New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-30
"THE GROWN OF TOWERS
MILLBANK PRISON AND THE ODDITIES OF
IFS HISTORY.

disappears. Modern l.. OF course r'latiNc 'Ihi'
Inc crown Of Towcrs7 dates from inc p'eInihS oi
this century; old date iy the side "i the "orid
Fair buildings at Chicago, but painfully new IN con-
trast with the Tower and the Abbey old or new.
however. Mllhank was invested with much interest.
fohah'ic and otherwise partly from the f'i''"e' VI h'
ionidins, ard Partly from subsequent features "l It's
history.
1t had Its origin in a philanhroplc experiment.
Howard the illistrouS rcformcr. WAS AT tie Tine
OF the American Revolution. nGitating for better
treatment OF convcts Hitherto they md been
shipped TO the American Colonies but 'he war
stopped that, and II wa, necessary |" p'"Ni"' Ior
them at home In 1915 there was passed. al Nc'
Of Parliament the prcamAl" ol when n'cmr'u' ~
though IT were a surprising new rcvraiioh mat III
any offenders convicted OF crimes Tor when 'ian''
poria,ion has been usually inflicted were ordered 10
solitary imprisonment accompanied by wcll-rcgiiat'd
hard labor and religious instruction, II might p' 'c
means. under Providence not only Of d""rlnE Others
hut also of reforming the individuals, ana turning 'h'h
TO habits OF lndusryr
Eut before any pcnitcntiaiicS were 'rec''u u'iu'r
this system the .xpdcnt of shipping male
factors TO Australia hit upon, ANA served Tor Il
time.
TO Howard succeeded Jeremy Bcntham, rs prison
icformcr; with an oncr in 1874. to miim III
year what he termed FanOlcon ms WIS !"
be- a prison. for a thousand convictS, built on the
plan oi a mcnag"ric; huge iron ana GAS cage III
which all the prisoners would b. In full view oi Inc
public The building would cost, he estimated
100000 only and he proposed To feed ANA clo'h"
the inmates. and supply them with spiritual advice
and medical attendance for $50 Il year "ach' i'
went 80 far as TO purchase a site Tor 'hi' '''H"-
structure. tract Of twenty odd acres OF swamp anu
thickci. once famous place for snip" sh"o'ih-' 1t
WAS called Millbank from Il mill that had Sio"d th'r'
300 years before No one lived near 1t. save Inc III
mates Of the Crccncoals Hospital and ~ various
I,,t- ft.r. ,.,i,p ion
ncshbor, To the erection Of prison thcr"
Actually Bcntlam Ill, coded IN gettns Parliament
10 approve his scheme and pass a bill for lis N''"
ton But the royal veto WAS cArr!-'d l." sop H.
aud the rnnopticon VA, lcft on paper. However
the Government decided Tat ii would have IT,"
prison Of some sort II bought th" swamp "i
Ecntlam In 1919. and put mp the famous Pepper
castor" Tile site Il bad for building purposes
There was no solid ground. Tn" create! diirculN
was experienced in making start: AND "h'h starr
had been made 10y dnt Of driving piles I'M" tue P"'
and loo,c stones and rammng ruhhlc between t'h
10 a depth OF two feet part Of the buldlh@ cum
tnmbing down about the car, of ih" hihl''i' "'"''
thcy had finished their work. Other contra Tors "'u
TO be called in and at length by of brick courses
and cement a sufficiently ,tab" foundation Wa' HHi'
and the p-nlicu;iary WAS occupied. The h"l'"F ="
# had taken ton year., from l-lI 10 H. ana w"
cost had been more than f2.-3o.oW' lh'h j. WIS
found 10 l.. very badly plIHacd. Il the '"''ih"s
desired 70 Inspect It thoroughly (, VA, niece airy Tor
him Ia walk than t"o miles. and t" UNI a." anu
open more than hundred door
Int the wor, Of ali va, IA" management. Ia"
d,. VA, that particularly advanced and humane
method. were 70 prevail. Tn >p"h'r 81 the H'u-'
Of Commons and twenty other eminent P''"i"T''
formed the governing committee; ana n' pt''"' "''
eom.i lines made ~ much 81 a ,h"" p'd'" ~ ''''"''
Rcntham's " Pinopucon would hav" h''I" -" ~
mate, were sometime, exhibited 10 "pfry oil
bran heir
cl,c.' The prisoner, played their part very elect
ivrIv: one Of them havin. s'olc som" miirn1- i"i'
and ls.ing accused oi IL. IVA 80 hurt "i'h 'h'
charge that 1t threw her INT" MT is" 90 ~" ''
male prisoners having been pun. he'd huh'"' Z"
,liclr fellow pr onor- petrlon"G tn" '""nlu'" 10
restore them favor ON Oh" occasion the N'i'i'
and tn. Governor appealed e. their esprit d" corps
an a,coun, OF tn. shame and di-rcput" they Were
bringing OH thcm.clvc, and their institution l% t"r
r,uttnou, conduct They accepted th" position III
Which this appeal had put them lN "'l'''''"'
IN. visitor In these words: The Governor. too. Who
prof.,.c, 10 fear Goi. wr inh That u Ae would study
,n ,r.,, and principal Commandment tha' g.. Z" Do
10 other, a. Ar W"ul1 De- don" niii'' % N"'l' '
much more 10 hi. credit. especially 20 %, You and
other gentlemen Of ihc c-tahr -hm'ut 'Apt when
,n.r. T. Il III. hir-, 80 prisoner llnd II D. A"I"d that
soon Will h. tM, o.c That they VII ~" TIA" r,'ah
lishmcut good name.
