The sun., 1908-05-10
IN A PRISON OF JERUSALEM
AN EXPERIENCE WHICH IN
VOLVED NO LITTLE DANGER,
Fer the HOrds Of Criminals Was Loose In
the Courtyard and Demanded Back
SheeSh Ike RavenOus NOlyes-DrAgO.
mans Ruse Alone Provided = Way Out.

OheeSh uke RavenOus NOlyes-DraEO.
mans Ruso Alone Provided . Way Out.
A page Of experiences Of a Turkish prison
IL added 10 the long record Of prison In
teriors by William oBrien, ~ p, In the
WeStM'nter Gazette!
Our excellent dragoman, Alexander, hnd-
ing that his world OF show places In Jerlsa-
lem, inexhaustibe az 1t seemed, was pan
ming out and that we were beginning to
prefer TO revisit the old scenes all by our
selves TO muse In the delicious fragrance
Of the Franciscans' Garden Of Gethsemane
or in the gloomy depths Of the Valley Of
Jehoshaphat, undisturbed by the chatter
to which the best Of guides are prone, dis
covered for himself and us a new world to
conquer, says his account
He gave us TO understand that by some
unheard Of devices OF diplomacy between
the Governor General and the Consul and
himself 1t might be possible TO arrange a
viRit TO the Jail In which the most eminent
murderers Of the sge-none OF them rank
ing fewer than twenty years penal servi-
tude, some Of them crimson with the blood
Of half dozon different victims and some
choice spirits actually under sentence OF
hanging immured. In his own eX-
perence the privilege had been accorded
only once before. and that was eighteen
yeas ago. He intimated that for all
practical purposes Of the tourist world we
should be In position TO say with the
Ancient Mariner;
We were the hrst who ever burst
Into that silent sea.
The distinction did not tempt us, but the
chance OF comparing the interior Of Turk
ish Jail with the interior OF Holloway and
Kilmanham and Tullamore and many
others, Irish and English, did. As matter
Of fact tho presentation Of my card de-
molished all difficulties as, IL must be grate-
fully acknowledged, II did everywhere In
the land Of the genial, II purchasable and
unspeakable, Turk
The penal prison Is situate In the heart
Of the Mohammedan quarter, in street
Of orumbling magnihcence, and OF precious
Moorish stalactite arches hiding In mys-
terious shadows, such as an artist would
almost welcome penal seryitude 10 be in.
oarcerated in, could he only be assured OF
irnbuing his work with It's mystical OBJ
sairites. The only thing which distn-
guished the prison from any OF the other
tiImbledown rookeries, or latticed harems,
Of the street was a group OF unwashed
soldiers who hovered sleepily about the
entrance and whose rifles we're the only
part that seemed 10 have enjoyed the
care Of a paternal Government.
On the opposite side OF the street stood
the penitentiary. in which some hundreds
OF the minor fry OF the criminal classes
purged their peccadiloes; but having the
tall poppies Of the assassin world 20 choose
from the prison in which the common or
garden criminal wasted his sweetness only
Interested ,us because 1t contained the
Governors house. House, did ! say Our
worthy Governors quarters we're confined
TO one crazy room on the level OF the street.
his escritoire, surmounted by gallery OF
photos Of eminent miscreants Of his ac-
uuaintance. lying in the only corner where
any serious amount Of sunlight penetrated,
and his he'd modestly slowed away in the
corner opposite, while his official majesty
was hedged around with so little ceremony
that a one eyed thief q soldier and beggar
woman stepped in friendly like on the
street 10 join In our conversation. The
Governor. like every other Turkish ohhcial
had the pleasure Of meeting, was a model