The Hartford herald., 1875-10-13
QUE COUNTY JAIL.


cult court, our county Jail was con-
icmnei, being insecure and not suffi-
cient in any respect. 1t necessarily
devo!vcd upon our County court, at its
October term, held last week, to devise
ways and means to build a new Jail.
Each member of the court was liable
to prosecution for falling to vote
for, or rather for voting against build,
ing a new Jail, or remOdeling the old
one. The court voted for building a
new Jail, 10 cost not exceeding ten
thousand dollars, and voted TO isue the
bonds of the county to run not exceed
ing four years, bearing seven per cent.
interest per annum, with the provision
that the bonds should not be sold at
less than par value, and sold without
commission. Notwithstanding the Jail
has been condemned by the Circuit
court, and the members of the County
court were bound under the law to act,
the people of the county, or, at least,
a great many Of them arc inclined to
grumble and complain, and abuse the
members of the County court. But
few, if any, of these fault>fnders have
probably ever visited the county jail,
and we do not wish them such an un-
pleasant visit; and, in order that they
may be informed in regard to it, with
out the pain of such an undesired visit,
we will give them a short description
of this "black hole" in which are con-
fined those miserable mfortunates who
are accused of committing crimes and
misdcmeanors of various grades: The
Jail is two-story brick building, about
thirty feet square. The lower story is
divided into two rooms and hall, and
Is occupied by the jailOr and his family.
The upper floor is for the incarceration
of prisoners, and is divided into three
parts-a hall running across the build
ing, and two rooms at right angles to it,
twenty by fifteen feet long. You reach
the Jail floor by a stairway about ten
feet high, and, raising trap door, you
find yourself in the hall, lighted and
ventilated by small iron grated win
dow, almost covered by boards which
are nailed across it. To the right is
the door leading to the eight room"
which is a room having two grated
windows, and has some light and air,
but too insecure to keep men in.
They can escape by simply removing
enough brick from the wall to
leave hole large enough to crawl
through. The hall is also insecure as
the light room. In this slight room"
a woman is now confined. To the left
n door leads from the hall into the
dungeon, ''in which the men are kept,
and truly dungeon it is. 1t is twenty
feet long and fifteen feet wide, and the
only opening by which light and air
can gain admittance is through g-at
ed window in the partition wall be-
tween the eight room" and the "dun-
seon, from the window in the outer
wall of the Eight room" and hole in
the door nine inches square. The room
is too dark to see in, and the air is so
impure and ladened with stencil that
no animal, except a man could live In
IT. They do not live in it, they simply
have not as vet died in it. In this room
are five poor misguided Unfortunate
four of whom are chained to the floor;
one Of them has been confined in there
for nearly a year upon the charge of
stealing three coon skins. For this
charge this poor. ignorant creature has,
tor nearly year, been living in this
vile hole, covered with vermin, and
shut out from the light of day, attend
ing to the calls Ofnature in this narro#
compartment, and always breathing its
cf.iuvia. Sweltering in the summer
and freezing in the winter, for there
are no means Of warming the room.
You can stay in this dungeon but a
few minutes, when you are too glad TO
recOil from so painful a sight, and
again see the light of heaven, and get
Il breath Of pure air. This is no
imaginary sketch, but as true a pen
portrait of this blot upon our civiliza-
tion as We know how TO draw.
We hope all those who are complain
iIrg at the County court will have a
chance to read this article, and if they
are not then satisfied, and want TO
still complain, all they have to do is to
commit some unlawful act and get COM
mitted and "sce how it is yourself"
Aside from the action of the Circuit
court, the County court had no right