The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1888-12-20
illvuater, Minn, Thursday, Dec. 20, 1888.
Five Gents,

a man to the dungeon nor does man 60 to
the dungeon without having his side of the
ease heard. He can only be kept in the
dungeon three days without being brought
before the commissioners. and before going
into the dungeon the convict is examined
by the doctor. to see if he is fit. physically
and mentally for punishment.
Z. ii. says there is no such thing as
a holiday in the English prison. but that the
cOnvicts are worked the same all the year.
Now. | say. there is not a wheel turned in
an English prison on Chr stmas day. The
convict is locked in his cell the same as in
a great many prisons in this country. and is
given better dinner than usual. AS to
the costume P. H. has it all right. except
the smock and cap; there is no smOck or tile
cap in the prison l am acquainted with.
The convict wears the same kind of a coat
that have on at present except that there
are more cOlOrs in it, and instead of a tile
cap he wears turban. The bill of fare is
as follows: Mondays, Wednesdays and
Saturdays-breakfast: eight ounces of bread
and one pint OF cocoa: dinner; one pint of
good soup, six ounces of meat (withOut
bOne). one pound of potatoes and eight
ounces of bread: supper; eight ounces of
bread and one pint of skilly. Sunday: sup.
per; instead of skilly. four ounces of cheese.
The other four days: breakfast; eight
ounces OF bread and one pint Of skilly: dim
ner; eight ounces of suet pudding. six ounces
of meat and eight ounces of bread: supper,
same AS breakfast.
P. H. says they fog the men. Now. to
my knowledge. fogging was abolished in
the English prisons in 1S72-the same time
that it ceased in the army; but even allow
ing that they do fog over there, in what
respect would they be behind this country?
Five years ago they used, in prisons in this
country. strands of leather with lead tips,
as persuaderS. and l have no knowledge
that it has been discontinued. In the model
refOrmatOry at Elmira, New York. the
whipping post is still used. In the descrip-
tion of the Elmira institution Superintend-
ent Myers of the st. Cloud refOrmatOry
says: Instead OF the OldfashiOned cat-O'-
nine tails, they use hOrt-handled whip
with very broad leather lash which is
soaked in water previous to being used and
which blisters without cutting the flesh"
How very humane! AS to man serving
out life sentence. have this to say: Very
few serve twenty years. and none more
than that.
A convict upon his release is allowed
from five to thirty dollars according to his
conduct while in prison. no matter how
long he has served.
If P. H. has found home compared
with the English PRISON., wish him joy in
it but. my experience has been that the best
part of prisons. whether here or there, is
the outside of them. P. H. says he would
''sooner be dog than an English con-
vict." Every man to his liking | would
rather be convict and man anywhere,
than to be even the dearest little
''tootsy wootsy" of a lap dog in existence.
Don't think that am lauding the English
prisons: there are many things connected
with prison management in this country
that England might adopt with credit to
herself; but on the other hand there are
many things in England in connection with
prisons that America would do we'll to copy,
and l assure you, England would not tOler-
ate for moment the treatment of convicts
pursued by southern prison keepers. l
know the prisons in this country, both north
and south, and l know the English
prisons, but the widest stretch of imagina-
them to an hotel. [ have found some worse
than others. but all tough. The prison is
one of the things of which you cannot say.
''gOOd, better. best" You might reverse the
matter and say. worse. wOrser. worst"
l have tried my hand at nearly everything,
MI. Editor. but this is my first attempt at
journalism and no doubt it is very poor,
but l trust that will learn as l have in
other matterS-by f. XPERIENCE.
Nook' l.