The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-07-29
"A Tagging IN PRISON"
IL Is simply UnaIIoyed Hades, Ac-
cording to one Who Has Reen There.
urrO,1, xi,n Stro, Ctno Iortson Dor1. CO.


of Hope.
The ameIioration of prison discipline
in the last twenty years has been so
marked that even those persons who
rarely observe anything have noted
the change. The abolition of the con-
tract system, although not general in
the United States. is practically so in
exists in any European country. It's
abuses were so varied and incurable
that it was necessary to root it out
entirely, and this has been done, ex-
oept in few states in the South where
the social conditions are such as 10
prevent any radical changes unless
pushed with persistent effort. That
was the most important step made in
prison reform, and its good effects
upon the prisoners are so obvious that
they cannot be questioned. There is,
however, little harmony of method in
the prisons of different states, or even
in the prisons of the same state the
the author, for the most part, of it's
body of rules and regulations, although
in New York long step in the central
ization of authority has been made,
and in the similar methods of admins
tration.
1t is possible that, with the frequent
improvements made in the condition of
conVicts in recent years, those who
profit by them may be interested in
the methods employed in Great Britain,
where the discipline is stern and UNI
yielding, and every day of a sentence
has twenty-four hours of time in it.
1t has fallen to my lot to do long
Tagging" in a public works prison In
England, and the experience has no
alternating memory. 1t was sin1uly
unalloyed Hades. On conviction and
sentence the prisoner is taken to a
county prison to do nine months of
separate confinement. This is spent in
a large cell, well warmed, lighted and
ventilated, without a bed for the first
three months, with a bed two nights
in the week for another three months,
and then with increasing frequency,
until last month a bed, with sheets,
rug and pillow, is given every night.
The work is sewing bags and weaving,
and the task is as much as a green
hand can do with industry. The food
40 dihPlCt buL uilN lSus lWGHly lUIcS
ounces of bread daily, made from un-
bolted flour. A pint of Cruel for break
fast and supper, based upon four
ounces Of oatmeal; and a week, and
three ounces of meat for the other
three days, with eight ounces of pota-
toes daily. The food is clean, served
in the cell hot, and is ample for man
not working in the open air.
No one except the keeper comes into
the cell. The governor of the prison
passes the open door daily, and the
doctor comes, if summoned. No books
except Bible, hymn book and prayer
book are given and there is no varia-
ton in this awful period, An which
many men break down physically or
mentally. The keeper is not allowed to
speak to prisoner except in the brief
est terms, and then only to issue an
order. 1 spent six months in this sep
arate confinement without hearing a
human voice except at church service;
and the whole nine months of "separ-
ates" without speaking a word TO a
fellow prisoner. The intention of this
imprisonment is to give the prisoner a
realizing sense of his position, and 1t
fetches him every time by it's cold
calm. silent. unchanging oppression.
The Separates" being finished, the
prisoner is transferred to the public
works prison, of Which there are now
four in England-Dartmoor Portland
Parkhurst and Borstal--with a female
prison at Ay1eSbury, in Oxfordshire
Men who were engaged in the same Of
Tense, or Brothers, are not sent to the
same prison.
The transfer is made in prison car,
which is simply an exclusive carriage,
and the traveller is not made the
H1yrafnhad vii Of
Arriving on the public works the pris-
oner is assigned to outside labor and
kept at it. There is an average of one
warder or assistant warder to ever
ten men, besides battalion of the
Royal Infantry for guards at each
station. These warders are long-ser-
vice men with first-class discharges
from the army, navy or marine corps,
in which school they have learned that
an order from a superior authority Is
sacred They are forbidden to construe
any offense they may observe in any
other way than as a subject of report,
and report means punishment in 999
cases out OF 1000.
Punishment consists of confinement
in separate cells, light and warm, with
one pound of bread and one pint OF
water daily, loss of class, privileges of
writing or receiving letters or visits.
For assaults on officers the penalty Is
fiogging with either the cat or birch,
not more than thirty-nine strokes of
either; but no man fails to be taken
in the hospital who has received twenty
cuts of the cat. The work is redeem
ing marsh land, building fortresses,
quarrying stone or cutting 1t for build
ing purposes. But the days work,
even in summer, is rarely more than
seven hours. Meals are taken in the
cells, and the food Is not sufficient.
There are no fat men in penal servi-
tude. IL is prescribed to the fraction
of an ounce, and if the prisoner feels
that he has not his allowance, he can,
at all times, have II weighed or meas
ured in his own presence.
AS his sentence wears away the pris-
oner passes into different classes, which
are shown by the facings on his jacket,
with increased privileges; and the last
year of his sentence, If he has beeIk a
good conduct man throughout. may be
spent in the special class, which gives
him a blue dress, visits every two
months, and more frequent letters. The
burden Of penal servitude falls in with
the perpetual supervision. which never
relaxes. No man can go out of sight
of the officer In charge of his party
nor pass behind him. He must not
talk, laugh, nor even smile. He is not
allowed any other article in his pos
session than handkerchief. He can
have no paper nor pencile, but one
piece Of soap, one towel, one wooden
spoon, one plate, tin cup and wash
basin. He must be silent. obedient and
although the rules do not say so. ne