The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-04-12
.BRITONs CRUEL PRISONS

i Dr.. Sigerson Declares Them to u
tie Most Cruel and Brutal (, 4;
" Known.
/ RUSSIAN DUNGEONS MODERATE
When Compared With English Prisons Rus
sian Penal Settlements Are Perfect !;
Palaces to Owed in.
I a work entitled Il Politlcal Prisoner
at Home and Abroad" has been issud
| in England. 1t was written and com
! piled by DR.. Sigerson, who is va
known as writer on Irish question:
and q man Of cultivated literary tastes
The learned author goes into the prisOr
systems Of modern civilized nations
and makes comparisons that will sSlbt
found highly interesting and instruct y
live. The cruel and brutal treatment n
political offenders, which has been made
so familiar through the. death of ont
man and the ply wrecking OF many
others under coercion acts in Ireland
!! is laid bare mercilesslY. THE politida
offender" writes DR.. Sigerson, s'Whosis
sent to an English or Irish prison fOf .
short time must suffer worse physicatis
than the thief or murderer on long SEN
tence. A royal commission succeedad
in having the rigcrs Of short imprison
ment lessened, but even when the
RECOMMENDATION was put in force, when
the bread, stirabouts and water. diet was
cut down from a week to three days
and two pints Of milk daily were added
to class IL. dietary. the fare Of the short
term misdemeanant remains far infe,
rior TO that Of the convict. By tabtilat.
ing 5s s5.
THE AMOUNT OF EACH ARTICLE OF
FOOD Vi ~ sS5 ss
received by each of the two prisofyert
during the FIRST month this great dis
parity will be at once remarked: 4
Polrr1cAL oFErspEH. CONVICTED Hoa11cIDE
lHen contaunrsd B. uA eoninctsd:J
Brrsa1.d, Br1.d 474 ounces. Bread sa4, ornoe.s.
Cocoa, 50 pints.. i: Cocoa. g pints. u
Cofree none, ! Coffee, So pflts.
Suat pudding, 8 pounds. Suet pudding none
Milk, So gplnts. Milk, pfnts.S@
Soup, ~ pints lweak). Soup. p pinnts Mt good
Potatoes 81 pounds. Potatoes. 50 pounds.
Meal (half oatsn. half Meal. none.
Indian,) l-8 pounds
In other words, while the p0litica!
offender or other misdemeanant, dur
ing the space OF four weeks. has OBJ
tanned one and one eighth pounds more
meal, three pounds suet pudding, and
forty seven pints more milk than the
convict; per contra, the convict has re-
ceived more food than he BY $50 ounces
Of bread, fourteen pints OF coffee or
cocoa, twenty points OF soup, aud Eve
pounds Of potatoes. Moreover, during
these four weeks his nights are passed
on a mattress, while the political Of
fend der lis liable, as all short-term misdef
meanants, to the plank bed for his
entire period. Thus, it is clear beyond
contradiction that the political offender,
when subjected TO the treatment Of
short-term prisoners, suffers treatment
worse than that inflicted even on insub-
ordinate felons ID convict prisons, Be
ferring to q M.
THE RUSSIAN SYSTEM, /
DR.. Sigerson says: a man working in
the mines received four pounds (Rus-
sian) Of bread. one pound Of meat, one
quarter pound Of buckwheat, and i
small piece Of BRICK tea. I'm winter
they are gwen cabba res and potatoes. Y
IF not working in the mines 'he re-
5ceives three pounds of bread, one half
pound of meat and one twelfth pound
Of buck wheat "a French traveller ID
q recent article gives corrob boratiye eYi
dence. The bread. he writes, is excel
lent. Their ration is three pounds .
day nnOre than enough for an honest
man. The surplus is given to the wives
who have followed their husbands, as
the laW SLOWS. with their offspring, and
are settled IN the village. Twice Or
thrice week they visit III the parlor Il
.An American testiaes 70 the same
effect: s.I tasted some Of the bread and
soup furnished to The prisoners and
found both palatable and good. The
convict ration consisted OF three pounds
OF rye bread, about seven ounces ef
meat and three ounces of barley per
day. with potatoes or Other gets bles
occasionally Tea and sugar wore not
sup piled BY the governnne but might
he purchased Nv the prisoners with their
own money. Il n
At the present tima Italian political
prisoners are entitled 50 an the priv.
leges of custodia honesta lpersons kept
merely for safe custody They aresdi--
vided Into tsFo classes. the FIRST are