The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1899-12-02
ALL ARE WELCOME
COSMOPOLITAN JAIL OF CAPE
& TOWN.
It Holds 1000 Criminals from the Ends
of the Earth-How the Prison II
Managed. and the Life the Inmates /
Lead. S#,5w *5l5s5s83ss

Among the many interesting things
in Cape Town, says Michigan man
recently back from South Africa, is an
immense prison, where almost every
nation of the globe has representatives.
Within the prison. there are more than
1000 convicts of nearly every size and
color. There are American miners and
sons of the English aristocraey;;
French, Italians, Russians and Jews;
there are famous chiefs of the African
tribes captured during the Transvaal
rebellion, and horde Of Kaffirs, inn
prisoned there for every crime in the
catalogue. Many of the most intelli-Z
gent prisoners are serving time for
political crimes. England and her coll
onies never allow any sentiment re-
garding family name or wealth to make
a successful appeal for leniency to- g
ward those who have been traitors to Il
their country. The labor in which the
convlcts are employed most contin-
uously is in building forts and fortif-
cations. On the hillside 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 stationed to man 3
the guns, but each gun is connected by
an electric wire to an instrument I'M
the fort. This whole hillside Of guns.
can be discharged at moments no-s
tlce. The more intelligent criminals
are not employed upon these works, #
hI1f h. 81, &c
ually those who have been sentenced
Tor life are chosen, that no plan of the
defense may be betrayed to an enemy. i.
ConVlcts not employed upon public
works are rented out to the farmers,
who much prefer convicts to the ma
tlves, for the convicts have no oppor-.
tun1ty to loaf or get drunk. The usual
contract st1pulates fuel, water and
shelter from the farmer, and from
thlrty-six to sixty cents day for each
convict, while the government fur
n1shes 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. i
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 remain there three months, but il !.
they show a docile spirit at the end
of that time they are transferred into
the probation class, which is marked 4
by yellow band. They remain in this 6
class eight months, when, if their con-
duct is praiseworthy, they are trans
ferred to the good conduct class,
marked by a red band; here they re-
main until the end of their sentence.
There are no paroles. No class is al
lowed to mix with any other class, but
each class has an opportunity, after
working hours, for social intercourse
among its own members. They are
housed in wards, and no cells are used s
except for discipline. Prisoners who
observe the rules are kindly treated
and we'll fed in quantity and quality,
but they have not many special S
Their breakfast consists Of Z
'mealie porridge," coffee and bread;
heir dinner of soup, meat and bread,
and their supper consists of bread &:
alone; but the natives lock upon this
liet as perpetual feast as compared
with what they are accustomed to out
side of prison walls. The dungeon is
never used, but solitary confinement is &
sometimes resorted to with vicious
if they are sentenced to more
han three days. confinement they are I
allowed two hours solitary exercise
outside the cell each day.