Evening star., 1936-06-21
BY DEWITT MACKENZIE.

BY DEWITT MACKENZIE.
(Copyright. 1885, by the Associated Presso
CAYENNE, French Guiana, June 20.
Tragedy, stark and terrible, results
from that feature of the French penal
system which compels an inmate OF
Devils Island, once he has served his
term in prison, to stay for the same
length of time In Guiana-or for life
and make his own way
There is little employment avail
able for such legion of the lost"
in this wholly backward and unde-
veloped country with its population OF
some $4,000.
The hundreds of lepers, who live
without restrictions in Cayenne, are
better off than a host of the unfor-
tunateS from the penitentiarieS. For
many of the latter there is hungry
sleep on the stone sidewalks, with
only dirty rags as covering for thin,
unwashed bodies.
The writer has seen a man go to
the electric chair, and the look Of ut
ter despair in his eyes was the look
in the eyes of so-called "hberes" en-
countered here. 1t is not a fading
look; it does not beg for sympathy
or help; it is mirror of hopelesSness.
Five years is the minimum SEN
tence imposed on criminals who are
sent to this colony After man has
served this time in prison he is ten
tatively freed, becomes a "libere," and
must spend another five years in
Guiana, on his own resources and
with good conduct, before he can be
rehabilitated and go home. Special
dispensation from Paris is possible,
but the cases in which it is granted
are extremely rare.
Must Have Money.
When a libere applies for rehabilit
ton he must be prepared to pay the
costs of his trial, sometimes running
must have saved enough more to
purchase his passage home.
If mans prison term is more than
seven years-and many sentences are
because the worst offenders against
the law are sent to Guiana-he has
to spend the balance of his life in
the colony after he is released.
French Guiana possesses virtually
no agriculture, no fisheries, no manu-
factories. Virtually all of the coun-
try is trackless bush. The few towns
lie on the coast and are more or less
adjuncts to the penitentiarieS, and
some are not even connected by high
ways.
Some ten thousand people, or near
1y one-third of the entire population,
live here in Cayenne This is the
seat of government, and much of the
employment is connected with the
administration.
Other livelihoodS are dependent on
business, most of it of little conse-
quence, and this in turn is dependent
on the administrative set-up. In
other words, most things owe their
existence to the penal colony.
There are $500 Liberes in Guiana,
and about 1000 Of them exist in one
way or another in Cayenne. The
chances Of their making decent liv-
ing are infinitesimal The majority
of them are defeated before they start
Lucky to Have Shelter.
They tramp the streets looking for
odd jobs. Everything is grist that
comes to their little mills-running
errands, carrying baggage, pumping
water. Some of them beg He is
lucky who has some sort of food and
shelter.
There is another side to the pic
ture. There are touches of color on
the otherwise drab canvas.
A considerable number of the high
er-class Liberes have done quite well.
One will find fairly profitable barber
shops, shoe repairing places, and
various other establishments run by
these men. Others, because of spe-
cial knowledge or ability have Sc
cured good employment.
One outstanding example of sue
cess Is a man who served time for
espionage and must now spend the
rest of his life in Guiana unless he
is pardoned. He has built up a big
business in cheap goods, and has made
himself comparatively rich.
1t must further be said that some
of the Liberes do not wish to work, |
and decline to take advantage of op-
portunities.
So far as Cayenne is concerned,
Devils Island is a paradise by COM
parison. There are some pleasant
spots, especially round the admins
tration buildings, but for the most
part it is dreary and depressing. A
large section is slum area of the worst |
type, despite the smallness of the
town, and it is here that many Of the
liberes make their pitiful homes.
Stagnant Street Pools.
Numbers Of the principal streets
are full of big pot-holes in which
stands stagnant water from the rains
that frequently fall fiercely several
times day throughout most of the
year. The buildings along these
thoroughfares look dirty inside and
out.
The only sewers in the places are