Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-01-29
ENGLISH PRISON LIFE.
Iron discipline Universally tho Rule and
Disorder Almost Unknown.

Iron discipline Universally tho Rule and
Disorder Almost Unlnown.
a comparison " tho rules Of an Amer
lean prison with those Of mn English prison
shows thnt tho American prisoner had
uany more comforts und liberties. A man
10 AN English prison Is almost az dead 70
the outer world M he would be Ia his
tomb, Nothing IN the way Of food or read.
ing matter Gun be sent Ia TO him by his
friends lilo u mover permitted TO sec n
newspaper or a magazine He eau wrlto
and recolyo letters only at long intervals,
and from the time he enters the prison un.
I'll he leaves IL he ianot permitted 10 speak
unless ho IL addressed by prison oiliucr.
a prisoner sentenced lnr q term OF three
ycaus or less may 500 visitor once in three
months In tho presence " a prison officer,
and he may write one letter no men
whose terms are longer such privileges arc
granted less frequently For tho frat
month tho prisoners bed consists Of moth
Ing but broad board like table ton
three or four inches above tho door OF tho
cell He has no mattress, and tho bed
clothing oonsists ut rug blanket, a pill
low und two coarse ahecp AZ the end OF
month, II he has earned sufficient mum
Der of good conduct marks, he has a mat
troas three nights a week. Later ho has a
mattress five nights week, and at still
later stage II hla conduct has been unex
coptionablc, he may havn a mattresH every
night lie hns also IN His coll u bucket. a
water eau, a Tin washhowl, a towel, soap
dish, a RAlteellsr, n wooden spoon and a
tin plate, llo mover has lSuife or fork
aud he has nothing 10 eat requiring tho
usO Of these Implements Hu must get IN
AZ o'clock, and his breakfast Il brought
to him nj half past Z. lie eats every meal
In hla cell. In the tlrst stage Of his i'm.
priqonment ho has only bread and water
for hreakfaat and for dinner I x plnts OF
"stirabout "a gruelliku mixture Of ont
meal and Indian meal In the fourth and
best stage OF hs imprisonment he has a
pint OF porrldgo with his bread for break
fast and n better dinner, but even tho
fourth stage bill Of fare ia never changed
throughout the year Therc arc no holiday
dinners nor an extra dish on sundays, ~
In some Of our American prisons
Not all tho prisons have workshops at.
taehod 70 them, and whera thara Ia no
workshop man who has labor sentence
must go on a tvadmill for n, hours Ia
tho morning and for az In the afternoon.
In some prisons there % a worse ild OF
labor than even tho treadmill. II consists
OF turning heavy Weighted crank, which
serves no purpose whatever except TO no
cord thenumhor OF ita own revolutions A
days labor consists OF from 8 goo TO TO-.
600 revolutions, In other prisuus the pria.
opers arc set To pumping water. As this
serves some purpose, Il "a not 10 dnprrss-
ing az tho crank movement The entire
system OF discipline In English prisons IA
military In Us rigldity, and 1t Is never 70.
Taxed. There arc no demonstrations OF dis.
content. Of delight or OF contempt on tho
part OF the prisoneia, pandcmonium IA
mover reproduced, as II Is In prisons in
come OF the states, The hooting and whis.
Ting, the yelling and "oat callihg' in
which American prisoners sometimes in.
dulge, arc mover even remotely initiated an
an hnglish prison Ehe English convict Ia
DOT by nature more respectful or orderly
than the American convict, but he knows
that dlsobedieueo will be Immediately pun.
ished' Ilc knows that the statutes OF par
lament have framed tho conditions under
which he IL TO serve cut his sentence, and
that thepowcr aud tho system OF the prison
arc such that no must obey the rules or
suffer the consequences. Escapes from Eng
llAh prisons Hre 20 rare that they ASSUME
the character Of mhrvcls.- Boston Herald.