The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1896-10-10
John Daily Describes His Terril,lle
Experience Of a Living
!a *. Grave. ss.5 VI
The Irish Receive the Worst Treat-
lnent at the Hands Of
,:5 3. .':. the Wardens. ,s:.

Republic, lnere IS no PROOF LnaL Ll9 HleN5
iEcarceyated for other causes have been
beaten into insanity, but whether they have
or not, there is no doubt that the prison
discipline In England is brutal to degree
that: cahot be approached even in seni-bar-
barous countries. Soon after his release
form Portland prison, Mr.. john Daly.sot
Limerick made a statement which has
shocked the civilized world, He said: sI
don't know any language to describe the
horrors Of prison life. You are virtually
in a living tomb, cut OH from everything.
the only human sounds you hear being or
ders and words from the wardens. Never
touch Of kindness, never glimpse Of hui
naanity apart from a rare visitor and IN
occasional letter. The prison system Is
simply inhumah. Every warden will ad-
NIT that, but they answer that they have
their wives and children to keep, and 5that
it they were not brutes their services wouh
be dispensed with, - Il: al, q
"The prison, system begins to tell on yaus
gradually but surely, and after time az
has set Its mark on you, both physically and
mentally, Scanty Diet, surround. ngs, treat
ment, utter desolation, all these gather
around YOU, and you feel as If you were be-
ing envelopeds by a shroud. | was sent
practically at once, to Chatham, and there
I did my nine months solitary confinement,
For probation, ais it is called. 1t means that
you are never out Of your cell during twsn-
ty-four hours except for ten minutes While
you are attending worship. and for three
ho,, oh OIL
for exercise. During. the day worked in
my cell tearing oakum, task which the
Irish prisoners were set at instead Of being
gwen the less trying one of making bags.
Il Picking oakum is the most dreadful
work one can imagine. 1t makes your hn-
gers sore II you are not an expert, and the
monotony Of it is perfectly maddening. The
usual amount of oakum given to be picked
in. q day ::s three and half pounds. My
task was reduced to one pound by the doc
tor because one Of my fingers was wholly
useless: y
.'.You are always hungry. Icertainly was
hungry for years, until my appatire wore
away for very want of anything to eat.
The cocoa is miserable stuff; the plunduh
is like gutta percha, and the rest Of the
food is Of the worst kind. It supports life
N the body, and that's all that can be said
for it. s{.v s3$
,"At Portland the Irish political prisoners
were confined In penal cells. which were
large, but colder than the ordinary cells.
They were taken out to work in the quar-
ries, and SO got fresh ar and saw something
else than the walls of their cells. worked
in the carpenter shop, and after a tinea1
became, believe, rather an expert carpen-
ter iassS5. n .F I|i.f GTt45l f 5a8S3isfT
tOf the Irish prisoners who remain II
Portland, w Wilson, Burton and Flannlgans 4
are employed Ia the carpenter shop.
;Featherstone is in the blacksmith shop and !
Dalton In the shoemaker shop sMcDsI-
mott, Who Game from Glasgow, alone Is at
the quarries. There is charge Of some
sort against him, and that is why he was
sent to- the quarries. ~
\ 'There. are times when the wardens may
relax: aslittle and chat with ordinary prison-
ers, but there were. never such moments f0rl
the Irlshmen;; and even in thesi infirmary the
wardens had not a word Of sympathy for las.s
They dare not if they would You are 5YiaHss9
tied every hour by a warden, who is respoM
,sible for seeing you. He throws the light
if the prisoner, to prevent himself from
being reused by this, we're to have a blanket
over his head he would next morning tie
put on bread and water al punishment.
Sometimes Ihave turned my face to the
wall SO as not to have the glare suddenly
thrown uponimy eyes, and then the warden
would keep his fash upon the wall just oi
pnsite my face until It awoke me. III
~ = our times a. day you are searched simS5
your clothes. and what I may call a naked.
search is inflicted on ord dinary prisoners 4
six4ti1nes ;a year u This inflic On Isl yvaes
doubled In our case, since we were searnhed q
every month, an incrsaesed precaut lion. sas u
they would, 4 imagih put 1t, against eaS
cape. l NJ 5*s. }. If 5g ssIss Ss
s$ss.'I have no notion why mad dnesga hing
stricken Irish prisoners so largely. I can
pline infhe5 case Of the irish poll zeal prsss
Often when II have returned to the cali
mentally as as a. sna ss5S
gfng, ordering about. mental sk licking q
jaa,mmering 90 to speak, crush syoli "a
pulp: really cannot describe its aIlsSsI
5loathe oi S'ss
i. prison t9fe was too dreadfuI to
about ISL riison en-
talsat the best hut It is appi led to- u
prisoners iitth the fullest ity. ,TheSI
officers OF Port rtland PRISON were for a long
time aware that GA Ia gher and Whitehead
were INSANE; aud the SIX poll ttcals prisoners
who asastf,l confined in Portland are all
One of fhemI believe to be already sInsanos
and Z hess men are not released soon tt,hesS,
viii on1y CONS sout Into the world fnzl yssI
usess aud aha tered. wen to- iispM
good spirfit as 4 suft terer tor great Sssl
tenn served there