which II soon tn Inc,
II Characteristic fe4tufcs, nod virtually 10 pas
away. masks an epoch tn the history Of Chicago
and, therefore, !s entitled 70 Al obituary uotlca
A gloomy corridor under the step1 On the nnstt
stde Of the Court House forms = Hort OF ante
room, bounded On the south By 4 heayT oak door
nanSed On each stde by heavily barred NtndowA
Knocking at tho door brings JatIes Folz to tne
oua0esh The Key 1a1ns IN ,he Massive ioce, @ sns s
Iis.tSr 9 = tns JsijeTS once. Il Tss M ns7er "a .
Veal and neglect have not improved L IN one @
.aa his saalst.nts cay ensseh their aleep,
On Tic other s.ds Of The ROOM 1. deaf I9ss Wssa
fao az Tsisb qpaa T.
gaming pnytie,:to be used il: cmerssncies 4
inrnrtu1e Of tho Ioon. me walls arc e plaster. aas
| @ Viii. .aahed onee n = while Thst u al ex-
In anch place, and few men seated on cbsirs.
| anoflEg aid Chatting.
Thete are thirty two cells in al1 each supposed to
accommodate tEo pefscns, bat into whose mar.
| Of room. About 14o prisoners innabit the Isl at
prssen-mo!e taan tw1ca tne number It can com-
ya fee aae Esch ss y eight Iee
ron gt1t1Dg and s1oog blind door outside II
hhnt me ct7mi1n!a IN from the world. They can
built AID when prisoners escspe IL is alrer tney
are let out Tito the cau1dors.
,na1 dne5e e. u eGMeshcg aeoot those darh dungeons
Temporary abode OF all classes OF criminals the
walls haze heard tales that would make tue nesh
efssp apa sns nood rqp ea 01ths ana bias
an unhs]y odos about the entire concern that il
oppressive In the nor1hea5t corner ls tue
slaughtered his w,ie u the North Marfet, had his
rssds5ee aIG henee ~ ,aksa to IL
lney went atm ia arm TO the trap and 70 eternity.
seahe Ma!ae s1d S.ra ~ pssJsss and did hin crying and
A. yak around the corridor shows that the In
Glsunon u u d.'ap,dated condition. The plank
l0ortn0 ID broken and Insecure, aud l. liz wonder
that p!lsoneis are 20 consder1te a. not 10 np It
op and dlIappear belov. The west end or the |
.Vas ufualy performed. Ii was S taels ts! tsss coi.
e,a3a describe insr hanging win a1eat susse. snd
other stfa1sled for twenty-five minutes
because re second hapEusn way novlce -
Fns fclected - the place for Walsh TO make hls
exit The hole In The door through which he |
YET, and the lumber Of which his hardsoms Scat
to!d Eas LuDt Il lying around unr1ed. A volume |
might be written on the cdminals who passed |
BILE reAdire, and hAu better remain unR1itten
But this jail u behind the age. Chicago Is grew
nE Es aae sn9 sse
city new jail has been built under the new east
wing The entr2uee will be on CLARK at1eet on the
n 40 nj ia fY7aiH N IN
The tr1s room Is to BE- the Jallers ONCE OF which
much cannot be s21d yet ~ II u far from nniahed.
Inside tpat win BE- a room where prisoners csn
,Tha cells nu1nser 70, and are ranged In i've
tte1A. With corridor all round the building. They
AID a1o intended for tHo pr,aoners each Two
sron bedsteads arc fastened 10 the wall on ono
9s esa b d 1sa 1 aas9s n
the lower ono can then be used al a seat Tno
walls Q! the cells are large stone slabs, inches
easiy c1t. a grating, Nttnont any blind door.
Will lock tie rreone1n IN. Objection IL made 70
snese gates - the otrs sse thin and can be sawed
The windows are guarded BY Rrattngs OF tnlo
haIe. AID the same objection u made TO them a.
on b 81 ssT
and uled TO have strong Bteel bars pat ir, says
that with common knife ne can cut one u t.:
| to 60 through one with q saw IL tea Minutes.
The 1re1 aIe open all around the corridors and
nj. bfAdle3 Is Of opioon tnat prisoner OF ord1-
RIy entespIile can escape through them with The
| greatest ease Iron bars shoutd have bean lodged
| In the mAonET when The nuts were being con-
Etructed
Between the tiers OF cells are naIrow paasage
ways and al the cells lace each other, the prson-
ers csn converse ard concoet plans ol escqpe-
Tnle. also Is objected TO By the on1clals who
think that such desperadoes should have no such
o;por.Iu " TO communicate with each other.
lne roof B corrugated iron and between 1t aud
the top Of the celia IL an open space Eearly four
feet high. A pttsot ef or hundred prisoners can
get on top OF the cells without betDR seen, and
may cause 1ronb!e. This Is another weak point
IN the Few JAIL In fact Judging from what ths
officials who EpeaE from experience say. the new
c9Lcern viii not have many advantages over the
old one.
The architect promises TO hRye'tne place ready
| in March, When the prisoners will be 6ahBIencd
rom the old depaIta.ent, and Il Will be pns IN re-
p.!r; Foldtt9 lIon dooss Ni!l be placed Ia the
lsned l4s persons can be kept IN the new jRil and
q in The Old: but, IN case or necessity, twce that
Number eau be crowded IN. Part Of the new jail
Will be appropriated for the use Of feulIe PRISON