Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1901-03-21
A DEATH TRAP.
That's What c. F. Baylee Calls the Coun.
ty Jal-Damp Walls and Lice Among
the Comforts,
to the Poor.

The Comforts.
G. F. Baylee, for some time employed
in Fl. E. Cox's shop on Russell street,
was committed to the county Jail at
Newfane, November 8, 1900, being held
for the grand jury on the charge of
adultery. He was released March 10,
1901, we understand because no case
could be made out against him. Having
heard that Mr.. Baylee was sick while
confined in Jail, and that he attributed
his sickness to the unsanitary condition
of the Jail representative of this paper
called on him at the Commercial House
Monday and asked him what the facts
were. We give Mr.. Baylee's story below
without comment, without undertaking
to vouch for the truth or falsity of any
of the statements. He said:
when / was committed November s
l was in good health and doing a full
days work right along. 1 weighed 149
pounds. When was released March 10
/ could not speak aloud, was too weak
to walk and weighed 119 pounds. had
been in the Jail two weeks when con-
tracted severe cold which soon de-
veloped into pneumonia and / was con-
fined to my bed during the remaining
three months of my confinement.
my sickness was caused by the miser-
able condition of the Jail. This Jail is
solid stone work, walls, floor and ceiling
26 inches in thickness. In the basement
are the dungeons, on the ground floor on
which l was is a large room just back of
the hotel and two cells, and on the floor
above are two cells for women prisoners.
The cells are 6x1O feet and the only heat
comes from stove in the center of the
room in 'front.' Each cell has slot
3x16 inches uncovered, opening out
doors, and one of them has window
2x2 feet, also uncovered except by bars.
Very little of the heat from the one
stove gets into the cells. The stone
walls are reeking with moisture and
mold and during the time l was the sick
est visitors with overcoats on found it
too cold and damp to sit in my cell long.
half cord or more of wood covered
with ice and snow would be piled into
the front room, with the result that the
floor would be partly covered with water
and add greatly to the dampness.
sit is the custom to house tramps in
the cells and the beds are literally alive
with lice. But in that respect the coun-
ty Jail is no worse than the Bellows
Falls cooler. That is full of
vermim and l am not sure but l carried
liberal crop to Newfane. At any rate /
had to throw away two sets of under
wear Prisoners are given the run of the
front room from A. NJ. to 7.30 P. NJ, but
during the night are locked into reeking
cells with practically no heat. The beds
were good; the only trouble was
that they were not taken care of. My
bed had an under sheet only, and l lay
on one sheet for five weeks without
changing.
1.-THE food was the leavings from the
hotel table and all that six men would
get for meal was brought in on a tin
pie plate jumbled together like chicken
feed. When prisoners become too raven
Gus they sometimes pay so cents for a
square meal with the result that their
regular allowance will be cut down.
Jailer kilburn is an excellent fellow, and
does all that he can for the comfort of
the prisoners. The shame is that men
who are held on suspicion only are COM
PEELED to pass weeks and months in a
hole unfit for cattle, where the damp
ness is continual menace to health and
the ventilation is awful. Why, the stencil
in those cells most of the time is enough
to drive man crazv''