Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1878-02-20
LETTER FROM BATON ROUGE.
BATON RoUGE, La, Feb. g.l-7

ID. u. Hayes, Esq: Dear Sir and Friend !
| recently visited the Pcnitentiary at This
place, and will briefly write you such facts
relevant thereto, rs think maybe items
of interest and information 10 the many
readers of the GUARDIAN.
AT THE GATE
| met Captain Burk, Ithe polite and cner-
getic Superintendent, who took great pleas
urc in escorting1ne around over the grounds
and impartjng every desirable matter Of
information.
rlIr BUILDINGS
CONSIST of large cotton factory. various
Wachne and work shops, mess hail. kitcll-
en-, female department, engine house, re-
ccptiun room, commi~>lry, cells, Ac. These
| are all surrounded by brick wall about
600 10y 800 feet, and - feet high. was
| 81 well kept and in such clcanly condl-
| tirn.
HE CONNICT-
number in all 675, of these about 10 are
/ white and 5j5 are ncgrocs. Among them
are ~ or l. negro women. aud one white
woman. The men dress IN uniform, all
wearing black and white striped usuahHrgs.
They have Il clcanly appearance, and por-
ton of the negroes seemed ordinarily cheer
fal, but the white men aud some of the ne
grocs appeared melancholy AMI detected.
,l,. al ,,,l,. - ,lupat..I
aLout half have an ordinary education,
while the balance including all the ncgrors
are gro~ sly ignorant Eighty are sentenced
10 the prnitentiary For life, and ninc-tcnths
of these were sent here for acts committed
while under the influence of whisky.
IiiE if~~EE-,
M"-srs. Jamc> and liynum, find IT NOR"
profitable to work the conyict- out of the
pcHitrHtary than in il. 80 none Of III"
shops, factories, sc, of the prnitcntlary
are now in operation. and nearly the en-
tire force is employed Oh farms and public
works. 4 large majority of the convict-
are now laboriug on the New Orleans and
Pacific Railroad.
plNiNr SERVICES
are held at the p,uitcutilry every week
Five ministers. representing hv" different
religious denominations, are employed 10y
the government at a salary of 500 each tt
discharge thi, duty. inquired patttcu
larly ~ to the morals ot the cunvict>, and
, whether or not this mode of punishment
| is liz any sense the mean, eli reformation
. | was told cmphatically that convicts very
seldom improved morally while in the pen
itentiary. bat on the contrary. n"twiih
standing the constant advice and appeal
uf ministers, they gradually grow NOR
,!ebasrd. II al reports be true. | do no
c suppose it possible for the Imagination t,
b conceive of more perfect mass of mora
4 puirciAciiun than exist in the pcnitrntiar.
I of Louisiana.
: would like to inform your readers ho'
# the comvicts sleep, what they rat. and ho'
Il they are treated, but have perhaps alread
l. in,rudcd upon your libcrahty.
me rIIIzIN- oF,BAToS ROUGE
II are very dcsirou, Of having the Capital It
d moved to this place. Tn the 2nd inst. th
: city council. seconded by a larg" mas
i meeting of citizens, pledged 5000" % t'
:, wards rcuorating the old state House, G
e towards dcfrtying the expenses of FcHo'
Is ing the seat of government to Baton Roug
c The University is moving on iincly. W
Il now have NOR. than u hundred student
and they are still pouring in from all Pc
tons of the state.
Respectfully.
L " NIl,IINI SIN