Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-02-07
EDITOR STEAD.
HIS EXPERIENCES IN JAIL.

-
Tn, Editor 81 the "PaIi-Msli GsTe,'e" Tells
az Ills Recea, ImPrisonmeut-fhe Inside
Of Celdts ,h.ia-ihe.tsids.
Mr.. William I. Stead, whose recent
trial and imprisonment are familiar to
newspaper readers, has just been re.
leased from Jail. lie thus relates his
experiences in Coldbath-in-the- Fields:
Here was my cell. AS | entered it
nv FIRST sensation was one Of pleasant
satisfaction. There was the plank bed.
had heard so much about it from
lnsh members, and had so often al
luded to it in my campaign in the North,
that it seemed almost like an old &C
quaintsnce standing up there against the
wall. The gaoler explained the where
abouts Of the various articles, handed
me the bedclothes and mattress
about an inch thick, and then left me
to my meditations. The cell was bet
ter than expected--that is to say, it
was larger, loftier, and not bad kind
OF q retreat, UNNECESSARILY superior to
all the heTmit's cells have ever seen
or heard OF. There was jet OF
gas turned Off and on by tap outside
of the cells, the clean-scrubbed wood
en- table and stool, and there was also
the wooden salt-cellar. Prison salt
cellars are Of wood, and there is no
stinting of quantity. | sailed my skllly
- -, . %.
and tried to eat piece or two. | I'M
rolled my bedclotnes, laid my plank bed
down, stretched the mattress, and felt
thoroughly glad to be alone after all the
turmoil. Here was quiet at least. After
little time | lay down and slept. |
woke once or twice and heard the chimes
Of a clock in some distant spire, and
dozed again, with strange kind OF con-
seriousness Of the presence Of an i'm
mense multitude OF friendly faces all
around me. The enthusiastic audiences
that had addressed in the North
were visible as you see things IN
camera oJscu0, on this side and on
that, and | heard the din and ghostly
echoes Of their cheers in the otherwise
unbroken silence Of the prison. At
quarter to the bell rang, and every
one was on tie alert. a warder
opened the door and gave me in
structions. was only in recep-
ton cell Il. >. =, that is to
say, in the seventh cell on the sec
ond floor Of the reception wing. | would
have to be taken to my destined abiding
place in the course of the day. need
not therefore clean out my cell or at
tend chapel until | got into my regular
cell. a prisoner swept out my cell.
Then one Of the principal warders came
around. lie was big, kindly man.
1" You may have made mistake" he
said, "but you have done good
work." An hour afterwards | heard
another voice engaged in conversation
with Jacques. Our cells were OppO-
site, and you could hear voice from
across the corridor. ] could not catch all
that was said, but there was some sheer
ing allusiOn to the Salvation Army,
some words about criminal vice and
Nine. Nourez. Then it ceased, and
in few moments my door was un-
locked, and a man with high hat on,
in appearance not unlike gent with
sporting turn" looked in. "Well,"
he said, as he scanned me from head to
foot. "don't you think you've got off
very cheap" TO whom have | the
honor Of speaking2" | replied. IL
am the chaplain said he. "No,"
said |, lit is the sentence | antici-
pated, for the three months | am
told will be up in two months
and eight DAYS" Il don't know
that" said he. "YOu were out
on bail. Your sentence will probably
count from date of conviction, not
from that Of the opening Of the court"
That is hard for jacques" said |,
"for his punishment will be thrice as
long as he expected. TO me it does
not matter so much" WELL" he
said, 81 don't suppose you will have
much need Of me. If you have you
can send for me-" lie turned on his
heel and disappeared. | never saw
him again save in the distance
at chapel, which he went through
the services in way unintelli
gible TO me where | sat, but was told
he had a remarkably good voice. His
name was Stocken. He had admOn-
ished jacques for mixing himself up
with the Salvation Army-poor Jacques
was certainly guiltless of that crime
how man Of education could have any
thing to do with such people he, the
chaplain, could not understand. Not
that he was at any loss, he said, to un-
derstand why Jacques and | had
gone in for this kind of inyest-
cation. "You fellows like to carry
on to women and all that sort
Of thing, but as for criminal
vice we know all about that here. There
is plenty, but it is not committed by
the rich, but by the poor" am par
ticular in mentioning this incident, be-
cause this was the only creature whom
| met among all those to whose care,
spiritual and temporal, | was entrusted
who ever said an unkind word. Gov
eInors, chief warders, principal walters
and ordinary turkeys and gaolers, to-
gcther with the other chaplains, assist
ant chaplains, Scripture-readers, &C.,
were all most courteous and humane, not
merely to me, but, as far as could
see, TO all my fellow-priSoners. No
doubt there was no animus, or no in
ton to do anything but his duty, on the
part of the Chaplain Stocken. Person
ally, | made no complaint. | was for
tunately not dependent upon that Off
cial for the ministration Of sympathy.
But for my fellow-priSoners, TO whom
be is the sole official human representa-
tive of the Divine passion Of love and
pity, even for the chief Of sinners, |
am sorry if he speaks to them in the
tone and spirit in which he addressed
Jacques AID me.
After he departed | was left alone
for some hours. The breakfast of bread
and skilly had been served out, my
bedclothes had been rolled up, and
sat alone in the darkness. A dense
fog lay heavy upon the outside world,
In the cell nothing but darkness was