Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1899-02-09
CHAPTER XVI.
The Prison on the Island.

Next day Won Mitschka was busy su-
perintending the transfer of the pris-
oners we had on board to the quarters
which had been prepared for them,
and had no time to think of his prom
Use to me. When they were safely
housed the supplies that had been
| brought in the hold of the Susannah
We're fetched up on deck: and the
whole of that day, and for several days
afterwards, the utmost activity pre-
vailed in this settlement Of outlaws.
First of all, the stores had to be raised
out OF the hold, and laid in convenient
| heaps along the deck. Then they had
to be lowered into the small boats-far
too small for the work they were do
| ing--taken ashore, carried up to the
House las everybody called the prs-
ON and finally inventoried and stored
| away.
| This work occupied several days, but
| before it was finished had an oppor-
tunity of seeing the island for myself.
| Won Mitschka volunteered to show me
over the place, and one day we were
rowed ashore together directly after
noon.
The beach was like that of most
Scotch islands, long expanse of
brown rocks, invisible at high water,
then narrow belt of white shingle
and yellow sand, then, almost immedi-
ately, the purple moorland. The hills,
which took up most OF the interior,
were partly green, partly covered
thick with heather and the heather
bell, which, being in full flower, shed
over the hills a light delicate shade Of
red which changed at sunlight to the
deepest purple.
There was, of COURSE no attempt at
decoration on ornament in the prison,
outside or in. Everything was OF solid
construction, but rough and plain; and
/ can scarcely convey in words the
strong impression OF barrenness and
desolation which the absence Of every
thing that could be called beautiful, OF
every conventional scrap OF ornament,
such as one sees in the poorest houses,
caused in my mind. There was no
proper road between the beach and the
prison, no Enclosure, not so much as a
scrap OF garden ground. The rough
stone wall sprang directly from the
rough hillside. Above it one could see
the upper windows Of the house, star
ing, without the decent draperies OF
blinds OF curtains, on the eXpanse OF
rock and sea.
Within the Enclosure of the outer
wall were several buildings, which
Won Mitschka explained to me in pass
ing were used as quarters for the men
who We're not on duty, and as store
house. Projecting from the prison it.
self was q large porch, which was used
as kind of Office.
Here we had to go through various
fornalities; and L was amazed to see
that there was the same strict atten-
ton to rules and forms in this amateur
gaOl as one sees in prisons OF legltl-
mate order.
When the permit was signed, L was
conducted over the whole place. had
an impression that Won M1tschka
wished me to see all that was to be
seen, III case it should be desirable fol
me to bear testimony at some future
time that the prison was clean and
well ventilated, and that the inmates
were not ill-treated.
AS most OF the prisoners were al
work in the open air, the cells were
empty, and inspected a good many Of
them. They were all on the seconc
story, all clean, and, although very
small. comfortable enough ii they
were used only as dorlnitories. was
shown the punishment cells, which
were nothing more nor less than Gel
lars. not very clean and not very dry
furnished with large iron rings driver
into the wall, to which letters could bt
attached.
Have you ever logged any OF YOU
prisoners / asked, in low tone, a!
Won Mitschka and assembled the Step
from the underground cells.