National Republican., 1885-10-26
POVERTY'S PURGATORY.
ONE WEEK IN THE WASHINGTON
WORKIlOUSE.
How the Nations Capital Treats
Tramps, Thieves, and Poor but Hon
esc Pcoplc-A BAD Condition OF
Affairs, But Some Commondable

Features.
Mans inhumanity to man makes countless
thousands mourn.
A few years ago an English newspaper
man named Greenwood startled the phian-
thropic and humanitarian people Of that
steid and eight little island" byrevelations
OF the barbarity and inhumanity to which
Englnnd's poor were subjected in her work
houses. lie disguised himself as tramp,
or as the same class is termed In England,
"casual" and subjected himself TO all
the unpleasant experiences that the role he
assumed entailed, In order TO get at the
"true inwardnessn Of the working OF these
clecmosynary institutions. The result OF
his investigations was thorough reform In
the treatment of even the most vicious and
abandoned Of those who from choice or
necessity availed themselves OF these chari-
table or semi-penal asylums.
Greenwood's motives were pretty much
the same as those that actuated Mr.. Stead
in his recent expose through the Pail Mall
Gazette Of the hcinous moral depravity that
ran riot In London, and for which he is now
undergoing criminal prosecution Both
were animated with sincere desire to
abatc great social crying evils. The writer
Of this little sketch OF personal experience
the slightest claim TO any such motives as
those by which Messrs. Greenwood aud
Stead were animated A Metropolitan pO-
liceman's exalted idea OF personal dignity
was the sole cause OF the writer's iucarCera-
tiou, and the impossibility OF his communi-
eating with friends before his committal
made q weeks soiourn IN the worlShOuse
neither matter Of newspaper enterprise
nor philanthropic endeavor, but a stern
necessity,
The workhouso building is very pleas
antly and eliglbly located IN the immediate
vicinity of the Congressional cemetery,
so that the inmates occupying the front
tier Of cells are afforded fine opportunity
for viewing the many pretcntious marble
monuments there erected TO perpetuate the
memory Of departed statesmen, congress
men and civilians, whose virtue these NOR
tuary tablets embazon, and who, II the
gravestones are to be believed, were i'm.
pervlous to corruptng influences until their
clay commenced resolving itself into its
original dust Whether this cemetery
scene exerts any beneficial influence on
the prisoners or impresses on their mind the
truth Of the old proverb, that virtue Is its
own reward, is rather questionable
deed, 1t might be answered in the negative,
for the greater part of them like the
writer) think themselves the victims OF
governmental oppression and regard the
dead legislators as only types OF their sue
cessors and in some way equally response
bic for the faulty laws which have led TO
their incarceration.
Neither economy In space, comfort, nor
convenience of arrangement seems to have
entered into the calculations OF the builder
Of the workhouse, while an utter disregard
Of sanitary laws would lead one to think he
had never heard OF such things as ventilation
or cleanliness. The corridors are wide and
npt. ttsrlN IttN Nh., nal1 30.
have been constructed without any definite
idea as to the purpose for which they We're
intended, and without any calculation as to
the number each was to contain. The re
suit Is, that in some cells of about 12 by IS
feet there Is bed accommodation for as large
number Of prisoners as In others OF double
the capacity, where, II the space available
had been properly utilized, at least double
the number that II can now hold could be
comfortably accommodated. As before re-
marked, there is no system Of ventilation
whatever but the windows, and as the top
berths or hunks of the prisoners are OH
level with the top of the windows these can
not be lowered In cold weather, aud the eight
or nine men confined In twelve by egh-
| teen feet cell have TO inhale the foul air
generated during the night, and the deadly
quality 5f which is not improved by a
portable wooden water closet In one corner
OF the room, and which Is frequently used
during the night. Language is powerless
to describe the stepch that pervades this
place in the early morning hours, and If
this polluted atmosphege does not breed
disease among the prisoners they must be
provided by special Providence with
health-preserving faculties denied to other
mortals. The food they receive is certainly
not calculated TO either build up or pre-
serve vigorous constitution. II Is neither
good In quality nor sufficient In quantity.
In the morning they are served with thick
slice OF bread, about three aud half or
four ounces, with quart OF so-called cof-
fec without milk or sugar This coffee Is
nothing more than brown colored hot
water, with neither taste nor flavor, and,
as liquid refreshment, is utterly unfit for
man or beast.
The bill Of fare at noon consists OF a
piece Of corn bread about four inches long
by two wide and one and half thick about
three ounces OF fresh meat, and n pint and
half OF soup, with occasionally a water
soaked potato or two, a slice OF beef or a
few mouthfuls OF cabbage. The soup Is
generally good and the meat OF fair quality,
but the corn bread is heavy, sadden, and
improperly made, and very poor article OF
diet for workingmen, and all who are not too
sick to work on the streets, farm, or around
the house. The supper furnished Is the
same as the breakfast, some colored COM
pound called tea being substituted for the
coffee, with occasionally a little oatmeal
mash supplemented, which they have to cat
with their fingers out OF tin box, for
neither knife, fork, nor spoon is allowed.
The evening meal is furnished about O
o'clock, and the men are then locked up
for the night.
To a casual visitor the place appears ID
be a model Of cleanliness and good order.
The brick floors are cleanly swept aud
scrubbed, and look cool and pleasant, and
the walls shine with constantly repeated
whitcwashing; but they are verify whitened
sepulchers, and, instead OF the dead they
contain millions Of living inmates that at
night sally forth and feast on the unfor-
tunate prisoners, SO that sometimes the
men are absolutely unable to sleep until
toward morning, when utterly worn out
with fatigue. The condition OF the straw
mattresses, some Of which appear not TO
have been changed for months, can be
imagined, and truthfully described as hor-
ribly filthy.
There appears no good reason to complain
Of the discipline Of the institution. II is in
no respect either harsh or severe, and II Is
only In extreme cases Of unruly conduct
that punishment Of any kind is rcsorted to,
and then dark cell, with bread aud water,
is the limit OF the punishment, except In
cases where prisoners attempt 10 run away
while out at work, when, II captured, they
are manacled with iron rings around the
legs, riveted ON and connected by heavy
iron chain. These manaclcs are barbarOus
affairs, and are terrible instruments Of tor
ture, sometimes cutting into the flesh Of the
unfortunate culprit. They should be sub
stltuted by some more merciiul plan OF pun
ishment.
As to the character OF people who are
subjected to this wOrkhOuse regimen II may
be said that about 20 per cent, as near as