The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-12-28

Iron Discipline Universally The Rule ana
Disorder OF ANY Kind Almost Unknown.

y comparison OF the rules of an Ameri-
can prison with those Of an English
prison, made by the Boston Herald.
shows that the American prisoner has
many more comforts and liberties. 4
man in an English prison is almost as
dead q tho outer TOrid as he would be
IN MS tomb Nothing i'm the way Of food
or re2diH- matter can b. sent in 10
Inn by his friends He is never per
nlltted To see a newspaper or n magazine.
ne can write and receive letters only at
IoIS intervals and from the time ne Ell
ters the prison until he leaves it he is
not permitted 20 .peak unless he is adj
dressed by Prison UfhceT.
y Prisoner sentenced for a term Of
three years or less may see a visitor
Cnce IN three months I'm the presence
of prison onioer aud h. may write
one letter To mcn whose terms are
longer such privileges are granted less
frequeutly. For tbc first iaoHth the
prisoners bed consists of nothing but
a broad board like a table top. three o.
ioir inches above the floor OF the cell.
lie has no mattress. ana the bed clothing
consists Of rug. 70 blanket. pillow. and
two coarse sheets. At the end Of
month. il he has earned & sufficient NUM-
Der of good conduct marks. he has "A
mattress three nights q week. Later he
has mattress five nights a week. and
al SIN later stage, If his conduct has
been UICXcepdondibe, he may have a
mattress every night. lie has also in
his cell Il huc ket. Il water c.p, a tia
Wasl bowl. 4 towel. a soap dish. Il salt
cellar. "a wooden spoon. and q tin plate
He never has a knife or % fork. and he
fr| D. rar. o
these Implements. IT. must get mp at
6 o'clock. and his breakfas. is brought
10 hiC AT 1aO. He eats every meal ia
his cell. ip the first stage of his impris-
oument ne has only bread and water
for breakfast ana for dinner d. pint ana
Il hair OF "sliraboUt." ii gruel-likc mix
ture Of oatmeal and Indian meal I'm the
fourth and best stag. of his inpusOn-
meut he has a Pint of porridge with his
bread for breakfast. and a better dinner,
but oven the fCurth-staea bill Of fare
is never changed throughout the year.
There are no holiday dinners nor an
extra dish on Suu1ays as IN some OF
our American prisons.
Not all the prisons have workshops
attached 20 them. and where there is
no workshop a man who has labor
sentence must get on "A treadnhll FOR
tMO 1O0iS anu Il Lam m INV ma INNS
and for two hours and tnreo-quarters
I'm the afternoon. In some prisons there
is a worse kind Of labor than even the
treadmil n consists Of turning "a heay-
ily-weiehtcd crank, which serves 10 pur-
pose whatever except 10 record the num-
Der OF it's own revolutions. days labor
consists OF from 900 to 1000 revolutions.
In other prisons the prisoners are set
To pumping water. As this serves some
purpose il Is not so depressing as the
crank movement The entire system Of
discipline I'm English prisons Is military
fp It's ticiditv. aud % is never relaxed
There are no demonstrations or discomfort
Of delight or OF contempt on the part
Of the prisoners. pandemonium Is never
REPRODUCED. as II is I'm prisons $50 some
Of the states. the hO0ting ana wh!stilns'
tbe Yelling and "cat-callins' In which
Ama,ican prisoners sometimes indulge
ere never even remotely initiated IN an
EprI.s. prison. The English convict Is
NOT NV nature more respectful or orderly
Than The American couN e. out ne
knows that disobeience VIII De lIHiile-
6iatelv punished: he knows that the sta-
tntes Of parliament have framed the
conditions under which ne Is 10 serve on
his sentence. and that the power ana the
evetorn Of the prison are such that nc
must obey the rules or suffer the cons
ouepces. Escapes from EnslSh PIlsonS
are so rare that they assume the cnai-
actor Of marVels.