The evening times., 1899-05-25
many PRISONERS IN
THE DISTRICT JAIL
Three Hundred and Fifty Now
Behind the Bars.
More Petty Thieves Confined Than
at Any Former Period.
Warden Harris DESTROYS of Estnb-
lishinE Workshops tO Keep the
Inmates From Idlencss.

Within the confines of the District jail
there are at present about $50 prisoners,
who are either paying the penalties in
CURED through breaking the United States
statutes or are waiting judicial action.
There are two prisoners who will suffer the
death penalty and third is incarcera.ed
there who is now on trial for his life. An
other prisoner is held who will surely hang
but whether in the District of Columbia or
in Maryland it has not yet ben decided.
OF the men in the jcil. about so per
cent Of them are colored and 10 per cent
Of these are women. 1t has been said that
there is more petty thieving in Washing
ton than in any other city in the country.
The Jail is the place where the thieves OF
this class are confined. and there are at
present as many OF them within its walls
as there have been at any time since its
establishment.
According to the laws of the District of
Columbia a criminal cannot receive a
greater sentence in one case than eleven
months and twenty nine days; that Is, a
prisoner cannot be confined in the Jail for
one year for any one offence. There are
five prisoners, however, whose terms of
confinemene will not expire until 1891, and
tLey have been in Jail for almost year.
This is the result of having been imp!icat-
ed in several crimes, and having been
given short sentences aggregating more
than a year. The longest sentence was
1,0S4 days, just eleven days short of three
years.
There are many such cases brought 10
the attention of the authorities. Several
years ago man was sentenced in the Po-
lice Court to spend almost fourteen years
in Jail for number of convictions on
charges of petit larceny. This is a greater
punishment than would have been meted
out to the criminal had he been sentenced
10 the penitentiary and given the full limit
for all his crimes. The judge, in passing
sentence. did not realize the excessive pun
ishment being inflicted on the man. and
when il was brought TO his attention be
Immediately rectified matters.
There are never as many criminals in
the Jail during the summer there are in
winter. The thieves in the District know
that they will be well taken care Of by
the jail officials during their stay there,
and will be given comfortable quarters. so
they often commit small offences simply
TO get in Jail during the cold weather.
There are no facilities for putting the zen
to work at the Jail. and the thieves enjoy
this idleness. Should they commit offences
against the District they would be sent to
the workhouse, where they would be COM
PEELED to labor and where the quarters for
the prisoners are not nearly as comfort
able. Warden Harris. the present head OF
the jail is desirous of establishing work
shops at that institution in order that the
prisoners under his care may be given
something to do. Il is probable that an
effort will be made at the next session of
Congress to get an appropriation through
with this object in view.
The jail is divided into two sections,
and the cells for the prisoners are in two
wings of the buildings. In tine north wing
are confined all of those serving jail san-
tences, while in the south wing are the
prisoners awaiting the action OF the grand
jury. those under sentence of death. and
those who are TO go TO the penitentiary.
The gallows, where all the hanginSs are
done, is in a corridor between the extreme
east wall of the buildings and the eas;
wall of the separate structure, where the
cells are.built in the north wing. The gal
lows is placed at the extreme end of this
corridor, and there is space in the long
brick-fcored room for all the spectators
who are allowed TO witness an execution
in the District.
When the sentence OF death IS alout
to be executed the prisoners in the north
wing are all removed to the south wing
in order that none may witness the eXecu-
ton.