The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-03-16

expect even in Spain. The largest
island contains the town Of Zaffarines,
which up to six o'clock in the morning
is absolutely silent, the ruins and still
ness suggesting town which has
been deserted after a disaster. There
are not even dogs OF birds. At six
o'clock. however, at the thin tolling Of
the bell of La Conquista, a tower
which is found at the centre and sum-
nit of the island, the doors of the pris-
on open, the stores and the heretofore
deserted streets suddenly become ami
mated. For ten minutes there is life
in the streets, the prisoners scattering
iii every direction. then they disappear
and the town again looks like a dead
city. The life, however, has been trans
ferred to the taverns and the novels;
the rooms of the prison are empty,
but the wine shops are full, each group
Of prisoners having its favorite tavern,
although many have not attained this
degree of discrimination and visit all
impartially. Upon reaching the tavern
many prisoners install themselves in a
corner from which they do not move
until it is time to return to the prison.
PRISONERS WITH LIBERTY.
There is no doubt that this island is
the paradise of criminals. Here the
prisoners have absolute liberty to de-
vote themselves to sloth or drunken
ness, they may promenade freely in
the open air. play at cards, talk, drink.
assault or even stab one another.
Some few work, carrying water, per-
forming crude form Of masonry, etc.,
while not a few Of them manifest by
their yawning that they are extremely
bored. 1t is needless to say that every
lazy. quarrelsome, drinking gambling
individual could easily accommodate
himself to such a life, for here he is
in his element. At ZaffarineS he does
not have to battle for subsistence since
he is clothed, nourisned and lodged at
the expense of the state, which does
not interfere with his actions and
leaves him free to act as he pleases.
A single liberty is denied the prisoner
and that is to leave the island; but
this is little desired. The boarders of
Zaffarines have also a douro in the
bottom Of their pocket, and for those
who are not satisfied with the infected
mess served by the prison there is
always the table d'hote at which many
feasts take place.
CARRYING OF ARMS COMMON.
The carrying of arms is an almost
universal practice, and there are few
prisoners who have not in their linen
belts a large knife. This latter is not
the traditional navajo which bends in
the middle and opens with a spring,
but a large. solid, pointed knife, and
a man who has Eot his herramiento is
not a man at all. Although upon his
entrance into the prison the criminal is
searched, the confscation Of knife
is rare occurrence. 1t is possible
that at the moment of crossing the
prison threshold the criminal has not
his knife, but it is certain that he does
not go to sleep without his armed
friend" The question naturally arises,
Where are these weapons obtained?
The answer is easy; they are obtained
from the keepers themselves. Author
ity in the prison of zaffarines.is merely
a fiction, the true masters of the place
being the prisoners, to whom every
thing is subordinated. The captain of
the place, if he had to live on his
salary. could not exist, therefore he in
stalls a tavern and the prisoners make
him rich. In this tavern there are sold.
besides liquors of all sorts, knives. re-
volvers. cartridges, etc., the captain
being the one chiefly interested in the
multiplication of thefts, for the pro-
duct of these goes to swell his bank
account.
JAILERS AS RUM-SELLERS.
Each Of the two captains in the
place is the owner Of two establish
ments at which they have made for
tune. One of them married the daugh-
ter of criminal, his son is an officer,
and his daughter is about to marry one
of the officers of the place. This is 4
family of the most eminent respecta-
bility. the flower Of the high life Of
Zaffarines. In 1901-1902, at head of
one of this officials taverns, there was
installed one of the orderlies who was
q part of the garrison of the place,
and who was under the command of
the military son, and although the
other 'tavern-keeping official recently
died, his rum shops are kept by an in
fantry sergeant. A fifth tavern be-
longs to a prisoner condemned for two
homicides. and the two others are the
property of free men who have no
position in the prison.
The penalty of hard and forced labor
does not exist in the Spanish penal
code. and in the penal settlements
only those work who wish to. At
Ceuta the workshops have a special
organization, but at Zaffarines and
other places the work is less we'll re-
gulated. the only apparent distribution
of the men being into brigades. The
workman obtains q minimum of thir.
teen centimes and a maximum of one
peseta a day, and for man who has
no family to support, no lodging to
Day, the money earned in the penal
settlement is really a surplus which
few free workmen are able to lay
by. Formerly the management of the
settlement made certain deductions,
for example, those men who earned
less than twenty-five cents receiving