Evening journal., 1896-06-01
NEW CASTLES JAIL.
An Ex-Prisoner Swears as to
What He Saw There.
SHOCKING CONDITION OF AFFAIRS

SHOUKlKG CONDITION OF AFFAIRS
How Many Prisoners Gamble Away tn,
time charges OF Brutal Treatment
The Crowded Cells Regular Hotbeds o
Vice, the Substances OF mnIksn'a sworr
Statement.
The Maryland Prisoners AID Assooia
tion has Issued, In pamph let form, q
communication written by Thomas r.
Mhlikln, former prisoner Of New Castle
| jail to q S Griffith, ssldent Of the
sslociation Millikin IA de Efidavlt to
the same before Justice .of the Peace
John L. Hebb. OF Baltimore. on May %
last la e footnote, President Griffith
says: In my several visits Of inspecton
OF the New Cestle isll. especislly one
/ paid in Septem her. 1926, found the Jail
TO DO in a condition corresponding to the
above statement and I shall heartily Ct
operate to bring about the desired re
| forms
II have written e. several Of the
leading citizens Of Delaware, including
clergymsn, in regard 90 the truthfulness
and reliability OF Thomas R Mnlikln, and
they reply that his statements can bs
! depeuded upon
The communication is as follows:
/ HON q. s. GRIFFITH, President Mary
land Prisoners Aid Association.
Baltimore, Nd.
"DEAR SIR 50 many startling rumors
have been circulated about the shocking
condition Of affairs At New Castle county
jail, that thought you should be msde
acquainted with certain facts which came
under my personal observation while
incarcerated IN thst inBtitution
II remember your visit TO the prison
some months ago, when | made your
acquaintance and knowing you to be
deeply interested Ia modern prlnon
reforms l concluded TO lay the matter
before you. and l hope you will do
everything possible 70 bring about a
change, and correct the evils thet now
exist. was released from custody May
| II. 1896
For two years under the administra
tion Of Sheriff Paul Gills, l acted 90
bOokkeeper, having charge Of al prison
records Office work. etc and in counec
tion with this work / generally inspected
all mail matter and sealed It, which
went out, besides delivering all mail
coming in. / was also delegated TO
escort ali visitors through the jail. aud
instructed TO give no information TO
newspaper men in regard to the manage
ment Of the place
THE cell which | occupied WAS never
locked, day or night, and, having access
to every part Of the building, l was
enabled 60 observe everything transpir
irg In THE institution.
me Jail.
"The jail has only thirty seven cells,
which must accommodate . daily average
OF 100 prisoners. and at times it has zoo
and over crowded together in a miserable
condition, without any classification
whatever. The long term prisoners down
stairs are hu6dled together from three to
five In a single cell; on the upper tier.
where short term prisoners aud those
awaiting trial are confined, six and eight
srs crowded into cell, and, worse than
this, have seen thirteen women in q
cell, and the odor from that section WAS
terrible In the extreme Jail Physician
John J. Black remarked that it WAS q
shocking state Of affairs. And still more
horrible than THE, In what Is known as
the bum cell, will be found a daily pop
ulstion averaging City aud sixty, aud
again Jail Pms ysicien Black charaotorlzes
this plague spot IS q daily school OF
vice. Ohsndsrs old and young mingle
together; small boys detained 80 wit
nesses are thrown into this school OF
vice, ms ructed Ia the srt OF gambling,
besides learning other immoralities, prac
tised In this plague spot OF iniqulty.
The Prisoners.
There are about seventy "long term"
prisoners here, whose sentences range
from one year up to ''llfe" lmprison
ment; OF this latter class there are ten
seven colored and three white. Besides
this there are those serving 'ehort
terms" for petty offensss; then thers Is
the prisoner not yet tried; also those |
arrested for intoAication and lastly !
vagrants who roam from place to |
place
'Soms of the inmates are quite skill
ful In making toy furniture, puzzles, /
and miniatures Of ths whipping post and |
pillory, which they sell to visitors.
using the proceeds to ameliorate the /
rigoTs Of prison fare or as Is mere often /
the case used to play poker or some
other game Of chance.
Brutal Treatment.
"On Thursday m about II o'clock. |
CNNNNNA - AAHtf ANA q 0AAa AN OF
the rules, thres colored girls, who had /
refused to discontinue singing, we're 4
taken from their cell down stairs 70 1
number nineteen. commonly known as
the dark dungeon. and Day Warden /
Lindsey Wilson ordered that the hose be
turned In on them The full pressure OF
water was accordingly turned on and i
these poor unfortunate women were
drenched from head 60 feet. When they
began 10 beg piteously for the warden to
desist, Frenk Duncan {, prlsoner) kicked
Roxis Oammomile Ia the stcmach, which 4
prostrated her for several DAYS, while /
the warden struck one Of the Others over
the head. Ia this wet con dtion they
we're kept IN the dungeon until 7 O'Clock
that same evening. when they were OF
dered released by the soerid.
at another time, Frank johnson, a
colored life prisoner, who looks after the
upper corridor, Was struck over the head
with blackja ack. kicked down the stairs
aud put In the dsrK cell all because he
had told the sheriff that male prisoners
continually lounEed in the women's
deDartmeut Wbich fq nm stairs WHEN l