Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-11-15
FEMALE CONVICTS.
The Daily Routine i'm the Woman's
Prison at London.
London Daily News.

London Daily News.
The ordinary days routine will be
something in this way: Prisoners rise
at five minutes past six, put away
their bedding, and clean their cells.
There are, by the way, no plank beds
in women's prisons. At half-past SIX
they commence work: at a quarter to
eight they have breakfast-the nature
of which depends on the term of their
sentence, but which will consist OF
bread, Cruel and cocoa, or porridge,
ora combination of either two of them.
At a quarter to nine labor is recon-
menced and continued till quarter
past eleven, when preparation is made
for filing into the chapel for prayers
at twenty-five minutes past eleven.
There are two chapels-a Protestant
and a Roman Catholic-the Protes-
tant, of course, the largest. 1t is a
light and cheerful-looking place, with
bright and pretty communlon-table
and a good harmonium, accompanied
by which the women sing with all the
spirit and vigor of those who feel 1t a
real treat to be permitted to hear and
use their own voices In all the wOm-
EMS prisons it is recognized as a great
punishment to be debarred from
chapel. 1t is so, indeed in the mems
prisons, but it is especially so with the
women. Warders sit on raised seats
here and there abont the assembly,
but the congregations are usually very
orderly and well-behaved, dreadlng
to have the privilege of the service
withdrawn from them At twelve
o'clock they have dinner, this also
depending upon their term of i'm
prisOnment and how far they have got
through it. 1t will consist for the first
seven days of 'FstirabOut," decoctiOn
of Indian meal and oatmeal After
that it may be some combination of
bread, suet, pudding, potatoes, beef or
soup. Labor recOmmenceS at half-paSt
one o'clock and continues till a quarter
to six, unless broken in on by open air
exercise, which may come in the course
Of the day at the discretion of the
superintendent. At a quarter of six
supper is served, and this will be the
same as breakfast. Labor recOmmen
ces at a quarter past six o'clock, and
finally closes at eight. All have to be
IN bed and lights out at half-pas
eight. On Sundays they rise at sever
o'clock, and attend service morning
and afternoon, are locked up with
their supper at quarter of six, and
have to be in bed and lights out al
quarter-past eight The only prison
ers who do not fall under these gen
eral arrangements are, of course, in
yalids, and those who have infants
under twelve months old Occasion
ally children are born in prison, anC
It is no unusual thing for a woman
to be convicted and brought here
while sucking an infant If the child
is over twelve months old it is sent to
the work-house or friends. If under
this age it is admitted with the moth
er, who is permitted to retain it until
It completes It's first year. There is
one block of buildings devoted to nur-
sing mothers, and known as the nur-
sery, and it often happens that in ev-
cry cell, a mother and child will be
locked up together, both being dressed
III the prison blue, in which many oil
the little things look pretty enough.
They are well fed on abundance OF
good milk if the mother cannot nurse
them, and are of course kept scrupu
lousy clean, and in their little blue
dresses tied up at the sleeves with a bit
Of blue ribbon, they look, many Of
them, quite smart and pretty, and are
evidently pets of some Of the warders
The cells are clean and comfortable,
though gloomy; they have certain
periods of outdoor exercise, and the
mothers have nothing to do but nurse
them and amuse them, and on the
whole, sentiment apart, it is rather a
stroke of luck for many a poor little
mortal to be born in prison or to be
taken there for start in life. The
children are said to thrive wonderful
" as rule, and it is quite easy to be-
ieve this.