The evening times., 1899-06-19
whom 81 had been tried and 14s were

| whom 81 had been tried and 1i6 wer(
awaiting trial.
These prisoners are generally as vel
kept as their condition and the large mum.
Der of prisoners confined therein will per.
nit, with the exception of the prison Al
San Juan. which is better fitted for tn
care and confinement of prisoners than any
other. 1t is In a building which is large
roomy. and airy. and capable Of being kept
in the best condition of any upon the Isl
and and yet we found 1t filthy. vile. and
unwholesome. 1t was reeking with foul
odors. and was too disgusting for descrip-
Ition. There were plenty of prisoners con-
fined within it who could have been utii-
lied in keeping it clean. We made COM
plaint to the alcade Of San Juan. under
| whose authority we ascertained 1t TO be,
and were informed by him that the person
in charge would be removed and better
condition of affairs should prevail. This
prison should not be mistaken for the per-
itentiary Of San Juan, which is clean and
| well Kept, and which Is under the SUPER
vision of the military authorities.
Upon the attention Of General Henry
being directed to the condition OF the pris-
ons and their inmates. he called upon his
| secretary Of justice, Senior Herminio DiaZ,
to know why SO many were confined with
| out trial and upon such aimsy and preten-
| tious charges. and why the courts did not
| dispose Of the same. He answered as fol-
lows. among other reasons: I assure you
on my word of honor that / have the alb
solute certainty that in the prisons of Por-
to Rico there is no prisoner who should
not be there Notwithstanding this assur-
ance Of the secretary OF justice and the
pledging OF his word of honor that the
prisons of Porto Rico contained no prison.
er who should not be there, wholesale de-
livery Of prisoners from these same pris-
ons was at once begun, and We were in
| formed that of the 222 prisoners confined
| in the Jail at Aguadilla 200 were released,
| and OF the eighty confined at Humacao
| sixty were at once released. and the work
of emptying the prison pens was still un-
der way. by arbitrary military orders, and
not through the secretary of justice or the
| slow methods OF the courts.
notwithstanding this wholesale delivery
from the prisons of Porto Rico, in conse-
quence of and following the examination of
| the Insular Commission, the same system
! which filled them is again under way. and
| We notice the following extract from an
| official communication from Capt. Francis
W. Mansfield. most excellent an efficient
officer. now in command at Aguadilla,
under date Of April %. 1899, as follows:
The number of prisoners has increased
from twenty to forty five during the past
two weeks. / don't know the reason.
The Judge advocate general of the island
Major A. c. Sharpe, says: The increase
occurred after the Jail inspector left; the
decrease before he arrived Persons are
arrested without charges or complaints be-
ing made against them and thrown into
Jail to await the pleasure of persons whom
they do not even know. and many are ar
| rested upon anonymous complaints.
Mr.. Anciaux, the prison inspector. in
one of his reports. says: 1t will plainly be
seen that a good many of these cases are
based UPON anonymous complaints. or upon
some fiimsy fabric which will eventually
fall to pieces in the light of a trial by
competent court Judges of the first in
stance. upon the merest suspicion or the
flimsiest excuse. without open or public
complaint can send a man to jail. to be
kept at their will and pleasure. Even po-
licemen and officials can make arrests and
imprison without giving the cause of the
arrest and Imprisonment of the victim or
of the complaints against him. No bail
can be given as a matter of right. but is
subject to the whim or caprice of the mag
istrate who has the matter within his
jurisdiction. No law of habeas corpus is
known. and one charged with crime has
no remedy save TO wait the slow process
of the courts. which are only other instru-
ments of delay and injustice. The Spanish
idea of criminal jurisprudence holds that
all persons accused of crime are guilty and
should be treated as conyicts until they
establish their innocence, and the con-
demned and the accused are all kept in
one common herd. The American idea is
hat all men are innocent until proven
guilty. and hence are entitled to fair and
Just treatment at the hands OF the law
Another matter of importance in con-
nection with these jails and the incarcera-
ton for such long periods therein Of pris-
oners charged with petty crimes and await
ing trial is the expense entailed upon the
taxpayers in supporting the same, and
feeding. caring fer. and guarding this great
body of prisoners, who should have re-
ceived speedy trials and been punished or
released. This expense amounts to thou
sands upon thousands of dollars, and must
necessarily be paid by the people Of the
island who are entitled to be relieved from
the unnecessary and unreasonable burden.
Another matter in connection with this
incarceration Of prisoners which has come
to our notice is the fact that certain prison
boards are being paid for the keeping Of
prisoners at so much per capita per day.
and we find these items so charged in the
reports of these prisons. This is clearly a
matter of speculation, and it is a notorious
fact that these boards do not expend all
money so charged for the feeding Of pris-
oners. but pocket the balance.
AS this business is quite profitable,
these public officials are not s3lic-to for
the release of the prisoners, and are WILL
ing that the public should be heavily bur-
dened with jails crowded with untried PER
son so long as they are receiving the bece-
fits which accrue from their impr sonment.
That such course of official ROBBERY
should come to an end is unauestionci,
ana that the people should be relieved or
this double burden is evident.
Another cause of complaint arises frCsa
the fact that many persons find con6ne-
uent in these prisons not too burde1some
and undesirable, and frequently petty. cf-
fenses are committed for the especial iur-
rose Of seeking place OF board and
keep free from the labors Necessary 10 s.
cure a livelihood, and thus they become
charges upoa the community.
Such cases should not be encouraged. and !
a swift melting out of some just AMI prop
er punishment would quickly relieve the
people from the unnecessary eXpeLs S at
tendant upon the Imprisonment.
This is but partial report of the prison |
abuses that exist under Spanish rule.
DIED OF a BROKEN HEART.