The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1893-01-24
and is rough, uneven and broken on

and unhealthy OuOrs. lhe water sup
PLY is of the poorest kind, and il is IL
wonder that those inmates. who are
obliged to remain in this rotten place,
do not die of disease and stagnaiion.
The dollhouse is heated by two soft
coal stoves. one situated ut each end
OF the outside corridor, and the whole
structure is of such ran-,hackle ma
ture. that it is surprising that the
poor inmates are not frozen dur
ing the cold snaps. The cell
house is lightedby three windows each.
Oh the north and south sides. by day.
and fonr incandescent electric lights
by night. The windows are covered,
or rather guarded on the outside, by
iron Stating and iron netting. The
window sashes are loose and uneven.
and many lights of glass are broken
out and replaced by scraps of blankets
and old bed-ticks, and one which was
especially annoying has in lieu Of
glass. newspaper pasted over the
frame where pane Of glass should
be placed.
In this foul hole last Sunday twenty
nine inmates We're confined. Thirteen
male whites, fifteen male blacks and
one female black. Eleven whites
were crowded into the three south
steel cells, twelve blacks into the three
north steel cells. and the one female
black inmate into one Of the wooden
cells Oh the root of the steel cage.
The remaining inmates were obliged
to sleep upon the iron roof of the cage
and upon the cold cement floor of the
dollhouse corridor.
The inmates are required to do no
work except that Of keeping them
selves and the dollhouse and cells
as clean Us /: i possible for them
to do under existing circumstances.
and to carry in the coal which Is neces-
sary to keep the fires alive. On week
days they receive three meals a day
and on Sunday two meals. Sheriff
Porter i to be encouraged upon the
quality and quantity oi' the food he
furnishes. 1t Is substantial and suiIi-
cicnt, and is cool a. the average
prison furnishes, il not far superior to
that furnished by many of them. But
leven here YOU viii find the grumbler.
Sheriff Porter AMI hi wife are show
i'm Il great interest in their guests.
and seem inburi with the knowledge
Of the fact. that though they may be
unfortunate. It'll. they are human
beings, and require and should receive
humane treatment. The ,herifi' ha,
caused the old mattresses to he emp
tied, washed and refillvl with clean
new straw, and constantly urges hi
inmates to keep themselves and their
cells clean. Sill the hole l. filled
with vermine.
Among the prisoners are two charged
with murder in the first degree !:
namely, Banks and Robinson, both
coiored: and who seem to take their
position with supreme indifference.
Jennie jackson. the colored female
character, vino Is serving a term for
petit larceny, having filched a
crisp So from ex-Sheriit Smith,
while working about hi- living
apartments. There are also
two colored citizens who are charged
with burglary and larceny, and three
colored chicken thieves. who are en-
joying themselves hugely. Abe En-
er-on, also colorej. is doing time for
mauling his best girl. Among the
white prisoners, might be mentioned.
George Cannon, who i, held in de-
fault of $500 bail to the criminal
court on Seire Iaeias issued to renew
an indictment for an assault with in
tent to kill. This Indictment was re-
turned at the same term of court as
that OF perjury, for which, in 1888,
ne received sentence of five years in
the penitentiary at jeff City, which
he served faithfully and received his
honorable discharge Saturday, Dec.
81, 1892. He shot Constable Jim
Gossage in the hand in 1888, when
that officer made the arrest. This
case will be pressed.
Another case is that of Robt Gibbs.
who is charged with attempted rape.
He has been in Jail since the 18th of
last August, and is in poor health.
The ex-sheriii and the present sheriff
believe in his innocence. IL do many
who know the circumstance. Ii will
he remembered as the case in con-
nection with the Seventh Day Adj
ventists, which created Il little ripple
Of excitement at the time. He had no
funds TO engage lawyer at the las,
term of the criminal court and in de-
fault of bail, he i Obliged To anguish