The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-09-06

sionally at dinner time mutton-soup or
beeI-soup, or an excuse for it, is served
in a small tin can. A spoon, but no
knife or fork, is provided. The prison
ers are always deprived of their pocke'-
knives for fear they may do mischief or
attempt suicide.
LIFE ON THE ISLAND.
Every day except Sunday the prison
van carries prisoners to the foot of
Twenty-sixth street and ships them
thence to the workhouse. The van is
usually filled to its utmost capacity.
At the foot of East Twenty-sixth street
a dozen men or more are compelled to
descend a ladder and enter the hold of
woods Island bound. The hold will
not accommodate comfortably more
/ than half-adozen persons, yet dozen
are crowded in it at once. They are
locked in amid filth and rats, and at
times confined there for hours. Should
the steamer Fidelity spring leak no
doubt the prisoners would be drowned,
as there would be little hope OF rescue.
Huge water rats move abouC boldly in
the hold OF the vessel and play at the
feet of the prisoners. In summer the
prisoners almost die while confined in
this hold of sufTocation and thirst. In
the winter they are liable to freeze 10
death.
Arriving at Blackwelps Island the
prisoners form a line and march to the
workhouse. Here their pedigree is
taken, and at times from dozen to
fifty are confined in one large cell to
wait further orders. There are no seats
prisoners have to sleep there for days
and nights on the bare floor. There
are no blankets. One who has been
accustomed to downy couch all his
life must sleep beside the besotted
tramp on the bare floor here. There is
no respecter OF persons. If a man is
very i'll he may die here. A physician
must be asked FOR, as he docs not call
of his own accord.
The ten-day men are usually put to
work about the workhouse cleaning up
or about the gardens or placed on tine
boats that run TO the various institu-
tons on the islands. Men who are SEN
fenced for a month or more, if not re-
tanned for duty about the workhouse,
are placed in gangs and sent to do serv-
ice at the asylums and the hospitals on
RanlalPs, Wards and Harris Islands.
A branch workhouse is maintained on
Harris Island, where some two hundred
men are kept at work breaking rocks,
building sea walls, digging graves for
the pauper dead and burying them.
The prisoners at the work-house must
rise at live n. M, and wear the regula-
ton uniform. Gangs of them are
marched to the wash-room in line
They have only time to dip their hands
in water, touch their faces and hair and
hurriedly salute dirty towel. Then
they are marched to the mess-room
Rye coffee and dry bread for breakfast
(no sugar.; soup and bread for dinner
Ono knife or fork. An excuse for tea
is served for supper, with dry bread
five evenings in the week. Two even.
ings during the week the prisoners
only have mush and molasses ono tea
or cOifee). On Fridays at dinner cod |
fish soup as thin as water Ono fish is !
served the prisoners. Many of them
compla' n of hunger. The cooler or
dark cell is used to punish refractory
prisoners. The reporter noticed two
or three prisoners who wore balls and
chains. One of these was being pun
ished for swimming the LAST River and
trying TO escape not long ago He was
so unlucky as to get caught. Some Of
the prisoners are put in the dark cell
for various causes and remain there fol
days living on bread and water The
prisoners are locked up at six p. m. fol
the night.
1t would surprise one to see the mum.
Der of men who are sent to the island
on account of domestic troubles But
large majority of the prisoners lay the
cause OF their imprisonment to rum
N. Y. HerdLG