Year: 1871

|
From the New York Herald
| The duties of a Herald correspondent


which frequently conduct to strange places


not long since led the present writer into
| the Parish Prison at New Orleans, to wit


ness the hanging of couple of hired


bravos, who for twelve dollars had mur


dered a Spanish sailor. High over all the
| din Of preparation for the execution came
| shrieks and yells and inarticulate iabber
| ings from some chamber on d line with the


gallows and close at hand. Inquiry as tC


the meaning of this strange outcry ELECTED
| the information that it came from a crazy


woman in the insane asylum, next door
| who, even in her insanity, was conscious OF
| what was going on so near to her. The
bare fact that people whose sole Offense


against society was their being visited with
| the most terrible atfliction in the whole
range of human ills should be made the


compulsory participants in scene such


as that about to be enacted, the horrors of


which must of necessity add to their dis


ease: seemed of itself to court inquiry and
ventilation, and the point was stored up in
the reporters memory for future use He
expected to find some gross example of Of
fetal cruelty; but the most vivid imagina-
tion could scarcely have pictured such hor-
rors as subsequent investigations have


brought to light.


Waiting yesterday upon the CITY physi-
clan, DR.. j. B. Cooper, in whose medical
charge the asylum is, and explaining to him
the object of the visit, / was courteously
and promptly met by an offer on the part
of the doctor of his buggy and his company
to the asylum. Both tenders being cordially
accepted, short drive set us down in front
of a massive, sombre slate-colored building,
in the very heart of the city-windOwless
gloomy and repuisive. Nothing but the
words "Insane Asylum" conspicuously
painted over the arched gateway, could
have dispOssessed a stranger of the idea that
he was gazing upon prison of the worst
type, built before Howard and the philan-
trOphists taught jailers humanity. In the
evening myriads of bats issue from its rot
ting roof and make night lOathsome. The
heavy iron gate swung slowly on it's hinges,
and Mr.. j. f. Dutillet, the superintendent
of the institution, bade US welcome to the
madhouse.


Another iron barred gate being unlocked.
we came suddenly into the courtyard OF
the building, sixty feet long by fifty wide.
paved with granite flag stones, between
which the moisture of the earth ooZed in
Shiny patches. On the left side was high,
blank wall, colored the same dismal stale
hue as the exterior of the building-the
sole prospect the inmates are permitted to
enjoy. Open to the sky through the court
yard was a sickening, fetid smell, too faint
to be called stencil, but so all-pervading
as never to leave you for an instant un-
conscious OF its presence, calling attention
to the fact that in this small yard some
fifty madmen were taking exercise and
air" Dressed in all kinds of rags, some
with shirts and some without, there they
were talking, walking, raving, sleeping or
buried in their own sad. fearful reveries.
CHANGING round in search of some appli-
ances fer the amusement and relaxation of
the unhappy inmates, | found none. Not
book. not an occupation, not even domino
or pack of cards. Blank vacuity sat upon
the face of every one not tortured by the
dread imaginations of active insanity. The
MONDAY July sun poured down its SC orch
ing beams upon their unprotected heads.
Some few were smoking, and approached
US with pIteous pleadings for tobacco. which
in limited quantities is supplied to them by
the Institution. The rest paced up ana
down like Gagged hyenas, or crowded in the
dOorways of their cells. On some boards.
in a dark corner, squatted swarthy white
man, naked to the waist, and looking in
the dim obscurity like some filthy ghoul
engaged in obscene rites.


That is the man." said the superintend-
ent. who was sent here from AInite River
by his friends, and was dumped down at
the railroad depot, like so much lumber,
and there left TO his fate


Leaning against pillar was tall, pow
erful man, in a colored shirt, standing i'm
movable as a statue.


That is bad case," remarked the Doc
tor. ''If he were set free he would strike
you to the earth on the instant


The mans hands were manacled. We
passed close to him and looked him in the
face. A pleasant "Good morning SIR be-
tOkened his consciousness of the presence of
a stranger, but, beyond returning his salute,
one felt little disposition to pursue the con-
versation.


Stealthily creeping up from behind came
a little red haired man, the fierce, malignant
glare of the worst kind of homicidaI insan-
ity flashing from his halfclosed eyes. Turn
ing sharply round to face him, we saw that
he was also securely manacled. His hand
cuffs were red with rust, and were eating
into his wrists. Not a word did he utter as
we backed away.


"Unloose that mans hands," said the
superintendent, 'and neither of our lives
would be worth moments purchase. He
is the worst case we have


what force have you to suppress an
were to become suddenly violent ~ | asked
of Mr.. Dutillet.


% Five male nurses and one watchman,"
he replied.


1.-TWO men to more than seventy loose
Isn't that rather a small allow
ance J"


Certainly; it is not sufficient"


-" Have you no refractory cells p


None"


- No padded rooms for the homicidal or
suicidal patients ?"


" None not even a hospital


why, they have hospital at the prison,
have the not ~


Certainly; but they receive thieves and
and criminals there but we have
only insane people here


"And where do these poor wretches
sleepl"


"Sleep in here"


In there (peeping inside)l Why, good
God that is a dungeon"


Certainly it is," interposed the Doctor.
g This whole place was built for slave bas-
tile by a French architect, who had in his
minds eye the old Bastile of Paris. He fol- |
lowed that model as far as he could"


"Can / go inside one of these cells ?"


" Certainly you can. Take this one; they |
are all pretty much alike"


Entering found myself in cell fourteen |
feet by twelve, damp and foul smelling,
though spotlessly clean to the eye. The |
heat of the tropical day radiated from the |
walls with such intensity that it was diff
cult to endure the atmosphere with the |
door wide open. When the door was closed
there was neither light nor ventilation. save
such feeble CLEANS of light and stray puffs
1f vitiated air as could struggle through a
grating eighteen inches by twelve in the
ioor and an iron barred opening OF scarcely
arger capacity above. "When patient is
said the superintendent, "we
ire obliged even to board up this grating in
he door, leaving him in utter darkness"
The walls OF the dungeon to abOut the
height of a man were painted black; from
he roof downward they were whitewashed
rhe strongly marked line of division be-
.Meen hlack and white was broken hx min