The Worthington advance., 1899-12-22
CAPE TOWNS JAIL


IL ID . PIaee WhePe Hundreds Of C0n-
victs fseM the Eaas 81 the
EsrtA Are CsnaaeA.
Among the many interesting things
In Cape Town, says Michigan man re-
Gently back from South Africa, is an
immense prison, where almost every ma
ton of the globe has representatives.
Within this prison there are more than
1000 convicts of nearly every size and
color. There are American miners and
sons of the English aristocracy; French,
Italians, Russians and Jews; there are
famous chiefs Of the African tribes cap
tured during the Transvaal rebellions,
and horde of Kaffirs, imprisoned there
for every crime in the catalogue. Many
OF the most intelligent prisoners are
serving time for political crimes Eng
land and her colonies never allow any
sentiment regarding family name or
wealth to make . successful appeal for
leniency toward those who have been
traitors to their country.
The labor in which the convicts are
employed most continuously is in build
ing forts and fortifications. On the hill
side overlooking the thriving city of
Cape Town is defense consisting of
tier upon tier of modern guns bristling
along the rock and pointing toward the
harbor. There is no standing army sta
toned to man the guns, but each gun
il connected by an electric wire to an
instrument in the fort. This whole hill
side of guns can be discharged at mo-
ment's notice. The more intelligent
criminals are not employed upon these
works, but the stupidest Of the Kaffirs,
and usually those who have been SEN
fenced for life are chosen, that no plan
of the defense may be betrayed to an
enemy.
Convicts not employed upon public
works are rented out to farmers, who
much prefer convicts to the natives, for
the convicts have no opportunity to loaf
or get drunk. The usual contract stipu-
lates fuel, water and shelter from the
farmer, and from 36 to go cents a day
for each convict, while the government
furnishes guards sufficient to watch the
men and provides clothing and food.
The prisoners are divided into three
classes, signifying the time they have
been incarcerated and their behavior.
Those of the first class, known as the
penal class, are marked by a black band
around their hats. All prisoners upon
entrance are placed in this class, and re-
main there three months, but IL they
show a docile spirit at the end of that
time they are transferred into the pro-
baton class, which is marked by a yell
low band. They remain in this class
eight months, when, if, their conduct
is praiseworthy, they a1 transferred to
the good conduct class, marked by a red
band; here they remain until the end
of their sentence. There are no paroles.
No class is allowed TO mix with any
other class, but each class has an oppor-
tunity after working hours for social
intercourse among its own members.
They are housed in wards. and no cells
are used except for discipline.
Gaming and flogging are sometimes
practiced with obstinate criminals, but
no official of the prison is allowed to
pronounce either of these sentences;
they must come from the prison magis-
trate, who visits the prison once a week.
When an inmate is caned he is strapped
with his face downward and is then
given IS strokes across the feshy part
OF the legs. When a convict is fogRed
he is tied by the hands to triangle
above his head and given from IS to so
strokes across the back with a CATO
nine-tails. The natives seem to be able
to endure any amount OF bodily suffer-
ing, and sometimes will laugh while re-
ceiving their iogging, and in a number
of instances have danced a kind Of
"sbindig" as soon as released from tor
ture. Any prisoner who thinks that he
has a grievance has an opportunity once
a week to complain to the visiting mag
istrate.
The most remarkable native ever i'm
prisoned there was the son of famous
inland chief who had been educated at
Oxford university. After receiving the
best that England could give he re-
turned to the Transvaal and became a
royal interpreter at one of the impe-
rial courts. But when war broke out
between his father and the English he
deserted the court, snatched up his long
neglected club and became the leader
of his fathers tribe in the insurrection
He was captured and thrown into this
prison under sentence Of Is years.
but was released at the end Of FIVE, and
returned to his tribe in the interior.
He is a man of fine culture and keeness
intellect and a natural leader of men,
but chooses to follow the wild, barbaric
instinct.
This prison is also the home of a
young man who went to Cape Town
with Bible under his arm and a sub
lime faith in his heart and a passionate
desire to bear the light of the Gospel to
that isolated mining camp. He was the
secretary of the Young Mems Christian
association in Cape Town. and was AeId
in the very highest esteem. He had a
wonderful influence over young men
throughout the city and the colony. On
account of the confidence of the people
in his integrity he was elected secretary
of the Cape Town Building and Loan as
sociation, which annually manipuIates
an immense amount of money. He de-
vised a shrewd scheme of bookkeeping
whereby he could conceal his embezzle-
ments, and succeeded in stealing 1885,
900. He 10 doing seven years for his
crime.
There is also the son Of an English
nobleman who was convicted for be-
traying some political information. A
well-known public official who was
comptroller Of the post Office and had
been an English captain of volunteers,