The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-07-29
IN PRISON FOB DEBT.


1t is commonly supposed that II
these days there is no imprisonment
for debt in England, but the suppo
sition is wrong, both in substance
and in fact.
True, the term imprisonment fol
debt" is done away with, perhaps be
cause the debtor does not pay his deb
by going to prison, yet to prison hs
goes for it all the same, although il
the eyes and in the phraseology ol
the law he goes there for contempt
of court" whereas in 90 per cent. ol
such cases the poor defaulter suffers
his seven, fourteen or twenty eight
days "close confinement" solely be-
cause of his inability to pay the
monthly sum ordered by the judge OF
the magistrate.
'Nor, as already said, does the in
generation pay what is owing. For
if the creditor chooses to do so he can
have the debtor committed again i'm
mediately after one term has been
served and so on as long as the debtor
lives, because the judgment goes on
forever unless the amount of it be
paid.
But a second commitment on the
same judgment is very rare:
At the Jail in a certain eastern
county, where the writer of this arti-
Gle. spent fourteen days, he was not
received quite as a felon woald be,
but decidedly not as non-lawbreaker
should be received and treated.
The time of arrival was P. M.
He had no dinner, so after his pock-
cts had been emptied and the articles
tabulated he was given six ounces of
brown bread and four ounces of Har-
riet Lane'-i. e., timed Australian
mutton.
He was then put into receiving
CELL" eight feet by four feet six in
ches, with a concrete floor six feet
below the level of the earth and de-
cidedly damp, as was proved by the
wet salt kept there for the prisoner S
use.
Two hours later he was removed
to another receiving cell. this time
with wooden floor, twelve feet long
and six feet wide. At6o'clock there
came his supper, pint of weak oat-
meal Cruel and eight ounces Of the
ubiquitous brown bread-the staple
article of diet and the best.
His bed was two-inch thick mat
tress of cocoanut fiber laid on three
boards supported on crosspieces about
three inches from the floor.
The bedclothes were ample, but
the pillow and bed boards were of
decidedly hard nature.
At quarter to loud bell rang
to go to bed, and at o'clock the gas
Gin small hole in the wall and shut
out of the cell by piece of thick cor
rugated glass; was turned out. All
debtors get this treatment.
On the following morning at 7.3o
there came breakfast pint of weak
tea and eight ounces of the brown
bread. Then the doctor called.
"Are you all right?"
eyes, thank you" And the door
banged like a clap of thunder.
Then came the chaplain, clergy
man from outside, rather old, much
grabbed and certainly unfit for his
post. He snapped like terrier with
toothache, yet there was growl in
his snap.
"Umph! What are you here for?"
"Debt."
"Debt Umph! Why don't you
be honest and pay your debts 7"
And the door banged louder than
before. Finally came the governor
on his daily round of inspection.
A days routine was simply this:
Up at the ring of bell at 5.45, dress
in the dark; then came lights, beds
and bedding were put away, cells and
corridor swept and busted and cell
utensils cleaned at 7.3o breakfast,
each prisoner being then locked in
his cell till 8. 80, at which time all
were mustered and marched to chapel.
Then from chapel to cell again, to
be locked in until the governor made
his smart pace round of inspection,
saying as he sped past each cell door,
"Any complaints :" but one had to
be there week before the two words
became clear enough to be under
stood.
When he had gone all the debtors
were put into room to pick cocoa
nut fiber. Then came an hours ex-
ercise in large yard, after that din
ner and another locking in till I.3o
p. M, followed by another hours ex-
ercise and more fiber picking up to
$50. At 5.35 there was tea, when
each man was again locked in till 6
o'clock next morning.
The debtors were allowed to speak
to each other while at work and at
exercise they wore their own clothes
if they wished to; there was no
stipulated amount of work to be done,
and here ended the only practical
differences between them and the law
breakers in the other part of the
prison. 1.-PSarSon'S Weekly.
WHY A MINISTER RECEIVED NEW SHIRTS.
After enjoying tea at the parsonage
a certain minister said to his friends
as they were about to leave why