Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-05-17
ENGLISH PRISON LIFE.
Iron Discipline Universally the Rule and
Disorder Almost Unknown.

Iron Discipline Universally the Rule and
Disorder Almost Unknown.
A comparison Of the rules OF an Amer
lean prison with those OF an English prison
shows that the American prisoner has
many more cc.lforts and liberties. a man
in an English prison is almost rs dead 10
the outer world as he would be in his
tomb. Nothing in the way Of food or read
ing matter can be sent in TO him By his
friends. lie Is never permitted to sec a
newspaper or q magazine. He can write
and receive letters only at long intervals,
and from the time he enters the prison un-
Til he leaves it he is not permitted to speak
unless he is addressed by prison officer.
A prisoner sentenced for a term OF three
years or less may see visitor once In three
months In the presence Of prison officer,
and he may write one letter. To men
whose terms are longer such privileges are
granted less frequently. For the first
month the prisoners bed consists OF moth
ing but broad board like table top,
three or four inches above the floor of the
cell. He has no mattress, and the bed
clothing consists of rug, blanket, a pill
low and two coarse sheets. At the end Of
O month, IL he has earned a sufficient mum.
Der of good conduct marks, be has a mat
tress three nights n week. Later he has a
mattress five nights a week, and ct a still
later stage, II his conduct has been unex-
ceptionable, he may have a mattress every
night. He has also in his cell bucket,
water can, tin washhowl, a towel, a soap
dish, a saltcellar, q wooden spoon and
tin Plate. He never has knife or fork,
and he has nothing to eat requiring the
use of these implements. He must get up
at G o'clock, and his breakfast is brought
to him at half past Z. He eats every meal
in his cell. In the first stage of his Inn
prisonment he has only bread and water
for breakfast and for dinner a pints OF
"stirabout"-a gruellike mixture of oat-
meal and Indian meal. In the fourth and
best stage of his imprisonment he has
pint of porridge with his bread for break
fast and a better dinner. but even the
fourth stage bill of faro is never changed
throughout the year. There are no holiday
dinners nor ap extra dish on Sundays, as
In some of our American prisons.
Not all the prisons have workshops at
tached to thom, and where there IL no
workshop a man who has labor sentence
must go on treadmill for 2H hours In
the morning and f9I 9A in the afternoon,
In some prisons there Is worse kind Of
labor than even the treadmill. II consists
Of turning heavy weighted crank, which
serves no purpose whatever except to re-
cord the number of it's own revolutions. A
days labor consists Of from 5000 to 10,-
oah -A.,~-i.Lt~.~- " okIA~ ,,S:..~~- tho r.risl
oners are set to pumping water. AS GsiE
serves some purpose, It Is not SO depress-
lag as the crank movement. The entire
system Of discipline In English prisons Is
military in its rigidity, and it is never re-
laxed. There are no demonstrations of dis
content, of delight or Of contempt on the
part of the prisoners. Pandemonium is
never reproduced, as 1t is in prisons In
some of the states. Tho hooting and whis-
tling, the yelling and scat calling" In
which American prisoners sometimes In
dulge, are never even remotely initiated In
an English prison. The English convict Is
not by nature more respectful or orderly
than the American convict, but he knows
that disobedience will be beimmediately pun
ished. He knows that the statutes OF par
lament have framed the conditions under
which he is to serve out his sentehce, aud
that the power and the system Of the prison
are such that he must obey the rules OF
suffer the consequences. Escapes from Eng.
lish prisons are SO rare that they assume
the character Of marvels.-Boston Herald