The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-10
FORTSMITH'S BLACK hole
A DISGRACE TO THE UNITED
STATES.
FILTHY, Dark, Dank and NOisOme
Beyond Words to Describe-A
Horror OF Horrors.

Land a Hand OF Boston recently
published an art written by Miss
Anna L. Dawes giving an account OF
the United "a es Prison at Fort
Smith, Ark. Toe description appears
10 be careful, and the writer STATES
that all the facts were hid before the
Department of Justice in 1884 in the
report OF the United States Marshal.
The Foit Smith Prison consists OF
the cellar OF the government building
used mainly ~ a courthouse. This
cellar is divided in the middle by a
brick wall into two large rooms, each
ffty-two feet long and twenty-nine
feet broad, and about seven feet high.
The on Y windows are underneath the
verandss at the ends OF the building.
There is no current Of air through the
cellar. and during the long, hot, dry
summers il is impossible to keep II
tolerably cool. In these tvs cellar
apartments. when the statqhent was
written, 100 prisoners Woe packed.
In the night the inmatefsleep upon
wooden benches, which, are stored
away during the dsYme. There
are no proper accommodations OF sny
kind, and as the mehlincarcera ed at
Forh Smith always'include border
Toughs, iull-bo0ded Indians, and
large majority OF, people accustomed
10 i've filthy, the sanitary condition
Of such a den mag he imagined. Here,
however, all persons avail ing trial for
offen.es against the United States
laws, ss we'd rs many who have been
conyic ed, ara flung together. Muir
derers and desperadoes of all kinds
are brought in contact with men
whose worst offense il a misdemeanor
Young and old, guilty aud innocent,
are condemned TO suffer in this black |
hole OF Jail, under circumstances Of |
the most revO ting aud debaslng char
acler. Nine men charged with mur.
der were 10 the place, and freely as
socia ing with them ware mere boys |
accused of violating some law against
supplying the Indians with arms or
liquor. No work is possible in the
cellar prison, and the prisoners leaf
and lounge Wav theirtime. The whole
picture OF this United S ates prison, in
short, recalls the accounts of European
jais written by the philanthIopist
Howard in the last century. Old
Newgate could not have been much
woTse, aud probably was as healthful
au,est,b ishmsnt and not whit more
10 the Government. In
the Arkansas case, however, thers is
no excuse for the scandal that has
been p rmitted TO continue go long.
Prison management has long been
erected into science The State Pri-
sons all over the country are models
of care aud enlightened loretbought.
II is only in prison Immediately
under the authority Of the United
States that 80 amazing condition Of
and neglect is permitted 10
exiet. But, as Miss Dawes ssyl: "The
worst fact in the whole disgraceiul
series is the fact that the National
knows ali about this hor-
ror. 1t cannot even plead ignorance,
Tor the report OF the United States
in October, 1884, to the De-
partment of Just CO contains full
statement of the matter, with all the
particulars, the statistics and a dia-
1ra n OF the prison" Yet year later
nothing has been done to remedy the
Evil. The question, "Wha. excuse
has the Government of the United
States to offer FIR the existence and
of this scandL ?" has been
put, but no answer had been at
tempted. OF course latk Of funds
could not be pleaded, norany want OF
facilities, since Fort SMITH Is on the
line OF railroad. The trtth probably
is, that there was nobody TO make
fuss over the wrong, nobody to stir up
the government, and so the situation
was unchanged, and would have re-
NAMED go had not the Indian Rights
Association taken II up and made the
facts public. Not that Fort Smith has
yet obtained proper prison. Reforms
are not introduced so quickly. But it
lie to bs hoped that the ventilation OF
the abuse will lead to its removal, and
that in the course Of time, il not i'm.
the Federal Government will
make such arrangements for the keep
ing OF its prisoners at Fort Smith as
will put il on a level With the rest of
the civilized world in snch matters.