The Washington times., 1903-03-29

! Congress at the session OF 1898 -9s
/ that $4,000 was appropriated iowa I'd
/ the erection OF new building. At the
I next session $50. 900 was added. and
/ preparations made to build One wing OF
/ the proposed building is now nearly fin
| ished and will be occupied some time
next summer. II will accommodate III
/ prisoners, and viii TO that extent re-
/ lieve the old building. II is expected
/ that Congress viii from time TO time
make further appropriations. and that
the other wing and the administration
building win be erected in succession
until the old building can be abandoned.
being entirely unnt Tor the purposes Of a
prison.
Like SaTdines in Box
TIE present male workhouse contains
tweaty-six rooms devoted 10 prisoners.
each about p feet by II feet. and II has
been necessary at times 10 house in
them nearly 400 men On the dav in
which the institution was visited there
were 81, and there is on the average
! 2sS. Under ordinary circumstances ,he
men are packed in like sardines in
box. On three sides OF the room arc as
many lines OF hunks arranged one above
another. From twelve to fifteen men
are Obliged 10 sleep in each OF these
rooms. Many times it is necessary 20
put two men in a bunk. where sleep IS
possible only by the greatest economy
of space
"Rustling" the Guards.
The crowded condition Of affairs ag-
gravates all the problems OF discipline
and the enforcement OF good order
among the men One OF the frequent
pastimes Of the prisoners is to catch
a single guard alone in the room and
without really assaulting him hustle
him about and rustic" him. as they call
II, until he is ready TO drop from ex-
haustion. or course such breaches OF
order are punished. but the rustlinc is
usually 50 conducted as to lay no one OF
the prisoners actually liable 10
charge. II is as diGlcuIt 20 nail the real
aggressor as 20 find a needle in a hay
NOW
Sometimes an All-ROund Scrap
The guards often find great difficulty
in taking one Of a mess out Of the room
when he has been mlsbehaving. His fell
lows nearly always lend a hand. AID a
general melee often follows in which
Two or three Of the guards are engaged
against roOmful OF prisoners At
such times the guards strike TO hurt.
and the prisoners often complain Of
Iwrr Al
cf a free-for-aI fight to cstat''-'- =
cipliae. There is always danger at such
time Of a general riot in the house. and
the guards are Obliged to be ever on
the alort 10 avoid such an outbreak.
Sent to the "Glad Room"
A method OF punishment was explain
ed TO the reporter made use OF IL the
Workhouse. which it was said uayer
failed 70 subdua the most refractory
prisoner. This method consists sim
ply in locking the offending man
in a bare room with only sufficient
food 10 sustain life until he succumbs
to authority. rhe room is a weII-light-
ed apartment. and through the windows
the prisoner can see what is going on /
outside. In the room there is nothing
in the way of furniture. The man can
sit or lie only on the hard floor. 4
cup OF water is the only object in the I
room on which TO rest his eye. The /
place is called the ''glad room" to dis /
tinguish Il from the dungeon" former !
ly in use. No man has been known 20 1
more than twenty-four hours in 1
the glad room. II was also said that I
when the prisoner comes out he is in /
variably docile Tor the remainder OF his /
sentence, and be tries TO avoid a re- !
currence Of the penalty.
Women Do the Scrubbing and Sewing. !
In the wonIen's worllhouse the prison /
ers are employed in sewing. scrubbing.
and cleaning about the buildings where /
ever work OF that kind is needed. The
Washington Asylum shelters in it's va
rious institutions nearly 500 persons
who are public charges. The clothing
OF these people requires a great amount
OF plain sewing. Female prisoners who
can sew are always assigned to that
work for norton or each day. They
run sewing machines and use the needle.
Less talented "omen are taken in
squads 10 the almshouse, the hospital
and other buildings to keep them clean
One OF the Illustrations represents a
lew Of the men working upon road
running through the asylum grounds
ma on the walk beside IL squad of the