The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-26
CON CORNING fgZ PRISONERS
SOME OF THEM TAME THEIR
UTENSILS


! paid a surprise visit to the prisons
Of Fec, and, probably for the first time,
a European has been admitted within
the gates. Having obtained permits
sion from the sultan personally, l left
no time for any temporary cleaning of
the prisons but proceeded at once to-
the Basha of the city and thence to
the city prison itself. The first visited
was situated in Old Fee, and in it the
better class of inhabitants are confined,
chiefly debtors and offenders under the
"Shera" or civil law.
This prison is divided into parts,
each consisting of large courtyard,
paved in concrete and surrounded by
an arched arcade. The prisoners SEEM
ed all to be tolerably well-to-do per-
sons, and appeared in good health. The
government supplies such as are in ne
cessity with two small loaves Of bread
a day, but there is only one man who
was drawing these ratiOns, the rest
subsisting upon food brought them
from their own houses. AS they are
one and all inhabitants of the town,
this does not mean any particular
hardship, and upon my questioning
them they replied that they Infinitely
preferred being fed from their own
homes TO being made dependent upon
rations of bread. All seemed supplied
with every necessity, and not a few
with considerable comfort. They are
allowed to bring their carpets and bed
ding into prison. together with cooking
utensils, bra2iers, etc. The supply of
fresh water is excellent, continual
stream flowing from pipe into tank
below, eWhile the sanitary arrange
ments were clean and devoid of any
unpleasantness. l tasted the drinking
water, which was cold and fresh the
same AS is supplied to the better class
of houses of the town.
This prison of Old Fee contains to-
day only forty-one prisoners, and
could easily hold 200 One man only
was in chains and fettered, and he
was criminal lunatic who had few
days ago attacked and injured prts-
on guard A mosque adjoins each
courtyard. and it. like the rest of the
building, is scrupuIously clean, and the
the center of each court being open to
the sky.
Having finished my inspection of the
prison of Old FeZ | proceeded direct to
New Fee, where there are two jails. In
these no alterations and improvements
have not as yet been undertaken, and
the prisons accordingly exist to-day In
almost the same condition as they have
done for years past. The "Dakakin'
prison, the first / visited, consists of
courtyard with no arcade, but having
large chambers leading off it. Two
hundred and seven prisoners are at
present confined here and a rough es~
innate Of the space led me to judge
that it ought not to contain more than
100. The open courtyard, though eX-
cellent in summer, Is entirely unpro-
tected from the rain, and the state of
the prisoners, who have pitched small
tents within 1.-THE tents evidently in
! capable of keeping out water-Inust be
deplorable in rainy weather, when the
ground becomes a morass of mud. To
, have recourse to the rooms leading OFT
the court is to many of the prisoners
almost impossible owing to the over
crowding. 1t is this prison which con-
tains the worst place that l saw in any.
Passing through an archway from the
c0urty ard one descends by steep,
broken descent into vast ~roOm, al
most entirely underground and pitch
dark. 1t is true that the prisoners who
inhabit this vast dungeon have free
access to the light and air Of the court
I!yard above, for the archWay contains
no door; but so crowded is the open
space above with tents that there is
little or no room for them, except in
walking about, and SO they are prac-
tically obliged to spend the greater
part of their time in this underground
chamber. AS is only natural, the pris-
Oners who have been longest confined
have taken up the best positions,
| changing about as fresh releases take
place, and the only hope of the inhabi-
tants Of the dark room for lettering
their condition Is by regular rotation.
Although the floor of this dungeon is
far below the level of the ground, its
high walls rising above the street out
side, could easily be pierced with WIN
doWs, which would render the most
miserable portion Of the prison hab-
table and fairly comfortable by the ad-
mittance of light and air. The prison.
ers informed me that, although damp
in winter rose from the soil, this under
ground room is warmer and healthier
than the court outside, which during
the whole winter is inches deep in
mud, A clean mosque adjoins the
courtyard, but the "tholba," or S.holars
among the prisoners, have taken up
their abode in it, and keep these COM
Portable quarters for themselves. Even
here there is overcrowding. The en-
tire prison is clean and the water sup
ply excellent There is a large tank
in all the prisons for the washing Of