Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1898-05-19
A PRISON IN MEXICO.
CURIOUS CUSTOMS THAT PREVAIL IN
E1lLm JAIL.

Concert Almost Every Evening by the
Prisoners -Four Marked by
Curious Spectacle.
! Among the various uses to which
l[eXico has put some of her old monas-
ieries and converts is that of serving
for the incarceration of violators of the
law. The Convento de Eelon 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
1856, 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 tilthiness.
Although there was a 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 batho
daily, but that this was regarded as
such hardship that the sufferers man
aged to have it declared a form of cruel
and unusual punishment and so to have
the rule abrogated. There are i'll the
prison now 3, 451 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 charitable
as we'll as an inclusive provision, that
land Others (besides artists OF the
fine arts. The musicians are permitted,
apparently, to take their instruments tf
Jail with them, much as mechanics take
into the prison workshop their OWL
tools of trade. "The walls of the mu
sicians' cells are decorated with differ
ept musical instruments, and the re
porter was told that almost every even
ing there was a concr1t in one OF thu
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, undo
sentence of 20 years "for killing wait
er at the Club dc la Opera because IL
did not bring his dinner quick enough
Adams has the freedom of his galley
There are in each galley three trustie
who 80 about with clubs and preserv
order, using the club "only when mora
suasion will not do as well.
There were stoics among the 81 mel
condemned to death. One OF these un
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 unae
death sentence had the run OF the com
mandant's offices, Notwithstanding ther
were on the walls, serving as decora
tons contiscated weapons OF prisoners
Oddly enough, as it would seem III th1
country, though it wouldn't have bee
strange in the Italy of Machiavell
there wasn't a gun among these. u
nearest to it was a hayonet, and the re;
were poinards, scinliters, stiletto
butcher knives, table knives, Lenknlve
and shoomakers' knives.
The dinner hour was marked ~
curious spectacle. Tho street outsi(
the prison was filled with the "wive
children, dogs and other members
the prisoners households, - Tho
brought baskets of edibles to the prison
ers, some of whom were permitted
sneak to their relatives through era
ing. To the convicls not permitted
! come to the grating, their relatives we
: allowed to send in notes acconpanyll
/, the dinner baskets. This privilege hi
given rise to peculiar way OF maxim
a few pennies among persons able
r write-"itinerant scribes who for
. cent or two wrote messages to the pr
oners." One woman Lade the scribe
put her message in red ink. She won
have none of tho "purple stuff, "
q "Tell him." said she, "that so'
\ him two little ta.nalps ald tell h!
that la pcrrita died yesterday. y
Says tho reporter, And the Serb
= leaning undor the shade Of his unbrt
r la, sitting on rock, with lis bottle
!. red ink on another rock beside hi
worked away assiduously, with an ct
d mology all his own, beginning PAL
graphs with lower case letters and pt
i ting In caps in the most unexpeot
places, so that it would take an Ign
v thus Donnelly cryptogram to deoiph
Il the meaning of his hicroglyphics. y