The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-09-12
A Women's Prison in France.
Letter to the New York Nation.I

]
On the top Of the hill at Clermont is
the ancient castle of the court of that
name, and in various parts the battle
ments of old times and the old walls are
still visible. This fort, which seems
built for eternity, has become a prison
for females condemned to hard labor.
There is not one of the six hundred
prisoners who has not committed a he
nious crime. The director, an old re
tired officer, insisted upon showing me
all parts of it. The view from the
higher terraces is admirable, and the
air is so pure that the prisoners enjoy
better health than the honest Iaborers
of the industrial towns. I could not
help pitying the poor Gray sisters who
have voluntarily devoted themselves to
the reformation and to the guard of the
female convicts. Some of these sisters,
was told, once belonged to the best
society. Their life now is the hardest
that can be imagined, for even at night
in the dormitOries a constant guard
must be kept. Many of the prisoners
have the most uncomfortable tempers.
They cannot be trusted with knives in
the refectories their meat is cut before
hand, and they eat, Japanese fashion,
with wooden sticks. They work with
sewing machines, and sometimes use
the needles of their machines to wound
their guardians. The goods they man
ufacture, chiefly bottines, are sold, and
they can make little capital, which is
given to them at the expiration of their
term. The most frightfuI trait of the
regime is the obligation of absolute 81
Ience, day and night. The Gray sisters
told me that with the liberty of speech
among these corrupt and criminal fe-
males they could not undertake to keep
guard over them.
The sisters never lay their hands on
rebelliOus convict when a rebellion
takes place, they call for male guardi-
ans, who keep the door and approaches
to the prison, aud who only exception
ally enter its precincts. I found the
prisoners at church, six hundred women
dressed in the same uniform, and sing
ing psalms. This singing becomes a
great pleasure for them, as they are
never allowed to talk; so does confess
sion, and the aImoner confded to me
that he was obliged to shorten and reg
uIate the confessions, as many of the
prisoners would never end them, if it
were left with them to do so. I noticed
with pleasure that there were two sepa-
rate departments, one for the hardened
sinners, old women who are condemned
for life, and who would have a bad in
fuence on the rest of the prisoners i; and
another for the young women, con-
demned for infanticide. Their regime /
is not so hard, most of them being very |
penitent and very young. On the |
whole, it seemed to me that the prison /
was conducted with as much humanity |
as was consistent with the character of !
the convicts. But this visit quite filled /
me with sadness. I could not help be- |
ing disgusted at finding such inmates
in a place which was once the favorite /
stronghold of noble knights. Henry |
", during the wars of religion, once
took refuge in it there is hardly a |
Bourbon prince of the old times who
did not rest in it after hunting in the
wood which cover the plain.