Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-04-12
A VISIT TO THE JAIL.
Ths lmpr ovoments Ef.cHd Under Col.nel
Thompson's Regims.

ATTRACTED Dy Jne markeu I'M
provemeut which has taken place
In the vestibule to the Jail, we yes
terIay paid that much-a5used in.
stitution II visit. On stepping into
the courtyard q complete meta
morphosis presented itself. The
YARD which, when Col. Thompson
took charge, was low and sunken
and always, even in summer, more
or less muddy from the accumula-
tions of water from the kitchen and
prison, has been filled up and
paved with brick purchased by Col.
Thompson at sales of material from
demolished buildings.
But tho most marked improve
n,eAt has been effected in the prison
b /, d ng. which has been reno
waited from turPet to foundation.
I Tne change has been so great that
even The ''oidest inhabitant" wou d
be unable to recngniz, his former
home. The outside of the building
has been covered with a heavy
o1at Of plaster, with joints mark ed
out to resemble massive and regu-
lar stt"e work, aud the building
now to hs like II real prisln. Uuder
the .,Ai,,anca OF Dol Thompso we
next visited the interior. Here,
alsJ, everything has been changed
and improved. rhe second II ,ur,
the portion allotted to county prise
ouers, has been pIaatered aud G Al
sominsd throughout. The day
r0oM or hall, which, before, pre-
sented nothing but the bare brick
walls and raftered ceilings, has
been entirely plastered, and is now
one of the most airy aud comforta-
ble rooms we ever saw in a prison.
This room, which is used for r,-
lIgious services OH SUNDAY, has
been supplied by the ladies who
have charge of this charitable
work, with books aud engFavings,
the latter OF which have been hung
around the vale, giving the room
cheerful and ho.le like appear
ance.
We next visited the lower floor.
This part of the Jail has lately
been inexpressibly nasty and full
of bad odors. Col. Thompson, be-
fore commencing its renovation,
instituted an investigation to tii.v
cover the cause of the unhealthy
and disasreeable smells tin At
permeated this quar- er of Il Q
prison ans, on going under the
floor of the room allotted to
city prisoners, found that the joint
of the pipe leading from the sinks
was broken and that the matter
which should have been carried of
by the city sewer flowed under the
building and sank into the earth
This remedied, the task of purifying
the room was easy. A wainscot of
red wood, three feet high, was put
up around the room aud the walls
and ceiling rough pIastered, aud it
Ia now, If not u desirable place to
live, the poor prisoner can at least
pass his nights in it without dan
ger of death from asphyxia. On the
same floor are the office and sleep.
ing room of the Jailor, which have
been fitted up with cupboards aud
other conveniences.
In all these improvements the
only cost to the county aud city
has been the material, the work
having been done by VIM. Cape
and Johnny Mayer, both first-class
bricklayer5 and plasterers, who, to
relieve the tedium of imprison-
ment, proposed to Col. Thompson
that if he would procure the mate
rial they would do the work. Most
faithfully have they redeemed tn IL
promise, working from early mori :
ing till late in the day, with a.
much cheerfulness and industry as
IL their labor would inure to theil
own personal profit.
Before closing we wish to advert
to another Improvement introduced
by Col. Thompson. When he tooh
charge the jail was provided will
, but q small kettle In which to boi
, the blankets used by the prisoners
, which often become filled with yer
min. BY persistent effort he pre-
vailed upon the county aud cit.
|, officials to purchase large kettle
,, aud now, instead of occupying
, days, as was the custom previously
he puts all the blankets In at once
and in one day they are purified
] and again ready for use.
| While our Jail Is not the edifie
that u county SO opulent as Lol
Angeles should have, Gran'
Juries, under the present manage
{ ment, at least, will no longer b
= obliged to present It ~ o sink
. Nth. ~