Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1898-06-23
A PRISON. IN MEXICO.
CURIOUS CUSTOMS THAT PREVAIL IN
BELEM JAIL.


Musical instruments In the Cells and q
Concert Almost Every Evening by the
Prisoners-Dinner Hour Marked by q
Curious Spectacle.
Among the various uses to which
Mexico has put some of her old monas=
teries and converts is that of serving
for the incarceration of violators Of the
law. The Conyento de Belen at Mexico
City has become, in common parlance,
Belem, the city Jail and prison, accused
and convicted persons, men, women and
children alike being confined there in
different compartments. The building
was put up by the Spanish governor in
1886, as an inscription at the head Of
the main stairway tells. A casual visit
paid it by reporter Of The Mexican
Herald, reveals condition of prison
management in Mexico worthy Of pass
ing attention in the days of prison re-
form associations and International pris-
on congresses.
The Herald said that Belem had been
commonly spoken of as second Black
Hole of Calcutta, but the reporter found
that the prison was kept in state Of
comparative cleanliness; not so, how
ever, the prisoners. Their condition he
described as one of disgusting filthiness.
Although there was hydrant in every
cell and general bathing facilities in
each compartment, the reporter found
only one inmate either at bath or with
any indication Of having bathed within
a year. 1t was explained to him by the
prison authorities that formerly the
regulations required prisoners to battle
daily, but that this was regarded as
such hardship that the sufferers man.
aged to have it declared form Of cruel
and unusual punishment and SO to have
the rule abrogated. There are in the
prison now 8, AL prisoners, of whom
2, 933 are men and so are minors.
A curious feature found by the re-
porter was the Spanish regard for the
arts, even within prison walls. He
found in the south wing the writer's OF
libel, "and the cells reserved for mu
| sicians, artists and others Of the fine
| arts.'' 1t would seem to be a charitable
as we'll as an inclusive provision, that
"and others (besides artists) of the
| fine arts. The musicians are permitted,
apparently, to take their instruments te
| Jail with them, much as mechanics take
| into the prison workshop their OWL
tools of trade. "The walls of the mu
| ooIIe oro Ioooroto5 with N fer
ent musical instruments, and the re
porter was told that almost every even
ing there was a concert in one Of tht
patios.
Men sometimes do in Mexico what il
this colder cline they content them
selves with wishing done, for the re
porter came upon one Adams, unde
sentence of 20 years "for killing wait
er at the Club de la Opera because b
did not bring his dinner quick enough.
Adams has the freedom of his galley
There are in each galley three trustie
who go about with clubs and preserv
order, using the club "only when mora
suasion will not do as we'll.
There were stoics among the 81 mel
condemned to death. One of these, IN
der sentence for assassinating man
expressed his serene confidence as to hi
future, but, "if worst comes to worst
"a shrug of the shoulders and palm
up. This man and some others unde
death sentence had the run of the com
mandant's Offices, Notwithstanding ther
were on the walls, serving as decora
lions, confiseated weapons of prisoners
Oddly enough, as it would seem in thi
country, though it wouldn't have bee
strange in the Italy of Maehiavelli
there wasn't gun among these. Tn
nearest to twas a bayonet, and the res
were poinards. scimiters, stilettos
butcher knives, table knives, penkniyes
and shoemakers' knives.
The dinner hour was marked by
curious spectacle. The street outsid
the prison was filled with the "wives
children, dogs and other members G
the prisoners households. F" Thes
brought baskets of edibles to the prison
ers some Of whom were permitted t
speak to their relatives through graf
ing. To the oonvicts not permitted t
come to the grating, their relatives wer
allowed to send in notes accompanying
the dinner baskets. This privilege ha
given rise to peculiar way of maxim
few pennies among persons able
write-''itiherant scribes who for
cent or two wrote messages to the pris
oners.'' One woman babe the scribe t
put her message in red ink. She Woul
, have none of the purple stuff. F"
"Tell him." said she, ''that sen
him two little tamales and tell bill
; that la perrita died yesterday
Says tho reporter, "And the scribe
leaning under the shade of his umbre
; la, sitting On rock, with his bottle {
red ink on another rock beside hin
worked away assiduously, with an ETY.
biology all his own, beginning para
graphs with lower case letters and pu
ting in caps in the most unexpecte
places, so that it would take an Igns
titus Donnelly cryptogram to deciphe
the meaning of his hieroglyphics."