The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1879-04-03

Through the politeness aud liberality
of a gentleman who placed carriage
and driver at the disposal Of a party of
ladies, Of whom we were one, a visit to
to the peniientiary was made the busi-
ness of an afternoon. Mrs. Miller, the
bright and amiable wife Of the warden,
welcomed us in the parlor, and intro
duced an obliging turnkey, who accepted
the required ''permir' from our hands,
and delivered it over to somebody who
said il was "all right" Then tile clank-
ing Keys were turned upon u and We
wandered through aud through the
great gloomy building, past many cells
in which conviets sat or lay, some Of
them doing dreamily, some oring over
cheap novels, aud some peering at us
with a look Of eager welcome, though
forbidden to speak without permission
from the officer.
In one Of the cells lay one Of the vic
Tins of the late STRAP game" the vic
tim not only Of the laws vengeance,
but Of hemorrhage Of the stomach,
caused, as the physicians tell US, by
taking away the opium which for three
years he had smoked habitualIy.
Poor boy! he ought to have met a
better fate. We had been strongly
in favor Of his immediate pardon,
but now we feel that the year for
which he has been sentenced will prob
ably enable him to overcome the habit
Of opium smoking. which is even a
worse crime than betting with a greedy
old man on a strap game. In the COM
missary department we met Mercer and
had a long talk with him. He fully,
but Of course, vainly, expects immedi-
ate pardon. Truly, the way of the trans
gressor is hard. He expressed sympa-
thy with his wife ard infant girl now a
few days old. We could but pity
him, but we bade him good bye with an
inner consciousness that be is behaving
better where he is than he would be if
he were elsewhere.
But we do abomiuate that horrid iris
on dress. It is doubtless valuable as a
preventive Of escape, but IL is degrading
TO the wearer, and it ought on that ac-
count to be abolished and some more el-
evating aud humane manner adopted
for keeping convicts from running away.
Quite a number spoke 10 US, with per
mission from the guide, aud invariably
they besought US to give them a Sunday
lecture again. We will, sometime.
when q permit Is granted, and we can
have time to attend to it.
The blind and mute schools have been
abolished from lack Of funds to sustain
them, and the funds are lacking because
the protectors Of women, insane persons.
criminals, idiots and other unfortunates
are building such a beautiful and expen-
sive State-house.
Our good friend and able ally Of the
suffrage cause, Col c. A. Reed, is prov
ing his faith by his works in admitting
to partnership in his real estate aud in
suranee business his pretty and pleasant
little vile, whose lovely babe is we'll
cared for by a nurse girl, while its intel
ligent mother keeps it under her super
vision and makes a comfortable income
without deteriorating her baby's food
by overheating herself over the cook
stove, wash board and mop-stick. Small
danger that she will ever feel that she is
supported" by her worthy husband.
His protection she is justly entitled to.
But this letter has grown so long that
we have only TO mention Clyde Cooke
and his new picture OF Nj. Hood, which
he is painting 10 order for nur enterpris-
ing friend Gov. Thompson nf this city.
We're no painter. 50 we can't describe
IL; but the young artists poet-m0ther
Is his inspiration, and the Interest she
takes in his work is beautiful to behold.
We learn that The painting, when fin
ished, will bc placed on exhibition in
this city.
Aud .ow abou, 'ba; "fa." The
"Willamstte Chief' left her nJoriugs
AT Salem in the forenoon OF Sunday, and
We spent the remainder Of the day till
four z. NJ, in alternate maps, Bible-rsad-
iugs and dream-liks gazings at the
swollen Willamette and the f.iuged bor-
ders OF its turbid waters. We are
tempted 10 stop right here aud
scribhle something about SPRING
but everybody with eyes can behold it
for themselves, so why need We sprak K
OF IL at all
When the steamer reachei Cauemah,
we spied a signal flag at the locks, pro-
claiming that she could not enter on ac-
count Of the freshet. So, after waiting
two hours for the water to fall, we gave
1t up and went ashore 90 spend the night
with our friends, the Elliotts, and had
the doubtful satisfaction Of seeing tie
signal flag come down aud the steamer
start in about five minutes after our de-
parture, leaving US to come on to Port
land by train next morning. A D.
CALIFORNIA STATE WoMAN's Hos
PITAL.-Why is it that among all the
seventeen surgeons and consulting sur
geons at the California State WOman's
Hospital there shouldn't happen to be
one woman surgeon ''The hospital is