The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-03-10

Al OClOCk we lldU ullu0I. HE Woo
one pound of potatoes. five ounces of bread
and five ounces of boiled meat. Every
other day pint of thin soup took the place
of the meat. Then we went back to work
and at o'clock received eight ounces Of
brown bread and a pint of thin cocoa each.
That had to suffice. A hearty free man
doing outdoor work will eat twice or three
times as much in a day before he is satis-
fed. Many time suffered from hunger,
and more than once have snatched tallOw
candle and eaten it greedily.
l was made a barrow and-spade man In
the brick pile. wheeled barrow loads of
brick all day up steep slant 1t was
frightful work. but there was no letting up.
The first day was at it some of the men
gave out and threw down their barrOws,
painting through inability to 60 on. They
were instantly handcuffed. At noon. when
we turned in, those who gave up were
marched into punishment cells for three
days OH a scant allowance of bread and
water and no bed. This OverwOrk and in
sufficient food drove many to try and find
relief by suicide or mutilatiOn which
would make severe bodily toll impossible.
During my first year no less than % con-
victs had their arms and legs taken off by
thrusting them under the loaded wagons as
they passed by the rail. One old fellow in
my party by the name of Andrews threw
himself in front of an advancing train of
wagons, but we managed to seize and drag
him away in time. The poor fellow had
neither strength nor courage to do the work
demanded of him, and. to make 1t worse.
he had been so many times reported for
''idleness," or what was termed so. and
had grown so weak from starvation on pun
ishment diet that it was simply impossible
for the man to go any longer. He was
taken into the infrmary and died soon
afterward.
But winter was our hardest time. To be
sure the brick making was stopped, but
there was plenty of outdoor work neverthe-
less. The prison suit in Chatham consists
of shirt, jacket and knee breeches of cloth
of medium thickness and long thick stock
ings. The shirt, jacket and breeches are
all light yellow. without stripes. The
jacket has red bands about the neck and
sleeves. and black broad arrow. the sym.
boI of English penal service. on the should
ers. The stockings are blue. encircled with
two red stripes. Under this suit is worn
only an undelshirt and drawers. In sum-
mer the suit is not too warm, but in winter
no thicker clothing is provided. On going
out of doors on brisk morning. with little
in ones stomach, the cold penetrates to the
marrow. To work out of doors all day is
to get numbed with cold. The worst of it
is that on returning at night. chilled to the
very bone and not warmed by our few
ounces of bread and lukewarm cocoa, we
were thrust into a cold prison house. In
my division, which contained $50 cells.
there was only one small stove, and that
was in corridor at one end of the room.
Men of weak temperament shivered all
night long and awOke only to drink their
pint of Cruel and 60 out again into the cold.
It is no wonder that the sickness and NOR
tality is very great. When men were
worked. starved. and frozen to near the
breaking point they were transferred to
lighter work or to another prison. so that
they could be discharged alive at the close
of their terms. But few were little more
than alive.