The Osceola times., 1884-07-26
A MINUTE IN A DARK CELL.
The Experience Of = Lady who Recently >
Visited Newgate.
Boston Herald,

Visited Newgate.
| Boston Herald.
"And suppose woman is unbearably
ageravating, kicks and shrieks, etc.
suppose you put her in small, dark
cell?" l query.
"That we do after all all other mea.
sures are tried in vain," replies my
host.
"Well, please put me in one and GO
away for five minutes" request.
On this am led toward the cell "most
politely" as is sung in Princes Ida.
"Please, Mr.. Jailer, want new SEN
sation; want to struggle and be forced
in, and hear the key click in the lock
with spiteful snap; else how can l
write of the dark realistically"
On this proceed to throw my arms
about and behave otherwise in most re-
belous manner. With quiet smile /
am humored in my little crank" and
in second | find my arms pinionedI in
a firm grip, and am pushed into the
dark cell, hearing the key click in the
lock, and over the one wee bar at the
top seeing the last Of the light.
know it was silly, but, overcome
with terror, was sPeechless for one
brief second, and it seemed to me as if
any icy cold hand held my temples in a
cruel pressure. Then from my dumb
lips came a piercing shrek, that echoed
through those deserted halls with hor-
rible distinctness Five minutes. 1t
was hours before they returned with
the lanterns. "Oh, DEAR" l groaned,
"will be here always? Have they for
gotten which one am locked in?"
felt that much longer of solitary con-
finement would turn my brain, and l
began to gasp for breath. At last they,
come; the CLEAN of light increases; the
steps sound more distinctly on my ear
returning to release me. / hear the
iailer's keys gingle with joyful sound of
freedom from my self-imposed torture
and the door flies open. / can not
speak. and, womanlike, choke down
a sob instead.
At this my friend shows me his watch
"How long have been there?' fall
tered out. Exactly one minute" he
replies. Sure enough, this is true; yet
in that one minute all my life seemed
to come up before my mental vision, just
as it is said ones life comes up to the
drowning man and woman.
am told that usually one dose of the
dark cell sufiices the culprit, and | can
not Danish the impression that it is
haunted with fiendish spirits. know
it was silly of me to be so unnerved, l,
who have gone about London's slums,
and know no fear of living thieves in
London streets, met at uncanny hours.
Well, call me sentimental if you like,
for, all the same. | solemnly assure you
that had rather die on the instant, be
shot down in the twinkling of an eye,
than be locked and bottled for one night
in the dark cell at Newgate, with no
more tangible terror than those born of
my terror-stricken apprehensions.
1t is such little place, only big
enough to sit ina little dark closet, in
fact. Some inhuman mothers shut up
their refractory children in dark
clothes-press as punishment. at all
times l believe the woman who strikes
a child to be a human monster, unfit
to hold the sacred Office of mother"
After this | shall still more loathe the
woman who shuts her mischievous ht-
tie child in closet for five minutes, or
even minute, as punishment, for
know now by experience the awful
fright entailed.
Oh, mothers! don't terrify the little
folks. Perhaps their vexing little pranks
are only an overflow of animal spirits.
Learn to curb your own temper, and be
gentle with the mites. Take the hot,
fretful little girl in your arms, undo the
pinafore and wee frock, and, slipping
her out of the burdensome clothes, place
her in a warm bath dainty perfImed.
and my word for it, the nervous little
one will soon be sp,ashing about the
water in merriment. Don't forlet that
children have nerves a. well as grown
folks, and that they have theii 'roubles
in child land. But implore yon, do
not put children in dark closets as a
punishment. Ifyou can't control your
own nerves, you are unfit to quiet your
children's nerves, and had best employ
some woman 10 manage your offspring
who is actuated by more lofty principles
and more well-balanced nature than
yourself.