The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-04-02
BROOKLYNSAWFUL COURT.
DIsGRAoEFUL CONDITION OF THE
BUILDING IN Err STREET.

DISGRhCEFUL CONDITION. OF THB
BUILDING IN BUT Err STREET.
Prisoners' Pens which the Grand Jury sayp
Are worse than the Black Hoie or Cali
cutta-A New Presentment which Demands
Some Remedy Improvement Promised.
Once moro a Kings county Grand Jury has
made a presentment in which II has denounced
the Butler Street Police Court House in Brook
lyn as a disgrace to the city and a menace TO
the public health, and once more the Board OF
Aldermen has, Hgurativcly speaking, thrown up
Its hands and declared that the city Of Brooklyn
10 really too poor, no matter what the condi-
tons may be, to spend any money In extensive
improvements TO the crumbling old building
where justice has been dealt out to AZ per cent.
Of the Indicators of the town for almost thirty
years. But IL is said now. unofhcially, that some
changes will be made in the pens for prisoners.
The changes projected are not extensive, but
by raising the skylights II is hoped to let In .
little more air, which may reduce the daily av-
erage Of prisoners who faint and are found UNI
conscious when called to appear at the bar.
Tho March Grand Jury gave the following
summary Of the existing conditions in the court
house:
"The house being occupied By the police court on
che corner Of Court and Butler streets is q disgrace to
che city and to humanity. IL has been moro than
once termed before us the Black Hole OF Calcutta. In
the historic dungeon in India lac persons were In
generated in q chamber twenty feet square. venti-
lated by two small windowa In the police court In
Brooklyn there have been occasions when 17s mis-
cradle prisoners were confined in Q ANAL space, VEN
tilated also by two small holes. II In. we arc In
formed, no uncommon occurrence to have some
wretch hauled out from this pen who has succumbed
70 combined fetid heat and poisonous air. When
inspected by us come time after the removal OF
tho prisoners the stencil was terrible. The So
ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to AMI
mails would not knowingly place q dog in the
pen used by the city of Brooklyn for human beinsa.
It y necessary to disinfcct II twice daily. The place
a hot in summer and cold in winter. and IL 10 bar.
barous to continue IL longer. The entire court IL dilapi-
dated. What once was carpet has not been removed
from the floor or cleaned for eight years, and Il now
mass Of Nth; Is IsS Sn9sid d. be ,o rs%oy ySsr and sss Ssars sp 10
ffrsausnsiEy and regularly g ,5s s Cleaned d, T Ts,s S1 aid RS has has
Without daily Violations o. the laws Of health. &c.
that reason it is time that the nuisance were stopped.
sa "in sh ., 80, sCs sit1 ps {. iy,n AZ gss cent Tsc of pr.. .as So, aSs
loaded and unloadea on the public streets N full
bad and dissrncefni. We urge that the Board Of Esti.
mate or their successors provide at their earliest pos.
accommodate this court. and possibly with e one OF
ss1 ,a @inST TO Ss secure , %s b sssSsse t n th i% prsssns S sss9.
ing, or a portion, thereof; for use as a prisoners pen.
court in the city Of Brooklyn. The building il
occupies was erected in 1888 for a meeting
house by the Dutch Reformed Church. 1t is OF
brick and very plain in appearance, but at the
time it was erected was regarded as q big ven
The church people stayed in the building until
1856, when they moved to 2 new building again
n In t nrop eptsf ~ 8 % or the ns s1as;d f rass sagrS and zee he
leased It to Tom yanderhotr, who ran q billiard
boom in the old church and a bowling alley in the
After eight years vanderhoot sold out to
Charles Spaulding, who conducted q billiard and
horvl;n1 ha,,sa nm 70 1Qka yvhan the plapa vaa
sold to the Coo estate. The Goes Immediately
rented the place TO the city, and in the same
iished there. Inc annual rent is 81 500.
1t Is said that not a change has been made in
It's tenant. Each year the place has become
dirtier and more Inadequate, and each year it
same sesii cam St eess Would be Impossible. 'A'
IL, Il Is In the matter matt Of the e pens IT that ibs most com nm
the right hand side Of the court room, and tho
stencil which comes from them fills the court
oner OUT enefI The mems Den is not g1 more It than tRw taa
. ty feet long. It is about seven. feet wide and
only oREI, E few IL snf I'll sn more T !hsp , si1 , fSss sish 10 T Tsn.
Z g ssS Ill IT.. IL 4 + Siias;s, mi i ri SH.r. q - :
in the way. because on crowded days a man
for hours, and almost daily men are taken out
men cry out until tho court Officers have to let
them out in order to let the court proceed.
In the women's pen about the same conditions
exist. There are fewer women prisoners than
men. but their pen il smaller, being about nf-
teen feet long. There is scarcely any light In the
place, and when there are more than fifty prfs-
oners they overflow into Clerk Nelson's room.
Sometimes IL Is necessary to empty tho women's
pen into the clerks room In order to keep all Of
the male prisoners in confinement. When that
IS done the clerk and his assistants have to stop
all work until the women are disposed OF.
Every morning and evening the pens are sprin-
killed. with a liquid disinfectant. This Is done by
order OF the Board OF Health, but the relief It
affords is only temporary.
In the clerks rooms and In the Justices pri-
waite chamber things are not much better than
they are in the pens. There is little light, less
ventilation, and dirt and decay everywhere.
Every step raises a cloud of dust, and Ii is i'm
possible to remedy this by cleaning the carpets,
as the carpets are 30 old and threadbare that
they would fall to pieces II taken up from the
door.
In the court room there Is seating room for
about 300 persons. The average attendance Is
300, and there are sometimes as many as
800 people there. In the winter the room 10
freezing cold. There are two stoves, but only
one will work. The other outlived its useful
ness many years ago. To add to the general dis
comfort there is a hole in the ceiling of the court
room, which was made for a ventilator, and on
rainy or snowy days a pool Is formed on the
floor of the room.
MISGOVERNED JERSEY CITY.