Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1885-06-05

A Burning Disgrace 20 the County and 10 /
Civilization.
"Here I am, just out of that hell hole, after |
months confinement. ] was committed l
on May 9Th at o'clock for thirty days, and |
my time was up at o'clock yesterday morn
ing. kept account of 1t with a tally on the
wall and no man who is confined In that vile
place will fail to keep due note of histime.
For some reason or other was not lot out
until to-day. Why i was held day over
my time don't know"
The speaker was q young man, committed
TO Bummers' Hall as he stated, and whom q
representative of the INTELLIuENcER saw
there few weeks ago when tho abomi-
nations of that disgraceful place were brought
to the notice of the public. That he was
kept there for day longer than his sentence
required Is serious reflection upon the man
agement and Is paralleled by the experience
Of too many other unfortunates. When this
young man went In he weighed 1i3
pounds; to-day he draws the scale
experience in Bummers' Hall, there would
be left less than Is restored 10 the friends of
one who goes through the cremation fur
mace. The reason for such waste and ENACT
alton i'm this den of horrors is rather graph
| ically told by the person who has just come
out from them:
NASTY PLACE.
"Nobody," he says, "ever comes into
I Bummers' Hall to clean it out The place is
furnished with hydrant, water.closet and
a:tub. We have been asking for week for
| a new broom the old one is worn down to a
stub, but they wouldn't give us another We
begged for soap, and they laughed at us.
/ The prisoners have been trying to get a little
salt TO put on their bread, but 1t is denied
! them. The bread is given to them once a
day, ut about a. IN. 1t Is very fresh, and
after a few days it becomes hard to eat II
without salt, but we couldn't get any, They
| say they give us pound of bread day, but
| don't believe it; they cut loaf into foul
| quarters and give one of these to each man
il takes a big loaf OF bread TO weigh foul
| pounds"
SLEEPING ON THEIR FEET.
"How do you sleep out there ?' was asked
| of the complainant
"Sleep on the floor" was tho answer
without couch cover They are herd e'
like animals, except that cattle and horses il
good barns are bodied, and hogs usual.
l have litter. In Bummers' Hall tn
bed is bare boards the onl
cover is the roof; the pillows ar
the cracks in the floor One day las
week there was heavy rain ; the pipes am
| sewers must have clogged up, and all tn
0 filth and drainage of the prison were force
I | up through the drain from Bummers' Hal
: and overfowed into the room. The seen
| and stencil were frightiu when the place wa
/. / flooded. We had to stand up all that nigh
= and the keepers wouldn't give us brooms {
: : | clean it out"
GLOW about the soupY'
!, / tYes, they do give you soup twice a wecl
y | 1t is always made of rice and is very thir
:, | Generally each gets a pan OF 1t, on Tuesda
y | and Friday. This and the bread are all the
p l get to eat Some of the inmates lose over
pound day. 1 thought 20 pounds mont
was enough for a man OF my size"
The men in that place are gathered frol
o | pretty nearly everywhere, train-rider
l. trampg and criminals. Nearly all are lous.
q | My clothes walked away from me, and l ba
N | to send for others before / could got on
70 | The gang spend their time relating the
70 | adventures and scratching themselve
~ | There were five boys under Is
" the hall while | was there. Two lit
fellows had got tired of tramp life and wa
ted To go back 10 New York but they we
coaxed by some buns to go West with the
and tho whole party started oil together.
ir went two weeks without chew Of tobac
ia | and that was awful"
no | BummerS Hall must 90.