Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-11-22
THE CITY PRISON.
Wheeling's "Black Hole of CAL
cutta."

On a commanding eminence on the
hillside above the intersection OF Market
and Eighth streets stands the edIiice
yclept the city prison; and yesterday
afternoon. after a long and GREATNESS
climb, a REGIsTER reporter stood by 1t.
Most of our readers are aware Of the eN-
istencc of the "workhouse," but at that
Their information stops. To further en-
tighten them is the mission OF this artl-
Gle.
A white washed frame building, 81
feet long, 20 feet wide and about as
high, with the general appearance OF a
disreputable barn, and YOU have an
outside view OF the city prison, which
lies shout 80 feet directly south OF the
reservoir. Twenty feet further south
is the shed used Tor breaking stone and
between the two buildings, in
a stout kennel, is the Cerberus
of this Bastilc, who grnwlcd ut the APP
proach Of the reporter and showed set
Oi white teeth that seemed to say, cave
adSum"
A door i'm the south end OF the build
ing opens into narrow corridor which
gives entrance 10 the prison, and also 10
In hesccond named apartment We found
Supt. STANLEY, who cuurteOuSly yolun-
terrrd To do the hOnors of the place. We
accepted, hut declined his invitation to
enter the "blacS hole greatly prefer
ring an outside view. The descriptive
pen of Scott were necessary TO properly
depict the place. Around the side walls
were hunks, after the manner Of steamer
bcrths, forty-two OF them, and ap-
parrntly in fair state. At the
north end of the room are five
cells, destined Tor refractory pris-
oners. Two large barrel stoves near
the centre OF the rooms complete the
picture-without its habitants. \
lIogarth might have rcveled in the
grouping of the latter. Some twenty
or thirty of them, of all sizes, ages and
condition, were scattered about. Here
WAS a boy oi twelve, suffering Tor first
offence, and there IN aged tramp To
whom such scenes have long grown
familiar. Some were clothed and some
were not. On a few only one torn
undergarment hung i'm rags.
"Why DO not all the prisoners 90 out
to work." has often been asked. One
glance here answers that. How can men
with scarce a rag on their bodies go out
into such piteleSs wind as blew ycStcr-
day? Whose place is it To- attend 10
this" Can it be that Council and the
CITY Prison Committee know of this
"Thev do, said Mr.. Stanley, "for |
have told them
Shuddering, the reporter turned from
4. ,,l h.-t.V.l r,.-a,- 80 ',rta
into the kitchen said Mr.. Stanley,
opening a door which led from the cor
ridOr into the culinary department. The
kitchen is clean and well kept, and the
office, opposite, small and mean as are
its appointments, is equally SO.
Leaving the huilding which was
heated 10 nearly 50 degrees, the re-
porter sought the open air and rcSaincd
his breath To- ask;
GLOW many prisoners have You now,
Mr.. stanley
"FOrtv-SiN'
"IIow do you put iorty-slX men in
fOrty-two bunks|'
1--WE open the cells at night and put
them there. Each cell has two hunks
and they are clean and warm. We have
Id'l IL UldllN tN eighty lllN'AtlN olN'
they had To lie on the floor and sleep
the best way they could
Mr.. Stanley then lei the way to the
quarry. Just east OF the prison, where
Supt. Wier was working force ofmcn.
The quarry is a cash cut into the side
of the hill, from which the men were
then engaged in taking coal, prior
To getting at the limestone be-
meath. Perhaps dozen were en-
gaged i'm this work. This completed
the tour and tbereporter, after drawing
mental comparison between this howell
and the "black hole ui Calcutta, a COM
parison not favorable To the former,
rlambcred down the hin To Market
street.
Has the Committee on City Prison
ever visited its charge? For the credit
Of the committee il is To be hoped not.
let the man who fathcrcd that institu-
ton take one look at his offspring and
blush. Five thousand dollars year is
what the city pays for the maintenance
of this ulcer, and in addition, the cost OF
conyicting every prisoner there, Think
Oi that taxpayer,