The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-04-09
JhILs IN orr RICO.
They Have Been Cleaned Under American
Rule and the Prisoners Set Mt Work.

To improve the condition OF the municipal
jails and the old Government prison has been
an important work Of Gen. Guy ". Henry in
Porto Rico. In October. under Spanish rule.
they were as alive with dirt as with prisoners,
and under absolutely no sanitary regulations.
Frequently the inmates got neither fresh air
| nor sunlight. but shared tho same room and
lived IN idleness and misery. More than one
town, indeed. repeated the story Of Cuba. But
now. although this hVusecleaning work is un-
finished still. the jails Of Porto Rico have be-
come more like the model similar institutions
in the United States.
Like most government buildings. the island
penitentIary is at the capital. San Juan. Here,
Just outside tho south city wall. BOG c%onvicts
eat and sleep, like Il native family, in one big
room. They are not confined in cells. but have
their liberty. and go anywhere inside the ten
foot wall. Only three prisoners. who have been
sentenced to lilo Imprisonment for murder.
wear n steel ball ana chain. Murder. too. is the
most common crim'. out of the 800 inmates.
more than 200 were convicted on this charge.
One prisoner ~ years old. whose sentence is
thirty years. killed three persons. Every
twelfth man in the low row Of beds is a guard
ian over his fellows. and may be identified by
his yellow stripes and a small hand cane. Yet.
AS a rule. the %convicts live quietly. make no at
tempts to escape, and give the keeper no
trouble. Most OF them. who are the half breed
native population. neither read nor write. Only
one st. Thomas English negro can be seen in
the prison. Two soldiers. convicted OF robbery.
who were admitted in December. are the only
Americans. One year is the shortest term OF
confinement.
Back in October and November. when the
Americans first reached San Juan. the old
Spanish Warden gave his prisoners an easy
life. His 300 inmates then played ball on the
roof. took their midday nap and let the carpen-
ter and blacksmith shops get rusty. Then. as
the Warden spoke no English. a ~six-foot st.
Thomas negro murderer always welcomed
American visitors and acted as interpreter. He
translated the explanations and apologies Of
the cunning old keeper and repeated all ques-
tons Of the callers. And. at the end Of every
trip through the buildings. his visitors wanted
to know what kind Of food the keeper gave the
convicts.
The gentlemen would like to know what
kind OF food the prisoners get" then repeated
the negro in Spanish.
Tell them l give the best OF everything"
said the smiling Warden.
He says he gives the best OF everything"
Translated the negro with a grin. " but he
However. under the administration Of the
new Warde,n the negro makes no complaint.
AZ soon as MaXimiliano Luzunaris. the keeper
APP ointrd in December. took charge the whole
building and grounds were cleaned, scrubbed
and put IN a sanitary condition; Nor do the
the shops may he found carpenters. black
smiths. tailors. shoeinakers. cooks, laundry
men. and every kind OF tradesm"n. They have
made the needed tables. chairs. keep the white
canvas suits in repair. and run a model pr son.
strict police guard. clean the streets Of San
Juan; Half that number hav" been employed.
Davidson. Outside Of work hours many an rris.
oners IND lime TO Knit stock ings. which easily
sell sy TO Els', snnod as a., a s3Hy"nir sine January
struction IN reading aud writing. An OPTIONAL
course in English also has been intro luced by
a Porto Riran interpreter. In this school work
the men seem to take an interest and show Il
desire to learn: especially in the English class.
Mr.. Lnzunaris, himself speaks English tiu-
York he returned to Porto Rico in 1876. When
home at Gnayama, got thronch h tn" spn : imbS
lines. aud offered his services as Interpreter to
the invaders. He was assigned to Gen. John
campaign and also. acted DIS Interpreter at the
San Juan palace while the General had COM
When Gen. Brooke left for Cuba he appointed
Mr.; Luzunarris Warden of the prison.
building built in 1881. how has 49,, prlsoners,.
they live in one room, sleep on the bare floor;
cofee ara and ia bread e "'S Oh 5!' the %' w F1iG an" on thu meat a5a ana
yard may be seen a whole series Of rencil. pie
sh"scn t tRe S war. Tmt the I Ifiisq nSG fPE 5rio E h.Ys
Politics. An Introductory paragraph reads:
II any prisoner expects t" get ont OF jail be-
lore the Americans he Possessed Of the city. he
is greatly Mistaken On a whitewashed pillar
Is an explanation OF the cause Of the war be-
tween Spain aud the United States. One sem
tence says: The United States wants tile
glory Of signing the Independence of Porto
Rico. while Spain. the discovrrcr of the place,
does not want TO lose the island A bust of
Emile lola appears under n wreath, with a
date Of May T.. the morning ADM
raj Sampson, bombarded Moro Castle. are
4 nnmbrr OF drawing, Of nroJect.les ant shells.
original cartoon on Porto lican politics. For
u background the artist has Il cemetery. in
which the headstoneS and collins bear the
names Of the Spanish Insular Cabinet officials.
In the foreground stands the former President
81 tn" Cabinet. Muhu2 Rivera. surrendering
hi. political sword to tho United States fiaX.
evidently the prisoner knew Rivera. for in
February. half a year after the sketch had been
made. Gen. Henry demanded the resignation
OF this politician.