Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-02-28
NEWGATE PRISON.
An Interesting History OF London's Most
Eamous Penal Inatitution.

NEWGATE PRISON.
An Interesting History Of London's Most
Famous Penal Institution.
It is deemed certain that Newgate
prison will soon be torn down. A Lon
don newspaper gives its history. So
far back as the reign of King John
there was a prison there, maintained
by the corporation of the city of Lon
don, who had also the Compter, in the
Poultry, for the detention of minor Of
tenders, and who, at much later
period. used Bridewell, near Black:
friars, for the punishment of disorder
ly apprentices and women. The an
Gent prison at Newgate was destroyed
by the great fire of London in 1865; an
other prison was then erected, which
was that out of which Jack Sheppard,
the notorious housebreaker, contrived
to make his escape in the reign of
George II. This building was pulled
down in 1882, and the one now stand
ing was erected, in different portions,
between that date and 1872.
the architect being Mr.. George
Dance, R. A; but one part was
burned down almost as soon as
it was built, in the Gordon riots of
1880. The outer walls of granite are
8 feet thick; the front in Newgate
street is 115 feet long, and that in the
Old Bailey is 295 feet, with stern,
imposing aspect There are two lodges
for turkeys, and the keepers house in
the center of the Old Bailey front, be-
hind which is the chapel. The in
1857 and 1858 from the designs of Mr..
Burning, the city architect. The
quadrangle, occupied by men con-
victed of felony, is 124x64 feet, and
each of the two wings forms another
quadrangle. There are 1913 ordinary
cells, each measuring 13x7 feet, 9 feet
high with barred window 8 feet
inches high and 2 feet inches wide;
the cells were warmed by hot air, and
the furniture was hammock bed, slung
at night across the width of the cell, a
wash-stand with basin, a close-pan, a
folding table fixed to the wall, a stool,
and shelves of slate. Besides these
there are eight punishment cells for
the refractory, and sixteen reception
cells
The prison is calculated only for the
accommodation of 1913 male and forty
five female prisoners, ON the separate
system, which is a small number for
the extent of the buildings. In former
times, before the separate system was
int Nny TO lp
overcrowded, and its condition excited
the strong disapproval of John How
ard. There was no classification of
the inmates; criminals and debtors,
the old and the young, convicts and
those awaiting trial, were confined to-
gether; some who had money could
bride the warders, buy liquor, and in
dulge in drunkenness and gambling;
the free conversation, with profane
songs and tales of vice, was most COR
rupting. At one time nearly eight
hundred persons of both sexes and all
ages were huddled up in Newgate, and
a contagious fever broke out which
caused many deaths. Mrs. Fry's be-
nevolent labors were begun among
IlS Pl lSOiIVIo IlCIC, VI 1lOIu
there were $50 at that period. By the
removal of the debtors to Giltspur
street, Compiler, some of the grosser
disorders were checked, but the place
was found unsuitable for any proper
course of prison discipline. 1t was
therefore resolved in 1918 to use it
only for the safe custody of prisoners
fri ha ~
correction in Coldbath Fields and that
of Holloway were erected for penal es-
Establishments, in which those under
going their sentence are confined.
Newgate, however, still remained in
an unsatisfactory state, and the re-
ports of the Government Inspectors of
Prisons from 1886 to 1S43 repeatedly
can be no doubt that the City Lands
Committee of the London Corporation
have acted judiciously in proposing to
demolish the building, which is ILL
adapted for its purpose and is not now
required, and to make a profitable use
of it's site. The old associations of
Newgate are dismal and detestable;
many Londoners can remember seeing
murderers hanged over the gateway in
the open street before the act of Par
Lament in 1868 which provided that
executions should be privately per-
formed within the prison. Five or six
persons at the same time were occa-
sionally hanged there in the ''good old
days" of the reign of George IIL-N.
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