The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-08-26
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.
The Story of a Man Who Has Undergone
1t.
Now York Sun.

New York Sun.
An article on solitary confinement III
the ''Sun" prompts me to offer you my
personal experience of the benefit derived
through term of imprisonment and soil
tary confinement. 1t WAS the old story.
Trying to keep up with richer mems sons
I had to cut swath as wide as any,
yielded to the tempter, and at the age OIL
10 began to serve out my sentence Tor tor-
gerry in the first degree.
1t happened in Scotland, and the sys-
tenn there is one of solitary confinement
| exclusively. / occupied cell about 9xo
feet The floor and walls were of sto ne
A heavy iron door. fitted with an arrange
ment by which the occupant of the cell
could be observed without his knowing
it, opened into the main corridor. Near
the ceiling a space about 6xl2 inches,
glazed with a thick, obscured glass ana
guarded by a heavy iron grating, admit
ted the light. The cell was furnished
with tin basin, a horn spoon, q porce-
lain mug, comb, a towel, a wooden COZ
made in two sections. which also served
for table by placing one on top OF the
other, cocoa mattress and pillow
slate and pencil, Bible, hymn book,
and book from the prison library, ex-
changed weekly. Here prisoner eats,
sleeps, and works Each night at 3
O. clock supper is passed in to him; at
| z. 80 he stands undressed, with each article
of his clothes folded neatly in pile, and
as the keeper opens his door he deposits
them outside, the lights are turned out,
and the man is left alone with his
thoughts until morning.
MY home life had been surrounded with
refined and Christian influences. No boy
ever had better parents or a happier home.
MY feelings can therefore be better i'm
ag lined than described when l found my
self shut up in the city prison With the
scum of the earth as my only companions
In a short time after my sentence, how
ever, batch of long term prisoners was
transferred to the penitentiary at Perth,
and was among the number, and suoh a
cell as have described was assigned me-
/ had not been in my new quarters
much more than a month, during Which
time / had learned to max cocoa fibre
mats when l was taken before the gov
ernOr of the prison, who told me that as
reward for my industry and good be-
haviour he had detailed me to the gener-
al stores My new duties were lighter--an
less irksome than Matchmaking, and, be-
sides, I was out in the open air great
detail I was now brought into close con-
tact during working hours with some
eight of the most hardened criminals that
prison walls contain. One had already
served seventeen years of his sentence and
the others ranged less. L had not been
there two days when one of their number
told me that Twas expected to keep the
GO gang supplied with canned beef, for
had charge of the supplies for the
stewards department. l resolutely re-
fused to comply, and for some months L
passed through the most trying experience
of my life l had resolved to be honest
but only God knows what l endured in
the effort At first / was coaxed, but
afterward threatened, and at every oppor-
tunity a kick or blow was added to
emphasize the demand How l longed
for that solitary confinement again l
knew if I reported them change would
be made but I also knew that the other
prisoners would hear of it, and in the end
/ might fare worse. However, an oppor-
tunity came one day to resent blow
from one of the worst of my tormentors,
with whom l had been left alone for
few minutes. I was no match for him IN
strength, but 1 fought like tiger and
took him SO by surprise that he was be-
wildered When brought before the gov
ernor l refused to tell the reason of the
encounter, fearing l might be kept at
work in the stores. Hence he ordered me
to be locked up, and for time my diet
consisted of small piece of bread and
water twice day, while was made to
sleep without mattress on my wooden
cot for some time. But felt grateful,
even happy, that I was once more in soil
tary confinement.
In solitary CONTINENT man will ''come
to himself He will experince a tran
guilty of mind never before felt. If he
heeds, he will learn to tread between the
lines % and will come out again in the
world a new man. 1t is a strange thing
to say that 1 am glad I suffered a term of
imprisonment, but it is true nevertheless.
1t made me see things as 1 never saw
them before, and although it is a heavy
load to carry through life, I thank God
that such thing as solitary confne-
ment existed If, instead, had been
associated with incorrigibles, would
not now be trusted and honest man
engaged daily in handling securities
to the value of many thousands, con-
fdential and trusted employee in Wall
street.