Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-03-19
ONE MONTH IN JAIL.
A TRUE DESCRIPTION OF DAILY
SCENES IN THE CITY PRISON
Life There Not SO Bsd-Pieuty Of Whole
some Food. bat Too Much Leisure
sueg for Consideration.

some Food. bat Too Much Leisure
Suggestions for Consideration.
The following letter written for the Sun
day DISPATCH by a man who IS new in the
city jail awaiting trial will be read with
interest. and contains two suggestion
that are worthy Of consideration:
Some sage hath said that lone halt of the
world knows not how the other half lives"
How thoroughly conservative was his es-
timatel The question IS: Would he not
be safe in saying that nine tenths OF the
world live in fashion entirely unknown
to the other one tenth?
In the past ten years my time has been
devoted almost entirely 10 newspaper.
work in reportorial capacity, and
naturally coming in contact With 80 many
sides Of life / felt myself outside OF the
list of those whose knowledge'of the lives
of Others was so limited, bat nv. expe,,
rience for the past few DAYS has changed
my mind on that score, and / am convinced
that one can always learn a new side OF
life.
l. is needless for me to state that my last
month has been spent in the Richmond
CITY Jail. Unfortunately for me. oil news
paper readers have been made conversant
wan that fact. Nor is 1t my intention to
dwell on the case tor which ! am now
awaiting trial, but rather to describe In
brief the daily doings of the place.
NOT so VERY BAD.
First of all will state that Jail life is
not as bad as il ia said to be. Prior TO this
experience ] had always considered 1T a
place where intense sorrow prevailed
whore tears OF anguish and regret sprinkled
| the floor OF every celia place where
| obedience was secured by the aid OF
| gond stout strap and the most rigid dis
ciphne was enforced. / could also imagine
those whose time was soon to expire
| awaiting the hour with anxious ex-
| pectancy.
All this is erroneous. however. In truth,
| i have seen more gayety and less sorrow
here than in the streets. As for .obe-
dience there is but one rule TO obey I:
| Don't escape, and the authorities OF the
| jail have taken the necessary precautions
to see that that rule is not violated.
| WANT TO COME BACK.
| 1t is the reverse of the aforementioned
imagination. however. that struck me Gs
surprise. Instead of awaiting anSiously
tie date when they may walk forth free
man, nearly all of the prisoners say or
think little about 1t. and | feel safe in say
ing that one half only leave tomorrow TO
return the next day with their face BEAM
ing with JOY. So happy do they seem that
one cannot help but teel that it was delibe-
| rate, and that their intention was to re-
turn here when their depreciation was
committed. No less than nine of these
men have been discharged and returned
here inside Of two days since have been
| in the place.
But this is not surprising. The majority
OF them spend eight or nine months out OF
the year here and naturally feel more at
home here than at any other place. When
| they are freed they are turned oc the
world penuiless-w without even enough to
buy loaf for their first meal. is it. then,
hard 10 see that being triendless they
must either beg or steal? Either one is an
oflence for which they can be returned to
| Jail. andthe police. 1t seems. take particular
| delight IN hauling those who have once
been IN iail up IN court. where the word
| OF the unfortunate Is counted as naught
simply because he has once been IN jail.
FsESrY OF HEALTHY FOOD.
Naturally the first question that Is asked
Of one who essays to describe prison IL
what do they teed your" In that re-
spect | must again say that | was sur
prised. Newspaper tales of rotten meat.
| half-cooked bread. and unpaletable coffee,
all in insufficient quantities, racked my
brain and loaned additional terrors to the
anticipation OF STAY in jail.
True. even now do not find the meals
Ipa par with table d hOte, but when say
they are good 4 mean that they are whole
some and palatable-especially 80 to one
| who has lived in this section of the coun-
try for any length of time, where coru
Cread is an important factor IN the daIly
rations. for here it entirely replaces white
bread and is served twice day IN quaint
ties sufficient to suit any human being. In
addition to this the prisoners receive fol
breakfast on Mondays and Fridays nsh;
| on TUESDAYS, Thursdays. and Saturdays
meat, and on Wednesdays and Sundays
molasses. For dinner pea-soup is served
! three times q week. and rice-soup. with c
sufficient supply of meat. four days.
HOW THE TINE Is SPENT.
The freedom of the yard is granted the
prisoners from A. Nj. to 4:30 +. NJ. each
day. the balance of the time being spent II
the cells-an apartment 10 feet by
and supplied with good straw bed. warm
| blankets, and two square stone block:
used for seats. These cells are kept clear
By the prisoners, being brushed out twice
a day and scrubbed Wednesdays and Sat
| urdavs. hot water and soap being furnish
ed for that purpose.
Asa reformatory I find tba. the Jail il
not what 1t ia intended TO be; but an ex
penditure of an insignificant sum OF money
and a little time by some charitable people
would, if done IN the right way, conduc'
to that end.
EAGER FOR GOOD READING.
Aslt is now the prisoners find the tlm'
hangs heavy on their hands. unless card
PLAYING. storytelling. or planning for fu
ture violations Of the laws is indulged IN
Many. if not all, of these virtually go wilC
when any reading matter Is sent IN. Occa
sionally a paper Is received wneh II Il
seats himself in the yard and reads alouc
to the mass who gather around him anc
drink in every word as they would news
that directly interested them. Stories OF
fiction are handed from cell TO cell until
they are worn so badly that one must o
necessity lay the paper or the hoor IL
order 10 be enabled TO read it.
Reading makes wise man. ana as read
ing matter is so cheap now, how easy Il
would be TO place at the disposal or tn'
prisoners some periodicals that are at the
same time interesting and instructive
The good as compared with the cost Ii
inestimable.
SEND THHa A HELPING HAND.
Returning once more. while writing II
this strain, TO the unfortunates VINO ar'
discharged from this place pennlless anC
are compelled TO beg. steal. or starve:
The average discharge from this jail L
four or five men per day. IL Is proyei
fac. that when little money or ticke
for a weeks roomng and board Is ,gIyel
the prisoners their return is less probable
Common sense will show that with th'
knowledge of n weeks board assured {
man is better fitted TO seek employment
aud ultimately become a good citizen
The cost of this could bo made to be les
than S2.500 a year-and what a piece o
charitable work it would be.
In speaking as / have am not doing So
in my own behalf. but rather for thos
who are even more unfortunate than my
self. and / hope il may reach the eyes
some one who will do something for thei
welfare. A. j. ZIMMERMAN.
Charlottesviiie's Personal Notes.