The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-09-23
IN EUROPEAN PRISONS.
JCOntinued from third page

deck peas nave Doou puG Ill 81 CHoC 70
men are crowded into the space which
was originally intended for 30. In the
corridors the asphalt floor is laid in
diamonds with iron frames, like
window sash. This seems to make an
excellent floor.
The chapel is constructed on the iso-
lation plan, each prisoner being placed
in little box from which he can see
the chaplain and the altar without be-
ing visible to any other prisoner. The
prisoners wear masks while marching
in, which they are allowed to remove
during the service. The officer who
conducted us through the prison stated
that they would prefer an open chapel;
that prisoners were able to make dis
turbances in the service which it was
impossible to discover. Outside of the
prison are 122 exercise yards, each de-
signed for one man. These yards are
arranged around semicircular guard
room so that the officer on guard can
oversee all of the men at one time.
Prisoners exercise One-half hour daily
and on Sundays one hour. The pris-
oners wear masks going and coming.
The industries of the prison are as
follows: Tailoring, shoemaking, weav-
ing demijohn baskets, cutting cork,
knitting by machines. The cOnvicts
work by the day or by the piece accord
ing to the work. They do some work
for other public institutions and work
to some extent for private firms. There
is sufficient employment but consider
able complaint from outside laborers.
The women do sewing, cooking, mend
ing, ETC., under charge of woman.
The cooking and washing are done in
the women's department. The men
earn six pfennigs Zone and one-half
cents per day, for their own use; and
overwork is allowed by which these
earnings are increased. Prisoners who
are kept on the separate plan are as
follows: tirst-priSOners convicted for
the first time: second-young men;
third-the better class of prisoners;
fourth-vicious prisoners who have
been repeatedly sent to prison. In this
prison, two prisoners are never kept
alone in the same cell. If there is more
than one prisoner, then three or more
are kept in the same room. All pris-
oners are divided into three grades, in
uniforms of brown, gray and blue.
Corporal punishment is administered
by the use of Spanish cane on an
order confirmed by senator. The bill
of fare was reported as follows: break
fast-bread and butter and little
milk; dinner-bread, soup, meat semi
weekly, fish weekly; supper-bread
with one half pint milk. A portion of
the prisoners are sentenced to bread
and water diet; such prisoners receive
$50 grams of bread daily
This is good prison, we'll admins
tered; but the Overcrowding of prison
ers in dormitOries is very Objectionable
and the discipline, in my judgment, is
not equal to that of the Saltwater
prison.
4 NORWEGIAN PENITENTIARY.
The penitentiary or "Bodsfaengslet,"
at Christiania. Norway, was visited
August 4th, 1897. This prison has 24O
cells. There were PIG prisoners, kept
strictly on the separate plan. The
warden of this prison impressed me as
the most intelligent prison officer whom
| met His institution was admirably
administered. While he carried out
the separate plan with the strictest
fidelity, he said: "there can be too
much of it, He expressed the opinion
that two years should be the extreme
limit of separate confinement. He said
that men became careless and their
minds inactive; many became insane,
and those who served out their terms
proved incapable of caring for them.
selves.
Prisoners exercise forty minutes
daily. There are p separate exercise
yards. The prisoners are not blind
folded as in the German prison but
walk fifteen PAGES apart in going to and
from the chapel and exercise yards.
The chapel has separate boxes like
those in the German prison, but the
warden made the same objection which
was made in the German prison-that
separate boxes enabled the prisoners to
do mischief without detection He
said that they would prefer an open
chapel. In the exercise yards each
prisoner is allowed to cultivate little
flower garden; and prisoners are
allowed to have flowers in their cells.
The cells are SKIS feet, we'll lighted;