The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-08
BY FRANK G. CARPENTER.


 gave each man certain fixed rations, but the jailer could furnish less or more as he pleased.
 Mukdens New Prisons.
 The prisons I have visited here are in costly buildings covering acres, and I found the criminals treated like men, not beasts. It was through the courtesy of Liang Yu Eo, the counselor of the vice. roy, that I was able to inspect them. Mr. Liang is a graduate of Yale college, and as such is glad to have America know what his country is doing along the lines of our civilization. He sent two English speaking Chinese officials with me, and a director of the penitentiary accompa- nied Us as we went through the wards. We visited two prisons during the morn- ing, and in one found 370 convicts work ing away at all kinds of labor
 This latter prison covers about four acres. It is surrounded by wall of gray brick 15 feet high, and it's front gate is guarded by two si&-foot Manchu soldiers who presented arms as we en- tered The buildings are large, one story structures made of gray brick and heavy tiled roofs. They are so built that they form a series of wings running out from a central point like the spokes of a wheel so that the guards standing at the hub can command four or five aisles on each side and the architecture alto-
 
 prisons at home.
 These buildings are situated in courts, one of which we entered as we came through the gate. At the same time gang of 75 convicts marched in to take their afternoon meal. They had been working on the roads outside the prison I asked the director to stop them in the , sunlight. that I might make a snapshot with my camera. He did so and I had good chance to study them. The con- victs are tall burly fellows, weighing I venture, one-third more than the aver age Chinese of America. They all wear queues and their faces are about the same as those of the Tartars l see on the streets The prison dress is of jacket or coat which falls to the hips, and a pair of thick trousers, which look as though they were made of quilted comforts such as we use on our beds The material Is wadded cotton. The col or is light gray, except on the back, where a cross of dead black is painted Each man wears shoes of pigskin, and his legs are so chained together than he can take but one short step at time. As looked I asked the director to point out some of the bad cases He replied:
 You can tell them by their collars. You see the most of the collars are or the same gray color as the rest of the garment: but some are red, black and blue. Those black collared fellows are each in for 30 years. The convict wear ing the bllie collars are In for 20 years; those wearing red, for ten, while the gray have still shorter sentences. The most of our men have been convicted of robbery and assault with intent to Kill. The nurderers we have In another pris- on, which has just been constructed. Convicts at Dinner. Aa41. ,~,oIyipG fha nipt11ra I followed the conyicts on into the wards and saw them eating AS I looked the director told me that he gave them two meals a day. consisting of a breakfast at and a dinner at g. Said he
 ."The men rise at 5:30 a. m., and stop work at 5 in the evening. It costs us about or 6 cents of your money day to feed each of them, and we are now spending fifty Mexican dollars or about s2O in gold, per day for the food we are serving to the 370 men we have here. We make the prisoners pay for their meals by their work. We allow each about 10 cents a day and of this 6 or cents is taken out for his board and clothes. The rest he can put in his pocket. Oh, assure you, they are treated quite we'll" While we waited the food was brought in and served to the prisoners, who hao seated themselves in the aisles as they u. man took from his back little brown canvas knapsack, containing all the ln- diyidual furniture he has for his prison life This consists of foldlng calhp stool four inches long; pair or Woooen chopsticxs and two porcelain poWis' eacli of which holds half a pint. At a gwen signal the men pulled the stools rom their knapsacks and set them down on the floor. and at second signal they ar ranqed themselves on tho stools Tn two long aisles facing each other. NOW gang of convicts who acted as wateIs brought in great water-tight paskets eI1ad with steamed sorghum seed ana vegetable soup. The mile. "as vas ho,v,s first, It was shoveled out into powis rn1ch like wash basins, and one or these waa placed on the floor in each group of four men. There was spoon III the basin and each convict filled ms DOT, celain bowl. At the same time a oowi of the soup was handed around, eac, man helping himself using his other powl for inc nurpose In eating, the men nicked some of the vegetables out or the som with their chopsticks, and, mixing then, with the sorghum, raised the po"i to their mouths and scraped the looo in with the chopsticks They seeineu ,o enjoy the meal, and l was tolo that It was better than they hao peem Sar toned to before they were caught. oor eh1lm seed thus cooked is the chief food of Manchuria, holding the same place that bread and meat have with us.
 A Look at the Cells.
 After this I took walk through the wards and examined the cells. They are about 12 feet square and well ar ranged as to ventilation and light. They are heated by the kangs upon which the men sleep The fire is put into hoie at the lower front of each kang' and an armful of straw suffices to keep one room warm the whole night Five pris- oners are kept in each room.
 asked as to punishments, and was told that the barbarous customs had been done away with, although the convicts are still bambooed on their bare skins. For serious offenses dark cells are used, hut the director says that 1t Is not al lowed 10 keep a man in one of these Tor more than five days at time. At my reouest he showed me a dark cell ana shut me inside The cell was or trian- pular shape with a base just large enough for the door, and the two long sides meeting in an acute angle at the onnosite end. There Is room for man ta lie down upon the floor, but he could