Daily Republican., 1885-06-23
Letter from Philsaeupnia

tho Ea8t6rn f0n1t0utlhry, lOCateu All
Twenty first and Fairmount avenue.
1t is open TO visitors every day In the
week. and this privilege is taken ad.
vantage Of by many of the curious. lnI
order to get on the inside Of the solid
prison grounds for ten squares, you
must first obtain pass from one of
the directors Of the institution, which
Is obtained simply for the asking.
Handing your pass TO the overseer at
the gate, he gives you one In exchange,
on which B written the word re-
turn"
1t is necessary shat you should hold
on firmly TO this piece Of pasteboard; II
you should have the misfortune TO lose
1t you would probably have trouble in
getting on the outside again. Being |
in the neighborhood Of Cherry Hill one
day last week. determined to make q l
little inspection of its interior on my |
own account.
Tho visitor, upon entering the
|inspectiou-room u required to register.
Then II there are at least ave persons
iu the party. there Is an everseer ready
to conduct you through tho building
II there are not Ave Of you, you take q
"inspe ction- ROOM" an oc'agonal shaped
building, is situated In the very centre
of the grounds, and from the eight sides
project long corridors, running many
yards away from this centre.
This inspection room Is a wonderful
place. It's furniture consists Of bare
floor, one chair and one table. Every
person visiting must pass through this
room first. He can't help 1t. 1t is so
constructed that 1t Is impossible TO
reach the prison Eny other way. and it
Ia also impossible to get out without
first passing through this eight-sided
room.
Everything sent to q prisoner by o
Misunderstanding books. papers. .edibles.
articles Of clothing, ETC., must be ex
! Iamined critically in this room before
the prisoner for whom they are in
J, tended can receive them. Letters are
not disturbed. but are passed to them
unopened. Relatives and intimate
/, friends of these occupants Of prison
cells are allowed to visit them and hold
con versation once in three months, but
the stranger visitor, the curiosity seeker,
lis not permitted to go near them-nOt
J even to get q glimpse of them. And
th is seems altogether right and proper.
3 A convict Is not placed here on exhi
) bition to be gazed at and scrutinized as
I an object of curiosity, for this does moi
aid the good work OF reformation
3 which is supposed to take place during
o the prisoners Incarceration. If he IL
0 shown and pointed out to every stran.
ger who visits the place it Is not long
i before he is marked for life, 80 to speak
Q and when his term Of years has OK
q pired he goes forth TO the world recog
j nized by half its people as crimina
4 of the deepest dye, while on the othel
!. hand, IL kept aloof from the public
!, gaze, his reform is reasonably certain
o and his prison chains loosened, h
Q comes forth new man to commence |
!. new life, and to meet new faces ant
d new friends.
There are at this timo ,1oO convict
beneath the roof of this great bu ilGine
Il who are serving Ous sentences varyinl
a. in periods from one year to ninety
a nine. What an array, and what al
"a enormous amount of crime is represen
y ted here ? Ifever person is impresse'
Il with the majesty of the law, 1t
"a when he is within the walls of q peni
tentiary. OF these 1900 prisoners
;, sixty of them who have behaved In
=. becoming manner (for convicts) An
= given no additional trouble to tbei
=. keepers, are selected to keep tn
: grounds in order, the little buildings Il
~ repair, and do odd jobs about tn
y, premises. This is the reward for goo
a. conduct, and they are allowed man
40 other privileges that the rsfractor
and disobedient prisoners do not get.
Nearly every trade and occupatio
known to mankind is here represented
y and consequently all work performe
90 at the penitentiary is done by convic
=, labor. 1t takes 1000 loayes of bread
ba feed this army of criminals, and I'll
~ criminals themselves bake 1t froI
>, seven barrels of -four, which they III
~ each day in the year. Even the f1ol
~ y ia made by convicts, who operate Il
~, mill which stands o littleapart from IL
~ bake. house.
Of course the prisoners-those VIII
.sa are not permitted to leave the cell
4. ;ao have o great deal of. time on the
'' hands. Much of it every day must
, = turned to q profit, for the Eastern Pen
~ ~ teut;ary is made self.supportinE. ii
10 institution, ard various articles
10 clothing, hats, stock ings, rag carpe
Ao shoes, and cigars and cigar boxes o.
manufactured here in great Quantitie
and as the price asked for these pr
ducts is low, they find ready marke
A well-stocked library is to be four
M here. and the books are such as wi
'eI tend to instruct, elevate and impro1
the minds of the readers. Each prison
sl is allowed the use of two books at
'u' ~. time, which are brought to him by b
a keeper.
u, The prisoners who are fortuna
he he enough TO have cell on the groul
W ne floor may enjoy an outing" OF
~ hour each day. These cells have each
IA = front yard-about five by eight feet
'e ., size-leading from the cell door. Son
~, of the occupants have taken advanta
,ns S of their "recess and turned the
au au yard into a garden, with potatoes, pes
oi' beans, and other vegetables CROWN
: One poor fellow, whose time must
dragging along heavily, and who
IA serving sentence of twelve years, b
,ch carefully computed the remaini
number of days, weeks and months
his sentence which must elapse befc
-oa Ihe gains his liberty. His term expil
IN in 1898, and 1t is al! written out In fl
with piece of soft brick on the jam
the door which leads to his cell.
Escapes of prisoners from this pei
EEL, tentiary are of rare occurrence. Eve
~, ..n one is familiar with the celebrated
tempt and dismal failure of the thu
Ioolored men who sought to gain tn
, + liberty through the sewer pipe whi
tho runs from the prison to the Schuylk
nds river. 1t would have been success
re- re- but for one thing The authorities {
I'M. wind of 1t In some way, and were
No the other end OF the pipe and receiy
reat the men with open arms when tn
~ "a emerged.