Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-21
BLACKWELL'S ISLAND.
That Infamous East River lsland-lts
Inmates Beautiful Surroundings.
The Yacht Tillie One of the Most Expensive
Little Crafts Afoat- sullivan on the
Dramatic Stage
NEW YoRk, Sept s, 1890.

NEW YoRk, Sept s, 1890.
Dear Gazette.
Ihave been out of the world to-day, in the
most beautiful, the most dismal, the most in
habited, the most des olate, the most accessible,
the most Isolated place on earth; the place
whose name is the synonym for ostracism-so-
cial and moral-a place which harbors more
heavy hearts, more bad hearts, more banished
names; more wrecked lives, more sin and vice;
more fostering memories, more gnawing con-
sciences, more throbbing awakened sensibili-
ties, -uore dormant, murdered faculties, more
transient hopes and luctuating energies than
any place OF its size under the dome OF COO!
''Blackwell's Island!'' The very words written
or spoken, resound with maudlln curses, insane
ravIngs, with the rattle of chains and the clank
OF nandcnfts ,,, And syet red ts s g66
fruit and blossom laden, dotted with fine archi--
tectural designs, white peobled walks and
shady avenues. The island is in the middle of
East river, few miles above the city. 1t is a
long, narrow strip of land containing about III
acres and is the properly OF the city or New
York. 1t Is the main one OF the group OF
islands upon which are the public, charitable
and correctional institutions for which New
York is famous. Upon it are the penitentiary,
almshouse, lunatic asylum, workhouse, bIlnu
asylum, charity hospital, hospital for lncura-
BILE and Convalescent hospital. The majority OF
the buildings are OF granite, OF imposing size
and unique IN architecture, kind OF turfeted,
battlemented design of
THE FEUDAL CHARACTER.
The stone is from quarries on the island,
worked entirely by convict labor. The massive
stone sea-walls around the island are also the
work of the convicts, and consequently ma lie at
al.nost nominal cost to the city. The island IS
fertile, fine gardening and farming being car
red on by convict labor. The entire premises
are models of cleanliness and thrift, even the
brown leaves being swept off the walks as fast
as they drift there out of the whitening fingers
of autumn. Down their striped knees the
poor, silent creatures pick the weeds one by
one from the grassy lawns, others spread the wet
Numbered clothes on the grass to dry and others
roll wheelbarrows, empty or loaded, along the
borders. They do not lift their eyes and dare
not speak. Silence, absolute, except when ad-
dressed ny q superior, is the rule. The average
number Of inmates in this penltentlary
is 200. Rigid discipline in controlling
such manner OF men is as necessary as
in the navy, The population of the entire island
is about 1000, all under the Gaze of the commits
sioners of public charities and correction. The
island is subject to Unlimited inspection, and
subject well to the most severe police, politi-
cal hygenic and reformatory espionage. On the
dock were $50 bags of potatoes rejected by the
along in the markets of the city for private fam
lily and hotel consumption. In going through
the pentenitiary were shown the cell where
Herr Most,
THE ANARCHIST EDITOR,
was confined, and the keeper remarked: 1--WE
expect to have him back here as soon as his
present trial is over. -
There is woman sentenced to life
imprisonment, the Italian Chiard Cignoralli,
She is only twenty-eight years old, black
br owed, sullen, yet deeply FASHIONED looking
creature. Her sentencewas 10 be hanged. but
Governor Hill committed it to life imprison-
ment. Near the rivers edge are the stone
quarries, great, deep, volcanic Looking places,
where the striped arms go up and down, up and
down, picking on the flinty rocks, the sound
ringing out merrily an anvil chorus.
Armed guards stand over them, and notices are
quested not to stop and look at the gangs at
work, but to move on. Officers are to enforce
this regulation
Poor things! Even they have their dignity
though in chains and stripes? 1t is right, hu-
name, that they shall not be put on palpabe ex-
hibition like SO many interesting but noxious
wild animals.
The almshouse is a oitiful place. The poor
old, decrepit women sitting out on the sunny
pavements knitting, mumbling, praying, ours
ing; dreaming of and longing for little
pet grandchiId; another a gaunt, blear.eyed
palsied old creature, in whom, inGeed, was
the ruling passion strong in death, - followed
US along the path, thrusting her shriveled hand
IN front OF US and begging in her cracked, small
voice, ''Go God lady, help a poor old woman
She could have no need for the money there,
and would not be allowed to spend it. An at
tendant spied her and sternly
ORDERED HER TO DEsIST.
1t was touchingly ridiculous to seeithe aged
secreting the pennies We gave as she trotted
obediently back to her place against the
sunny wall. In the workhouse was one poor
creature woman, young and pretty, brought
there only five days ago-in terrible fit of de-
lerium tremens! Oh it was awful to look at
her, knowing the circumstances which the keeper
had given US before he unlocked the cell door.
On pallet or cot near the floor she was sitting.
As the key turned in the door she sprang to her
feet, facing the intrudsrs, Ter eyes Slaring
h-expectation-or resentment? I could not
tell. Stay whore you are, the keeper said
sternly but kindly. She sank back on the
couch, her limbs. trembling noticably, and a
quick color surging over her neck and face.
she was entirely sober then, OF course, but the
keeper said: '.Her eyes do not LOOK right.
insane hospital. That is usually the end of such
cases" Three physicians come and examine
such cases, each at different times, and each
unaware of the others' diagnosis. These ssopin-
ions'' are classified and sent up to some higher
authority, where q board of examiners pass
upon the evidence and submit its ultimate dis
waits! II she is a lunatic it does not matter,
but II she is not; if she is only a wretched,
fallen, deoauched creature, with the burningly
desired lntoTlcant taken away from her, the
misguided conscience preying upon itself, God
help her! The pitifulness of sin is measured by
its depth l think the fact of elaboration,
MALICE OF FoRBTHoUGHT,
only pleading the stronger for Christ-ike extern
f uation, .,o 1t as is an interesting spectacle
of prisoners. At the city pier this morning there
were three BLACK Maria loads of men for the
island and eighty women. Think of it, eighty
mothers or sisters, utterly dead, morally Ii
was horrible to look at them. The men wee not
so revolving. had seen bad men, pri7oners,
drunkards, convicts, but never before q woman
OF tnat Cldss- OOWn the dock Iney came, marcn-
ing two and two, some tottering with age, gray
haired and toothless, some bnxom and obscene
" strong; some young and fair enough TO be
loved by a little soft-handed baby or good hus-
band. One frightful old bag had her face pur-
pied with bruises and one eye swollen hideous-
ly. One young woman had her red wooden
dress torn all off her breast and one sleeve drip
ping with blood, and another-God only knows
her age or face, had her entire head wrapped I'D
in her apron and went staggering along. guided
by the elbow of her companion. There were
several listers holding sick women. The rigid
silent forms under the gray blankets would have