The evening times., 1895-08-26
SUNDAY BEHIND THE BARS
How the Day Is Passed in the
District Jail.
IT'S COOL BUT MoNOTONOUS
Religious Services Are the Events
Looked Forward to by the Prison
crs-They Enjoy the Music-Dinner
Bill OF Fare for the Incnrcerated
Ones on the Lords Day.

While the citizens of Washington wer
swcltcring in the heat yesterday and divid
| ing their time between devisiDg means tC
keep cool, 3C6 inmates of the District Jai
| quietly passed the time in reading, singing
eating and mapping. Doubtless in many
| instances a goodly share of tie time wa,
| devoted to meditation.
The jail is not hot building in summer
In fact, it was cool, and the prisoners
always look forward to Sunday as a treat
1t used To be the custom to allow all OF
the prisoners, who so desired, to coDgre
gate in the large rotuIda of the building
for religious services Sunday, but it is M
longer thought advisable.
The prisoners are now permitted to Sit
upon the steps leading up the walls of the
rotunda TO the four stories of cells that form
three wings to the building. From these
steps they can look down through the graf
ings on the persons conducting the services.
On Sunday morning most of the prison
ers arise about 8 O'Clock. Half an hour
later they have brea kiast of coffee, breaG.
and fish. AT 10 O'Clock IL is customary
OF st. Vincent de Paul to hold religious
services in double cell at the end of the
south wing. About one-tcnth of the in
mates of the prison attend this service.
Two hours later, every alternate Sun
day, religious services are held in the
rotunda by missionaries from various col
ored Methodist congregations. Between
the brea krast hour and noon each prisoner
in the corridor on which his cell is stu
ated. While the cOlored services are in
progress the prisoners remain in their
cells, but they can hear every feature of
the service if they desire to listen. Then
the hour of dinner arrives.
Yesterday the dinner bill of fare was:
Cornbread, corned beef and cabbage, pota-
toes and coffee. All were well cooked,
and the meal was served to each man
in a rectangular tin box, without the
luxury of knife, fork, spoon or plate.
At 3 O'Clock in the afternoon religious
services We're held, as on every Sunday
afternoon, under the auspices of the Y. NJ.
C. a. and the Central Union Mission This
is the event the majority of the prisoners
look forward to, doubtless not i'll mGst cases,
because of their desire for spiritual recrea-
ton, but for the reason that those whose
conduct has been commendable during the
week are privileged to sit upon the ironsteps
behind the wire-covered grating for an
hour.
The Jail has an organ. This is rolled into
the center of the rotunda, and as some fair
orgaDist sits down to the instrument, the
Others interested in the religious work
gather around. A song is started. Then
it is that the musical instinct OF the negro
toDly As OF the prisoners are white) asserts
itself. and wonderful singing is the result.
Everyone wants to sing, and though the
prisoners mind may be far away from the
sentiment of the song, he will enter into it
with zest and apparent feeling.
The prisoners are, with few exceptions,
defferential and rcverent in the other SER
vices, but it is plain TO be sccn that the
music is the all in all TO them. They are
not allowed to sing in their own cells above
gentle humming of a tune, and it is
only on such occasions as these that they
are fully permitted to indulge in the care
chaser-music.
The remainder of the day is leisurely and
lazily spent. The vast majority OF the
prisoners are ignorant, and books and news
papers are conspicuous for their absence.
Occasionally prisoner, who feels that he
has friends yet left him, will sit down on
the side of his cot and pencil letter on a
leaf torn from the memorandum book in his
pocket. Most of them lie around laZily on
their cots or look longingly through their
cell windows into the limited
world hcdged in by the outer walls of the
prison.
than the days. The jail officials do not
know the reason. On the warm nights that
have lately passed, the water man." who
in the day makes his rounds continuously,
was kept until a late hour answering the
calls of the thirsty.