The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-01-17
Some Remarks Concerning The Duty
of having A Heating Furn ace In
the County JaII, by Rev. M. II. otis.


him abundant success.
| Some Remarks Concerning The Out.
of having A Heating Furm ace ii
the County JAIL, by Rev. M. +. OTIS
REV. Mr.. OTIS was introduced to tn
| Court; and he said
feel complimented in the courteous
invitation that brings me before thi
worshipful Court, and count mysel
happy in having this opportunity to ad
dress this honorable body on subject
which has deeply enlisted my sympa
thies, and which, / feel assured, will moi
fail to enlist your sympathies, and OBJ
tam from you that relief, which you are
able to give, so soon as it shall be pre-
sented to your humane consideration
L came here to plead in behalf OF those
VINO are now, or who may hereafter be
the occupants of our County-jai l-a class
OF our brOther-men who are certainly
miserable, and wretched, and, perhaps
guilty. 1 say "perhaps guilty." because
as you know, the prisoners In our Jails
awaiting the day OF trial, are in the eye
of the law, as we'll as in the heart OF char
ity, held to be innocent, until on due
trial, they are found guilty of the crime
lald to their charge. But to come dl-
rectly to the point. There is before this
Worshlpful Court, a paper, containing
specifications of the necessary work and
an 1t9mized bill of the Court, praying
you to take the necessary steps TO have
warming furnace put in the County
JAN, SO that the unfortunate and miSer-
able ones therein incarcerated may
have the necessary comfort of warmth,
or, should rather say, be relieved from
the almost intolerable discomfort o. the
coldness OF our severe winter weather.
In appearing before you, to advocate the
claims OF this paper, wish, i'll the out
set OF my remarks, to diSclaim, in terms
so distinct and unequivocsl, that it will
be impossible to misunderstood me;
any and all intention on my part, even
to suggest the thought, that there has
been anything like reInissness, much
less, neglect of duty, on the part of our
excellent Sheriff, or our humane Tailor,
or any other of the County Officials,
whose duty it is to care tor the comfort
and humane treatment of the prisoners
in the Jail. On the contrary, from what
know by my own personal kno Wedge
and from every report of the citizens
AMI the prisoners themselves, am fully
assured, that they are now doing, and
have, i'll all the past time of the term Of
their offices, been doing all in their pow
ef to render the condition OF the prison.
CrS as comfortable as it is possible under
existing circumstances. [ take great
pleasure in giving my unqualified Uasti-
mony to their humanity and kindness
in the faithful discharge of their respec-
tive duties, because l know they deserve
it. They have done, and are doing, all
possible under existing circumstances,
and what we now ask, is, that this wo1>
shipful Court, by an action which lies
in its power, and in its power alone, put
it within the power of those faithful SER
wants OF the County, to do more for the
comfort, or, rather, for the relief from
intOlerable discomfort of the miserable
prisoners committed to their charge.
And in asking this, we would not have
our petition construed into, even the
suggestion, that this WOrshipful Court,
has been derelict to it's duty in this re-
spect in tho past. On the contrary, I
am glad to know that your wOrshipful
Court has already engaged in the pre-
liminary investigations and measures,
looking tow ard the accomplishment of
this humane, and | feel confident that
this worshipful Court is now ready to
sanction and to adopt by it's unanimous
vote, any feasible plan that may be pre-
scented, by which an object so humane
and merciful, can be accomplished, and
at the same time, the jail be protected
III the same security now existing
against the danger Of fire and the es=
cape of the prisoners. The plan now
set forth in the paper before you, accOr-
ding to the testimony of competent
judges, secures both these ends, and at
the same time, affords protection to the
prisoners AGAINST the severity Of winner
Then as this Keller can be furnished
with safety to the Jail, and with the
safe keeping OF the prisoners, the ques-
tiQI arrives, ought il to be granted? We
think til 1t it ought to De given, because
it seems to US that, not only the mercy
of humanity, but also, the justice OF
law, demands It. The Jail is not peni-
,opiI,r,. - - - " 'rlo"a f..r nuniShn Iai.t-
1t is only an asylum provided tor the
safe keeping of those arrested on the
presumption of guilt, or lQr the raten-
ton of witnesses necessary to establish
the guilt or innocence of others. The
Law provides, as humanity demands,
that every Jail prisoner should be held,
and treated as innocent, until convicted
of crime on due trial. And it some
times happens, that really innocent per-
sons are committed to jail. But let us
suppose that it is known in advance,
that every prisoner is actually a Grimm
ii; does mt humanity plead? doesn't JUS
lice demand? doesn't the law require,
that the prisoner should have furnished
to him, at the expense of the State,
those essentials and necesSaries of life
required to render existence tOler able,
to say nothing of comfort? and what are
those essentials necessary to render eX-
istence endurable? They are uniVer-
sally admitted to be, food, raiment and
warmth. The former two OF these, your
prisoners now have; the latter they hare
not. We now only ask, that this wor-
shipful Court, in which, alone the power
to do it, resides, should now furnish to
the miserable prisoners in our County
Jail, this third and last essential neces-
sary TO render their existence tOlerable
in the midst Of the severity of our win
tiers. Those unfortunate ones, are cur
brother-men, however guilty and de-
graded they may be; and they should
receive humane treatment at our hands,
so far as we can be merciful, without
violation OF Justice. We can oonceiE G
be suggested against compliance with
this calfot mercy. 1t may be said, that
it is not customary to have our Ounty
iails warmed. III reply, we have to say,
that, whatever the custom may be, we
know that this act al humanity is with
in scope and provision of the COnstltu
ton and Laws of the State, because
some Ct our County jails are thus warm
ed. II it is not the general custom,
then the general custom Will he more
honored in its breach than by its obser-
vance. Let hiaury county follow inc
good example of those counties that
have gone ahead in this matter, and set
forth her own humane example, together
with them, to stimulate to action and
progress in this noble and philanthropic
enterprise, all those other counties,
whose iaiTS are yet in like QonqitfOn
with our own. It is time that change
she uld he made, and the custom altered
1t may also be said that, If We make
our Jail too comfortable, 1t would be-
come temptation to some absolutely
worthless ones of the race, who are too
lazy 10 Roaa, end too degraded to be
dIsgraced by the jail, to HerEetrate
crimes in order to find comfortable
home within the prison. In answer tc
this, we have to say, Your worshipfu
Court is not asked to make our County
Jail so comfortable, that 1t woutG lie {
desirable residence, even to the mos
degraded and worthless, but only 4
make it tolerable for human existence
Even then, che most miserable outsider
will not be exposed to any temptation
to break into Jail, like those most mis-
| cradle ones inside are sometimes DRYER
| by desperation to attempts to break oui
Of it. Some of them have been known
to beg, tnlyt they might be brought t.
| trial, and convicted, and sent TO the pen
| itentiary, rather than to be kept in thei
| freezing cells. And, moreover, whoever
commits crimes, if such a thing wa
possible, to get comfortable quarters il
| the Jail, will be sure to be convicted anC
| sent to the penitentiary for deserved
punishment. And, last thought, mer
should not be afraid to DO humane