New-York tribune., 1886-06-07
1 ryJ7ED SylTnS PRISON.

Lcpd a Hapd of Boston. recently published An
article written by Miss Anna J.. Dawes giving an
account of the United States Prison at Fort Smith
| Arkansas The desert ption appears to be careful
and the writer states that all the facts were laid
before the Department of Justice in 1881, III the
report of the United States Marshal The Fort
Smith Prison consists of the cellar of the Govern
mcnt building used mainly a Court House This
cellar is divided in the middle by brick wall into
two large rooms, each fity-liyo feet long and
tyerty-nins feet broad and about seven feet high
The only windows arc underneath the veraniaS at
the ends of tie buildlng There is current of air
through tue cellar. aud during the long, hot dry
summers it is impossible to keep 1t toerably cool. In
these two cellar apartments, when the statement
was written. 100 prisoners were packed. In the
niobt the inmates sleep upon wooden benches
which are slowed away during tho daytime. There
are no proper accommodations of any kind. and as
the men incarceratcd at Fort Smith always IN
cudc border roughs, full-blooel Indians, and
large majority of people accustomed to live hlthly
the sanitary condition of such a den may be i'm
aqined.
Here, however all persons awaiting trial for
offences against the Unitei States laws, as well as
mauy who have been convicted are flung together.
Murderers and desperadoes of all kinds are brought
in contact with men whose worst offence Is q mis-
demeanor. Young and old, guilty and innocent,
are condemned to suffer in this back hole of jail.
under circumstances of the most revolving and
debasing character. Nine men charged With mur-
der were in the place. and freely associatng with
them were mere boys accused of violating some
law against supplying the Indians with arms or
liouor No work is possible in the cellar prison,
and the prisoners loaf and lounge away their time
Tho whole picture of this United States prison, IN
short recalls tho accounts of European ais written
by the philanthropst Howard in the last century
Old New gate could not have been much worse, and
probably was rs healthful au establishment and
no whit more dscreditabe to the Government In
the Arkansas case however. there is no excuse for
the scandal that has been permitted to continue so
long. Prison management has long been erected
into science. The State Prisons all over tho
country are models of care and enlightened fore.
thought. 1t Is only in q PRISON Immediately under
the authority OF the United States that so amazing
a condition of barbarty and neglect is permitted
to exist.
But. as Miss Dawes says "The worst fact III the
whole dsgraceful series is the fact that the
National Government knows all about this horror.
1t cannot even plead ignorance for the report ot
the United States Marshal in October 1884, to the
Departmeut of Justice contains full statemcn t
of the matter with all the particulars. the status
tics and diagram of the prison." Yet year later
nothing had been done to remedy the evil. The
ouestion What excuse has the Government of thu
limited States to offer for the existence and con-
tinnance of this scandal 7" had been put, but no
answer had been attempted. OF course lack of
funds could not be pleaded nor any want OF facil-
tiles, since Fort Smith is on the line OF railroad
rhe truth probably is that there was nobony to
make fuss over the wrong. nobody to stir up the
Government, and so the situation was unchanged,
and would have renamed 50 had not the Indian
Rights Association taken it up and made the facts
public. Not that Fort Smith has yet obtained a
proper prison. Reforms are not introduced so
auickly. But 1t is TO be hoped that the ventilation
of the abuse will lead to It's removal. and that in
the course of time. if not immediately the Federal
Government will make such arrangements for tine
keeping of its prisoners at Fort Smith as will put
il on level with the rest of the civilized world in
such matters.