Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1885-04-23
LIFE IN A STATE PRISON.
THE UNPLEASANT ABODE OF CRIMINALS
At WETHERSFIELD, CONN.

The Wethersfield Penitentiary is perhaps
as unpleasant a place of residence as any
criminal, of however wide range of expert
ence, will be able to mention. The build
ing, which is rectangular in shape, is for
bidding in its appearance, being built OF a
dingy red sandstone. 1t is about two hun
dred feet long, forty feet wide and forty
feet high, and contains 272 cells, each cell
being seven feet long, seven feet high and
three feet wide. The cells were furnished
by contract, the furniture being of Spartan
like simplicity. An oblong iron frame upon
which is stretched piece of canvass, and
which is fastened by iron hooks to the wall ,
serves as the convict's bed. At night it is
supplemented with loosely filed straw
mattress. In the day time the mattress is
removed and the frame is swung up against
the wall. Each bed is provided with straw
pillow about the size of a brick, and two
cotton coverlets. A wooden shelf, wood
en- bucket, an earthenWare water jug, a
Bible and slate complete the furniture.
The managers of this penal institution
believe in starting in right" with the in
dividuals who 20 to their boarding house.
There is no toning-doWn system in vogue.
The convict is made to realize within three
seconds after his arrival that he is in tight
place, where no nonsense is allowed. AS
soon as transferred to the custody of the
Warden he is required to fold his arms and
is then put face to the wall, in which hu-
initiating position he is allowed to remain
ten minutes, half an hour, an hour, or two it
may be, or at all events until the keeper is
quite ready to attend to him. After being
measured and weighed and put into suit
of prison clothes, he is led to "the dungeon"
dismal adjunct to the prison proper. The
door is opened he is thrust in and the door
is locked behind him. After being kept
there sufficient length of time to give
him a tolerably correct notion of the un-
pleasantness of the place, he is released and
then informed that confinement in this
dungeon is one of the mild forms of punish
ment which may be relied upon to follow an
infraction of the prison rules.
He is next shown the "cat" and the 'ball
and chain," and is requested to note them
carefully in his memory. This terrorizing
process over, he is conducted back to the
main prison and placed in line with five
convicts-three in front and two behind
him-and is marched around the corridors
an hour or two, or until the keeper is salts
fled that he has become proficient in the
''lock STEP" This drill concluded, the door
of one of the workshops is pointed out to
him, and he is told to fold his arms, keep
his eyes on the ground and march to the
shop. He is met at the door by the shop
keeper, who tells him that the first rule OF
the place is that convicts shall never look
up from their work. Other rules, he is in
formed, require him to speak to nobody and
to work necessarily from bell to bell. The
shops are small, containing on an average
about twenty-five men each. These poorly
fed prisoners are expected to turn out more
work than is done by the average skilled
work man in the Outer world
If convict working at a window lifts his
head from his work for one glad glimpse OF
the bright sunlight, he is Immediately lock-
ed up in the dark cell. After the night bell
rings, the convicts fall in line in the shops
and march with lock-step to the prison yard
and form a semi-circle. The guards and
keepers then approach, and each convict
takes off his hat, throws up his arms and is
searched, the prisoners standing bare head
ed during the process, even though the
thermometer, as is frequently the case, reg
listers several degrees below zero. On their
return to the prison the convicts are march
ed to cold, cherries hall, where they are
drawn up in line and commanded to fold
their arms and keep their eyes on the ground.
In this penitential attitude they are expected
to join in singing glad hymn Of praise to
the Lord Most High, which is led by the
prison chaplain. A prayer is then said by
the chaplain to which the convicts are re-
quired to respond "Amen."-N. Y. World.