The Irish standard., 1906-06-23
They Were Treated With Greater Severity
and Cruelty Even Than Persons
Convicted of Murder
Although Davitt Was Good Conduct Pris-
oner He Was Not Allowed to See
Friend During His Term.

height from six feet to five feet ten
and half inches in ten months. Owing
I" insufficient clothing ana bedding in
the winter months the cold of the stone
il"orcd cell was numbing. The work
to which he was set owing to his
physical disability in the loss of his
right arm WAS very distressing. When
! inuuirrd,' says Mr. Davitt, ION be-
ing first ordered to pick my coir (huslt
OF cornanuD or oakum, how l could
possibly do ii With 4 limited number of
lngcrS at my disposal. was told bS
the Wartcr that he had known several
'hl"krs' with but one hand who had
managed to pick onkum with their
teeth. AS declined to use my teeth
I" tear old rope t" pieces. | had to do
passed without exchanging Il word with
n single human being. The prison
regime was as follows: l'reukfast
eight ounces of bread and thrcc-u,r,r-
meat includimg honc). six ounces of
bread ANA ~ pound of potatoes; one
day IL week Il pint OF shin of beef soup
IN Lieu of meat ANA on another one
pound of s,lct pudding in lieu of meat
Dinner ON Sunday, twelve ounces of
bread. four ounces of cheese and IL
pint OF water For supper each night
six ounces OF bread ana Il pint of
"skilly" supposed to contain two ounces
OF oatmeal. An application for more
food WAS refused. Milbank is within
Tie sound big Ben, of the house of
parliament. ANA referring To the CHM
ing of the great bell each quarter of
an hour night ANA day, Mr. Davitt
says: 'rhc weird chant of Wcstmin-
and recall that period of my imrris-
nnmcnt when first had to inpl,rc The
Divine Providence to preserve my red
son and save me from the madness
which Scmcd inevitable through incr-
tai and corporal torturcs combinr!."
1t was in this prison that Edward Dur-
fy died, that Richard Burke and MAJ
tin 1IHnly Carey were rendered tenn
porhrily insane. ana that Thomas
Ahrarnc first showed symptoms of
madness. "Irnctical jokes" were Of
ten played by the wardcrs on the un-
fortunate victims of their cruelty On
the 25th of May, 1871, Mr. Davitt was
told by II warCcr in Ncwgntc that he
was pardoned. In the cvcnn., he wa:
taken towards the entrance gate, and
seeing tw" wardcrs waiting for him,
The truth dawncd upon hin--lle was
to be taken TO Il worse place Dart
moor. IF the whole UniteG Kingdom
were searched through" says Mr..
Davti. for the purpose of discover
ing n place whcrcon TO erect Il p:iS-
on, with a view of utilizing the risols
OF ~ severe climate, damp fogs more
than average rainfall ana Il length
encd winter season, with I'LL that was
dcsolate and uninviting IN the aspect
of nature to assist in the runish,nenr
of prisoners. no more ,uitabla place
than Dartmoor could be found" Dart
moor is Il prison situated on the Dev-
onshirc moors. For six years and six
months Mr. Davitt was confined in il.
He was confined first in the penal cClla
places set apart or incorrigible pl:s-
oncrs, in which it was almost impos-
sibe to get Il slcep-and for fiv. years
was kept in the iron cells These iron
cells are seven feet i'm length, four feet
Widc and seven feet in height, built
of corrugated iron, with u slate floor
The only ventilation OF these cells is an
| opening about three inches wide at the
bottom of each door, The heat in
| summer is foul and unbea:slble as from
| evening to morning, for any pl,posc
whatever, prisoners were not to leave
| them. Mr.. Davitt, Sergeant Mccarthy
and others of the prisoners had to so
| on their knees and put their mouths
to the openings at the foot of the doors
in order to get a little air tc breathe.
| It was impossible to read in most of
| the cells. even in the daytime, and
| when book was given him Mr. Davitt
| had to lie full length on the cell floor
| and place his book under the cell door