Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1912-07-19

pelleO 10 OdIne, ana Twice week
they are given clean clothes, not al
ways secured by many of them while
on the outside.
There are four classes OF rations
issued TO the prisoners. depending on
their nationality. The Americans re-
ceive the ration Of the regular army.
which costs about rs cents; the Euro
peans receive food at the rate OF
about IA cents, and the Filipino eats
to the amount of s cents. This is not
discrimination, nor is there Partially
shown In the quality or the amount.
All of the food is palatable. well
cooked and clearly served. but that
which would suit the native element
would not suit the American contin-
gent, nor the reverse. Clothing Of the
regulation prison character is supplied
to each convict at a cost of about 60
cents a man.
One OF the most interesting features
of the prison routine is the assembly
for the evening roll-call The occu-
pants of each dormitory are formed
In a large company of four ranks
deep, and each section of sixteen men
is in charge of convict of good stand
ing. These stand at attention while
the prison band discourses several Sc
lections The Filipinos are naturally
good musicians, and 1t is no trouble to
keep the band of forty-five men re-
cruited to the limit. After the roll
call the prisoners remain at attention
until the band plays the "Star-Span-
gled Banner" when they march to the
quarters. Once a week there is a re-
view of the whole prison, headed by
the band, and the drills often attain
an unusual amount of proficiency.
Death Rate Low.
The employment Of the prisoners
consists of laundering, manufacturing
bamboo furniture, weaving baskets,
curtains. screens and hammocks, ma
king rope. engraving on wood. horn,
shell and silver. making fancy and use
full articles from horn and shell, and
wrapping coach whips, and there are
also carpenters. wood turner's, black
smiths. stone masons, bricklayers and
tailors. and occasionally an artist or
two is found among the number and
given a canvas.
The articles thus manufactured are
placed on sale. and from the revenue
thus derived the prison often accumu-
lates surplus for the year. The av-
erage amount Of receipts from this
means is about $4,000 a year.
One of the greatest testimonials to
the conduct of Bilibid is the low death
rate since the beginning of the Amer
lean administration. Under the Span
ish rule II sometimes reached as high
as one In FIVE, while under the Ameri-
can direction 1t has never gone above
one Il. sixty.
Bilibid has seen many exciting days.
and. under the Spanish rule, has had
its walls so crammed at times that It
seemed as II no more could be forced
in. Yet they were. It's capacity was
originally designed to accommodate
1000. but the records of its days when
revolutions existed against the Span
ish government show that as many as
$500 prisoners were confined there
at one time.
TIE prison was. in fact. designed for
this purpose more than hundred
years ago, and political prisoners have
outnumbered the criminals each year
since. according to the captured rec
ords of the prison. When Gen. r. A.
Hughes took charge Of the prison for
the United States government in DC
tober. 1898. he found over 1000 pris
oners confined there against whom
no formal charges had been recorded
He found the condition of these mer
and women most revolving.
"A great many of them" he said
were heavily ironed-most cruelty
ironed. For instance. there would b
man chained to the wall OF a stone
cell in which there was no light except
through two loop holes high up and
about two inches wide and foot long
We also found some with bars Of iron
about three feet long to which were
attached two iron hoops that wer.
fastened around their ankles. and the,
had to carry these bars every stey
they made. The flesh around theil
ankles was worn altogether to tn,
bone in many cases"
In his report of that inspection Gen
eral Hughes also said that two hour
after the prison had been turned owe
to the American authorities the iron
which had been knocked on the pris
oners were piled up. and the resulting
acct mutation measured more than
cord and q half In sizs.