The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1911-06-02
XIII.

In tho very heart Of Manhattan, right
h the center Of the city's most con-
gestsd district, an imposing edifce
Of gray stone, medieval in its style Of
architecture. lowered high above all
the surrounding dingy Offices and
DQuafid tenements. tt massive con-
struction, steep walls. pointed turrets,
raised parapets and long. narrow. slit
alike windows. heavily barred, gave it
The aspect Of . feudal fortress incon-
gruously Get down plumb In the midst
p0f twentieth century New York. The
dull roar Of Broadway hummed q
'couple Of blocks away: in the distance
doomed the lofty. graceful spans Of
Brooklyn bridge. TANNED with it, op-
posing streams Of busy interurban
frame. The adjacent streets were
filled with the din Of hurrying crowds.
the rattle Of vehicles, the cries of ven.
doris. the clang Of street cars. the ughi
ugh! Of speeding automobiles. The &C
live. pulsating life Of the metropolis
surgsd like a rising flood about the
tall gray walls. yet there was no r.
,,sporse within. Grim. silent, sinister,
the city prison, popularity known as
~ths Tombs." seemed to have nothing
IN common with the daily activities of
the big town IN which. notwithstand-
Ing. It unhappily played IN important
part
The present prison Is q vastly DIFF
l1erent place to the old jail from
which It got its melancholy cognomen.
To-day there II not the slightest justi-
fcAtion for the lugubrfous epithet ap-
piled to 1t. but In the old days. when
mans inhumanity to man was less q
form Of speech than q cold. merciless
fart, the "Tombs" described an intol.
cradle and disgraceful condition fairly
accurately. Formerly the cells in
which the unfortunate prisoners were
confined while awaiting trial were sit
mated deep under ground and had mel
Gher light Q ventilation. A man
might Be euiltless Of the ofense with
which hs was charged. yet while
awaiting an opportunity to prove his
Innocence he was condemned to spend
days, sometimes months. In what was
oattle better than . grave. Literally.
No was buried alive. A party of for
bigners visiting tho prison one day
Mere startled 1t seeing human beings
confined In such holes. They look
like tombs!" cried some one. New
Nork was amused at the sing1lary
appropriate appellative and Il has
stuck to the prison Y . since.
But times change ana institutions
With them. A man becomes moro
eivillzed he treats the lawbreaker
with more humanity. Probably soct
Dty will always need it, prisoners.
but ~ w become more enlightened
Ne insist on treating our criminals
more from the physiological and psys
theological standpoints than In tho
eruel. brutal barbarous manner Of tho
dark 49,. IN other words the socicl
ogisk insists that the lawbreaker has
greater need Of the physician than he
~ q The TALLER.
To-day the city prison is a tomb
name only. Il II admirably con-
UtSucted, commodious. we'll ventilated.
Tho cells < large and well lighted.
with comfortable cots and Ill the
modern sanitary arrangements. There
are roomy corridors for daily exercise
and luxurious shower baths can be OBJ
iakained fres for the asking. There are
Dehapels tor the religiously inclined
lind Z library for the studious. The
bod - Wholesome and well prepared
n : large, scrupulously clean kitchen
Animated On thu top door. Carnin.