Connecticut western news., 1882-02-22
TN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.
Story of Q Prisoner Who was Shut Up
 Nine Years.

Taking the pencil he drew rough sketch of the interior of the prison.
 '1t looks like you are in we'll when you stand in the center," continued he, when he had concluded his drawing
 "The guard who stands in the center tbere can see everything that's going on down every one of the galleries. Every one of those double marks is for gal lery with cells along each side and 8 luan with loaded gun at each end. They keep twenty-four bloodhounds all the time in one of the halls. Every one of the halls runs into tue center circle. So man has no chance. You can't find out how the place is fixed when you get in. because, your head is tied up in the black cap. ] got more accustomed to it after year or so, but it was ter. rible not to have any one to talk to and to go on from day to day in the same cell. It breaks the best men down. The brain goes first. It always affects the brain. When man is broken down so that he will die in little while if some thing is not done for him, they take him to the hospital and let him stay there until he gets strong enough to stand it while longer. worked at the trade of bottoming chairs; some of them make shoes and some cigars, They are glad to work at anything when they have to be shut up by themselves. There is no talking allowed no whistliug; no un- necessary noise of any kind. If the rules are violated two guards come to the cell; they drag you out you have to hold your hands above your head. They catch you by the shoulders and throw you down. Then they beat you with their black Jacks. They are clubs with ropes to them. There IS no beat ing allowed but they do it anyhow. Then you are put in the 'cooler.' It is the deepest dungeon in the place, with scarcely any light in it. You get ex- actly three ounces of bread day and quart of water while you are there, and you stay twenty-o one days. 'Is that the only punishment Nc, they have tight box they put you in. It has water in it which strikes you just under the arm-pits, and there is more water running in all the time. You have to pump with your hands and feet as hard as you can to keep the water from get ting over your head. I've seen men who were left until they were broken down and who were nearly drowned. I was 'ducked twice. That's what they call it.
 ''I was buried for nine years, and nearly forgot how to talk. My throat and tongue got so I couldn't use them. When all but my last year was up they let me out of my cell to carry water to the other prisoners. had wife and child when went in. One day in 1876 the keeper and another man came to my cell. They read me 8 notice that my wife had married again. Before they got through, the keeper looked at me and stopped. He pulled the other man away. Stop, said he 'he's hurt enough He was right, but I lived through it. Every day the keeper would come, open the trap in the door of my cell, put in my food, talk to me for a minute or two and then go away. It was the same thing for ten years, day after day. The grand jury would come into the prison occasionally and before they came every thing would be fixed up. But they did not see anything. We could count time that way. Once every month, too, we got a bath. At last the day came for me to get out. It was December "A last, the day before Christmas. They took me to the door and told me to go. I stepped out and the fresh air struck me. l trembled like leaf. A bootblack was standing across the street. He saw me coming, and said Welcome out.' l had hard work to keep from crying. l wandered around the city hunting work. 1 was resolved to die sooner than ge back. ."-&. Louis Republican.