Year: 1866

A correspondent of the New York Herald


gives the following account of a visit 70 the
Fenian prisoners now in confinement in
| Toronto:
The ninety-six Fenians at present impris-
oned in the old Toronto Jail have been


handed over to the civil authorities. Wis


itors are not allowed to see the prisoners
without a special pass from the sheriff, and
thfs is not granted excepting to those per-


sons who can convince that officer that they


visit the prison melted by other motives


than mere impertinent curiosity. On max


ing known my desire to the sheriff the other


day, and stating to him that believed many


Of the friends Of the imprisoned in the
United States would like to know how they


are treated, and the way in which they


bear themselves while in durance vile, he


cheerfully give me and friend the necessa-


ry pass.


The old Jail is situated on the eastern end


Of the city, on Front street, near the side of


the bay. 1t is a gloomy looking pile of


stone, and for some time had been unoccu-


pied, another and better appointed prison,


more recently erected in anotherportion of the
city, having been insufficient to accommo-


date all the criminals. The building con-


sists of a central tower, from which branch


off two wings, one west and the other south.


The central portion is four stories high; the


wings are three stories The Jail yard is an


irregular parallelogram, two of its sides


formed by the wings, and the west by a stone


wall fifteen feet high; the southern bound


airy is a board fence of about the same


height The entrance to the building is


from Front street. The Jail sets back about


thirty yards from the road. The visitor is
obliged before he reaches the massive
oak portal, studded with iron, to pass two


soldiers on. guard. In obedience to our


summons the key Of the warden grated in


the old lock, and the massive door slowly


grating on its hinges stood partially open,
and we caught a view Of the interior.


A very mild, benevolent looking old per-
son is the turnkey, He quickly sent boy
to the Governor with our pass, and in the


meantime we had an opportunity of looking
at the lobby and its occupants. A clumsy


wooden grating with uprights separates the


lobby from the main hall. . fierce looking


soldier, dressed in red, and armed to the
teeth, was walking up and down his confined
beat while many other red coats, employed
in various ways, could be seen on the other
side Of the grating. Twentyfour men OF
the 4Ith regulars keep guard here day and
night, and the officer in command sleeps in
the building On being admitted through
| the grating door we turned to the right, and
decending two or three steps a few PAGES
4 brought us to the door Of the rOoIa in which
| one body Of the Fenians is confined. They
/ are about fifty in number What strikes q
I person as most remarkable on first seeing
| these prisoners is the extreme youth OF
| nearly all of them Many of them are GER
| tainly too young TO undergo the fatigues of a
/ lengthened campaign. They are, however,
/ taken all in all, a pretty hard looking crowd,
/ and should judge compose the very best
! fighting material.


! They are ordered TO fall in TO the right


when any body comes in either TO identity
! them or for mere curiosity; the latter, how
| ever. are few, as strict orders have been Civ
! en- 10 exclude them. The majority of this
! batch were dressed in shirt and pants, very
! few sportet a coat II Is noteworthy that
/ so far as hands and faces are concerned there
! is every appearance that they are not at all
/ restricted in the supply Of soap and water,
4 and their heads also exhibited traces Of the
] comb and brush. # H
On leaving this room, in the hall, imme-
1 diately on the left going toward the yard,
1 are the cooking utensils, principally consist
! ing Of large coppers for the manufacture oi
| soups. In the yard and in. a room Of the
I south wing we found the other main body
Of the Fenians They present much the


same appearances as the Others With whom


they share alternately the pleasures of the


open air.