The Portland daily press., 1899-11-10
CAPE towns JAIL.
whers 1000 Convict. From the Ends of
the Earth are Cosansd.

tLI0tn tttc A1tA1AA AtoWn AAbaaosF
Among the many Interesting things In
Cape Town, says Michigan man resent.
ly back from South Africa, fs an i'm
msnss prison. where slmo st every nation
Of the globe has representatives,. Within
this prison there are moIe than 1000 con-
victs OF nearly every size and color.
There are American miners and sons Of
the English aristocracy; French, Itai-
lana, russians and Jews; there are
famous chiefs OF the African tribss eap-
tursd during the Trsnsvasi rsbellions
and horde Of Kaffirs, imprisonsd there
for every crime In the catalogue. Many
Of the most Intelligent prisoners are
serving time for political crimes. Eng-
land and her ooloni.s never allow any
sentiment regarding family name or
wealth to make successful appeal for
leniency toward these who have been
traitors 10 their county.
The labor In which the cenvicts are
employed most continuously Is In build.
ing forts and Notifications. On the hill
side overlooking the thriving city Of Cape
Town Is defense consistipg OF tier upon
tier Of modern guns bristling along the
rock and pointing toward the harbor.
There Is no standing army stationed TO
man the guns but each gun Ia connected
by an electric wire tn an instrument In
the fort This whole hillside Of gnns can
be discharged at moments notice. The
more intelligent criminals srs not en-
ployed upon these works, bus the stupid
est of the Knfiirs, and usually those who
have been sentenced for life are chosen.
chat no plan of the defense may be be-
trsyed to an enemy.
Convicts not employed upon public
works are rented out to the farmers, who
m uoh prefer convicts to the natives. for
the convicts have no opportunity to loaf
OF get drunk. The usual contract stipu-
lates fuel, water and shelter from the
farmer. and from 30 to 90 cents day for
each convict, while the government fur
nishes guards sufficient to watch the men
and provides clothing and food.
The prisoners are divided into three
Glasses, Simplifying the time they have
teen incarcerated and their behavior.
Those OF the first class, known as the
penal class, are NAKED by q black band
around their hats. All prisoners upon en-
trance are placed In this class, and re-
main there three months, bus II they show
u eooile spirit at the end OF that time
they are transferred into the probation
class, which is marked by yellow band.
They remain In this class eight mon tbs,
when, II their conduct Is praiseworthy,
they are transferred to the good conduct
class, marked by a red band; here they
remain until the end of thsir sentence.
there are no Arules. No class is al
lowed to mix with any other class, but
each class has an opportunity. after work
Its own members. They are housed In
wards, and no cells are used except for
discipline.
Prisoners who observe the rules are
kindly treated and wall fed In quantity
and quality, but they have not many
special courses. Their breakfast consists
Of ''mealie porridgs," coffee and bread;
their dinner of soup, meat end bread,
and their supper consists OF bread all ne;
hut the natives look upon this diet As q
perpetual feast as compared with what
they ara accustomed to outside OF prison
walls. Yhe dungeon Is ne yer used. but
solitary confinement Is sometimes resort
ed to with vicious conviots; II they are
sentenced to more than three days con.
fnement they are allowed two hourA
solitary exercise outside the cell So"
day. ..,,.
Gaming and foggins. arr saras.im ma,
praotiosd with h. 9 Bison Is allowed to pro.
rorncs .tsn~r q these ser tsnces; they
.,e'.-s eosns from the prison magistrate,
1ho Wits the prison once u weak. When
sn inmate Is canet he 10 strapped with
4 "A I'D u hnv1 fxiW n
strokes across the heshy part of the legs
When a convict IL logged he ID tied by
the hands to u triangle above his head
and given from % to 90 strokes across
the back with CATO -nine-tails. The
natives seem to be- atls to endure any
amount of bodily suffering and some.
times Will laugh while receiving their
logging, and in u number Of instances
have danced a kind OF "shindig" az soon
as released from torture. Any prisoner
who thinks tiiat he has q grievance has
an opportunity once week to complain
to the visiting magistrate.
The most remarkable native ever I'M
prlsonsd there was the son Of a famous
Inland chief who had been educated at
Oxford university. After receiving the
best that Eng land could give he returned
TO the Transvaal and became royal In
terproter at one of the imperial courts.
But when war broke out between his
father ana the hnsl.Sn ne otSsrteu TIE
court, snatohed up his long neglected
club and became the leader of his father
tribe In the insurreoti0n. He was cap
tursd and thrown into this prison under
a sentence Of is years, but was released
at the end of tive, and returned g his
tribe in the interior. He Is u man OF
tins culture and keenest intellect ana u
natural leader Of men, but chooses to fol-
low the wild. parbario instinct.
This prison Is also the homo OF young
mon who went to Cape Town With
Bible under his arm and sublime faith
In his heart and passionate desire 60
Tear the light Of the gospel to that isolnt-
ed mining camp. He was the secretary
Of the Young Mems Christian association
In Cape Town, and was held In the very
highest esteem. He had a wonderful In
tiuenoe over young men throughout the
city ana the colony. On account OF the
confidence of the people In his integrity
he was ELI cted secretary OF the Cape IowL
building and loan association, which an
nually nanipulates an immense amount
Of money. He devised n shrewd scheme
Of book keeping whereby he could conceal
his embezzelements. and succeeded In
stealing siS5. 100. He is doing seven
years for his crime.
Ir.-I