Presently the discovery vi. mad" that h'""h
bread wa- NOR, Wholesome than white. and 'hns"
,,,s accordingly made iu the Milllanh m'nu Ih"F'
ur,u the prisoner, mutnl q. got mp ADMINISTRATIONS
ornr. Themselves. and improyi-'h banner. bearing
,, word. Give. %. our daily bread They h"h"
th, window, Of their cells, and smashed ih' s''hN
furniture with which they w"r" -npPlhd- lh'
uilJlc ri once rushed {" the con .i>inn iai '"'
pri.on.r, had been PiWprrd. AMI tn A"'h"ii'F 10
,,li,r I'm. .l,u. view adopted 10" most stringent
u.u,ur..- The riot quccd. -"lid meat was removed
ulf, her prisoners ~ llf gwen
instead "ox.had~ soup aud that not go" stimulating,
g.. one On head wa, made Ia nivor The si"" Tor d"
,r,dr,d uri.nu.r, Iniaior, TOO. were stopped,
and beyond the ,,p al that WI, given "a' shhI5 ana
bread All went well for time. III" prisoners h"
mn .o.r,y to fight. but Just when the au'horiti'-
were coneraiulatin; thcm-"lVcs on tn" success 81
their ,nanoruvr. 4 new difficulty cr"ptd up The
u,i,oucr, one after another. with the usual drwaVN
md vnntonnc,, 81 their ella -. f, III. Nj al lh'n
cot ,ctrv,~ and many Of them md l-cuI'r as
ru,c to which ,h~ do tor, for ia" want "i o''''r
Maine gave tina, " =" slow cholera.
The secret Of the trouble lag In The nn-ani'ATy size
If the PRISON and the attendant danpn"-' ana hid
drainage added TO an improper dicl. Parliamentary
committee studied the case, and actually effected "'h
,urrcvomont. NJ, only was the meat restored I"
the daily bl 81 fare. but dessert Was add'h III ~"
form Of a plentiful supply Of oranges III" l"'"h'I''
loo wcr" to have ch1ncc 81 air. "lnS carte" Oh !"
vool,,icb b,lk, where they appear 10 have enjoyed
niscLicvousnoa,. Mrau1hc The p ison ~a' cleaned ana
fumigatcd. and thea the prisoners were All pr"'0"'
lack one would have heught that after this an''n :
c,s,l,v Of humanity all would nav" gone on 1apII'
umt pri on.r. apparently, arc never aailsh'u' III q
worry HUI" time there broke Out an 'lhc'Mlc "'
.ulctc The wardrrs went from cell I" crii' Only !"
find ;lo inmates hanging hy their braces, OF some
other article ,chnd the doors, Much Tine "'9 "'''-
pcd In r,.susciaiing the half dead; and iionSh II
vas freely commented on altcrwafd o"H ""'
.c,m 10 have been mott ed AT hrat ihat' curio"'N
enough the would be suicide, always chose rs '"'
lime to hang themselves few s"frida "'l"r' ''N
Knew they would bc visited. Nmh III mo- INV
official, noticed this p"ciilrijy they were abe !" pm
a speedy stop the epidemic 10y r""rtiu| I" inc "'
Of dark cells and another period OF ph"'h' "''""'"'
II Was MT long, however. before the '"hNIca "s'1'
became olsirp"rou,. that Parliament pl'9'" "'''
authorizing the usr of the cai0-nhc-'"li' ~ -
rcaecrnakcr. This proved effective, ana 'h' Pr''"h'rS
tbcreupcn took 10 i,vcmahing int ad 81 io''hS' me
male and female prisoner wrr" "i course h'P' apart
"a. ia he