Connecticut western news., 1876-02-25
BRAZIL CONVICT LIFE.

How the C0MV1ce@ arc Taken Care 0E-.s
 Their Island Home---A Sad Life to Lead.
 In Scrs6aer for February is an inter. esting article on the penal settlement of Fernando Noronha, belonging to Brazil:
 There are one thousand five hundred convicts on the island, chiefly Brazilians, negroes, and half, castes, with e few Italians, etc. Sixty of them are women. The children number about two hun dred.' The total island population, in- cluding convicts, soldiers and their wives and children, is about two thou sand, thus:
 Oonvicts Cincluding sixty women). i, 800 Soldiers and of6oers s.................. 156 Wives of soldiers and convicts. .......... IA Ohildren. ................... 200 IotA.. ...........,..... ...... ...2OOO The chief crimes for which they have been banished are murder, embezzle- ment, coining, forgery-au of frequent occurrence in the Brazils and in the case of many of the women, husband murder or poisoning, another common felony. Of the one thousand five hun dred, only one-third, or five hundred, including the women, live and work in the village. The women are mainly em- ployed in sewing, tailoring, etc., and the men at their special trades. Those who have none have different tasks al- lotted, c. g., fishing, cooking for the governor, landing cargo, working in the stores, etc. Fishing is carried on single handed in small rafts, or catamarans, like those used along the coast of Hindostan. With these the convict has little chance of escape tothe distant coast. This is seldom attempted, and even if successfully accomplished, the prisoner IS almost sure to be recognized and re- captured in Brazil. All the able-bodied artifcers work in the general workshops under surveillance, and only the aged, infrm, and crippled are allowed the privilege of working at home. Of the village convicts, four hundred occupy the prison, the remaining one hundred being women and married men, who have huts of their own. The women are seldom compelled to live in the prison so-called, which is merely stone built structure, consisting of an open yard, and on either side long, rough, and bare looking, comfortless stone Aoored room, along each side of which the closely packed convicts sleep, feed, and keep their scanty and generally worthless stock of clothing, on long wooden tables. At the further end is a primitive, dirty kitchen, where they grind and cook their principal article of food, maize. The only fettered man on the island, was here-a large boned. habby, ungainly, scowling individual, evidently despised by his fellow prison CTS for having murdered 8 man in his sleep, and being thus "good for noth- ing according to my Informant, the half caste who first boarded us on arrival, and who, with the Englishman who accompanied him, had murdered eight Brazilians in drunken brawl on shipboard at Rio. This, however, was g fair stand up fight, and he evidently considered himself hero of 8 very diff ferent stamp from the coward he was now pointing out.
 As rule, the convicts spend half o1 their exile in the prison. If well be. hayed, they may afterward live outside, build their own hut and cultivate their own garden, government giving all, whether in prison or out of it, certain allowance of food. If specially well be- hsyed, particularly if married, they may sooner live outside, boon granted by the governor on application. A married convict can insist on having his wife and children beside him; and, though free, they often come from the Brazils tc share husbands or fathers exile. Mar. friages occur between convicts' children. As might be expected, the standard ot morality is low. If lazy or refractory various punishments arc inflicted, e. o., solitary confinement in the prison ''cell. , The lash is quite often and freely used in the square, and every convict must be present to see it administered. Fol laziness they get from fifty to one hun dred strokes, but sometimes from one hundred and fifty to three hundred Very recently one thousand five hundred were administered at one whipping to ( Brazilian convict for stabbine his wife The man was in hospital recovering from this at the time of our visit. There are no capital punishments in the Brazils What is most dreaded is banishment fol six months or year to Rats island where they live Robinson Crusoe life and may starve unless they fish and cul tivate the soil, no provisions being sent from headquarters.
 n The convicts generally are not fed bJ government, but are allowed about $l per month to purchase food, and, wher they can, tobacco and other luxuries The entire farm produce and manufac tuSes gre claimed by government, tht faRza fa2@AuAp mnkkAu ~ WaAS.Jn~ ha1,e~S .