New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-14
TIE T7CHBORNE CLAIMANT IN PRISON

From " Conrict Lie Byd TicL;etotLedre Nan"
The Claimant had left Dartmoor for Ports
mouth before my arrival at the former place. |
heard "A good deal about him. of course. He seems
to have given an iniinity of trouble. His aDplica-
tons to address the Home Secretary, and to have
interviews with directors, governor, doctor and
priest were ncessant. lie got admitted to the
church choir for reasonable obtained q more COM
Portable seat aud he was excused labor Oh Satur-
day mornings that he might attend practice. The
ganst assured me that he had no notion OF singing.
and that the noise he made was something between
the chirp Of "A crow and the crOak OF "A raven.
Ii was generally admitted by the more intelli-
gent prisoners who came in contact with him that
his habits aud manners were vulgar. lie was doing
his best. by the aid of French school-books fur
nished him by the priest, TO master the French
language; and he made all sorts of promises to
prisoner who was in the next cell to BIN, and who
could speak French, il he would aid him. but this
told me that he was very stupid at 1t, aud that
his progress very slow. When the Claimant
first went to DartmOOr, he seems to have hada good
friend in the gentleman who was at that time gov
ernor of the prison. lie was extremely trouble
some constantly breaking prison rules, aud
constantly-peng reported for doing so but so long
as The Major remained in command he was never
punished and when he received visits from his
friend DIR. Kenealy and others; the visits took place.
contrary to regulations, i'll the Governors office,
and extra time allowed him. The advent Of
Captain Harris as Governor was misfortune for
Castro. or Orion, or whoever he may De; may here
take the opportunity of dong an act of simple JUS
tce to Captain Harris am quite sure that II the
son OF brother of the Secretary OF state were pris-
onor under his control, be would he treated with
nrecsev the same indulgence as every other pris-
oner and no more. The Claimant when next he
received visit did so behind the bars aud within
the time specified by the rules.
When reported for insOlence he was sentenced 10
two DAYS bread and water, and he got "a second
punishment i0r the same offence aud some Others.
By the doctors orders he had eight ounces of addi
tonal bread per day and eight ounces of potatoes,
and on meat and soup days be had increased RAJ
tons presume his friend Mr. Whalley worried
the Home Secretary into having him transferred to
Portsmouth, where, am told lac is fetching tOler
ably easy "bagging" Perhaps the air there is not
30 bracing. but at DarImo0r his appetite
enormous. / know men employed IN the tailor's
shop who did not need all their food and who gave
him constantly and the oTderlies who carried
round the bread were in the habit of yielding
To his entreatles to shy him "a loaf, If " good
screw happened to be on duty. BY the way. "A
4" good screw" amongst the prisoners. means a man
who does not do his duty. KNEW little Irishman
who told me that one day he was able to give the
Claimant six Coz. loaves, and that he came very
near getting three days as reward for his good
ture. The bug man was very unpopular with some
of his neigbbors, who say that he was a bad
sleeper, and used to puff and blow aud grunt and
groan all through the small hours. He was unpopu
lar with the warders, because 1t was with the
greatest difficulty he could be- got TO scrub his CELL
or keep his cell furniture clean. But won't say
any more about the fellow. | should think the
world has had enough Of INN, III all conscience.