The New York herald. [volume], May 19, 1875, Page 3, Image 3

About The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
A Herald Reporter Sent Up
for Thirty Days.
Practical Experience of tlie Life
of "Small Offenders."
SORROWFUL PICTUR ES.
Lively Scenes at the Tombs and
in the Black Maria.
Humanity Degraded and Civ
ilization Outraged.
CITIZEN VERSUS PRISONER.
Brutality of Keepers and Abuse
of Inmates.
Th? Reporter as a Groom
of the Stables.
CUDGEL, RULE.
Horrible Sanitary Arrangements and Cb
setnity in the Cells.
Now for Reforms and Changes by the
Charity Commissioners.
"You are committed to the workhouse fcr
thirty days."
Toe aoove judgment was passed with laconic
brevity on about as rouirti and unkempt looking
an individual as can well be conceived, even at
ttie prisoners' bar of a New York police court.
Strange to say the candidate lor prison honor-'
did not whine out any piteous appeal to toe
Judge for leniency, lie quietly bid the Judge
good morning, and turned away at once to loliow
the officer, wnose duty It was to conduct ulra
down stairs to ttie large cell in which the prison
ers await the coming oi ttie \ehicle Known as the
"Black Juaria," which conveys them to the Black
well's Island sieauiboat dock, at the loot or
Twenty-sLxth street. The scene was laid in the
lefletsou Market Police Court, the magistrate on
the bench was judge Bixby, aud tne com
suited prisoner waa the writer of this
itory. Scarcely had the bolt of the door
been shot alter 1 bad entered the eell beiore I be
gan to reflect on the contrariety of things in gen*
eral. Here were come dozen or more men and
lads>, who baa slipped behind prison oars with a
lacllity which must have been excessively an
?oying to them, while I had only succeeded in
toining them alter considerable difficulty and
?inch time spent in making arrangements. Being
Jeslrous of learning sometainz of the realities of
prison llie on Blackwell'a Island 1 was actually
oompeilad to take the Hon. Isaao H. Bailey, the
President of the Board of Commissioners of Char
ities and Correction, and Jodge Bixby into my
eonflaenoe and to secure their co-opera: ion lu a
little plot Dy which l could enjoy a fbort tempor
ary seclusion at the country -eat of the denizens
of the kingdom of vice and crime without posi
tively committing aify offence. But, thanks to
Mr. Bailey, wuo entered more man hearmy into
my enterprise. everything went well, and I was at
.'??t in tae clutches of the aw, "as nice as nine
peace/' ai the old saying has it.
OS OLAXCIVO AROCXD THE CELL
I found that, with the exception of three lads,
irbo bad been arrested lor insulting ladies on their
return home irom churca on he street corner the
irevious evening, all mr lellow prisoners were
itretcbed at mil length upon the benches, sleeping
iff the results of uelr last night's debauch. They
were all "orank and disorderlies,'' as the court
idlers term such cases. One and another would
occasionally rouse up wheu the loorkeeper celled
bis name at the request of an alert individual who
letms to earn a living by carrying messages lor
prisoners to their friends, and, I lancy, in cases
where his discretion tells mm tnat he may do so
with safety, advancing smalt sum* or money, at a
nigh rate of interest, to prisoners to enable them to
make up their lines and thus eicape going up on
Che bland. I suppose such harpies are useful
in their way. During the hour or two we
were awaiting our de;patcn to the Island two of
the boya and one or two of the men were released,
to their infinite joy and to the envy of all the
others. They all faithfully promised to go im
mediately and see this person end that person on
behalf of those tbey left behind. Whether or not
they kept their words i am unable to say, for the
irrival of the Black Maria stopped all auch efforts
to avoid incarceration. By the wtiy,
THE BUlCI MARIA
la a pure blonde in color, oeing painted a cream
shade. It ia a sort of sheet iron box on wheels,
and, l should judge, la about eight feet long anil
four leet wide. Into this box we were all
erowded?nine men and lonr women?and away
we went rattling and jolting over the stones, ss I
thought, on our way to rue steamboat dock, i
was wrong. On the door being opened for
os to get out I found, to my profound
astonishment, that we were In to* in
ner courtyard of the Tombs. We were?
the male prl?oners?immediately hurried Into
a cell without a stick of any thing in it, and
were shortly afterward reinforced, a Qermsn col
lego uroiessor of languages being among tne new
arrivals. In a neighboring cell a hair-sobered fe
male was giving vent to her grief over her miaior
tune ?nd moauing and gruaung in a heartrend
ing lasnion. 1 recalle > old Dr. Witts' lines
Hark I (Tom tb* (mm s dolsrui noun I.
This same ua ortunftte lady Afterward occupied a
Mat on my lap darlug the J oruey rrom the Tomba
to Twenty sixth street, ar.d it was as mncn as I
eomd do to prevent her assuaging her grief by
potting ner arm aroaud my neok and kt?siog me.
Beiore leaving the lomne eacn prisoner had to
aiep up to the clerk's desk and state his name,
age, Mrthn wee, occupation, wnetner married or
el&gie, bo v many children living, how lung in this
country, wt,ere he landed. *c. To s 11 of these in
quiries I made replies at variance with tb* truth,
and 1 tbluk all those not kuown to tne police did
much tue same. Wlere, then, la the value
of such a record * On our second trip iu
the Black .una we had fliteea inside passengers
all ton; ?-Mevi.'o tidies'' aua lour " geutiemen."
Bow on eertn they managed to cram us all in I
don't know. We were literally packed like sar
dines, and when we reached ou> destination tt.ere
was great difficulty in getting on: the first one. I
snail not soou forget thai ride. The horrible mix
ture of odor* arlsl ig from the Ibui stomachs ot my
leliow iravelleis was lesriul, accompanied, as it
was, by that or roe promse jerspiranon resklng
Crom every pore or their levered skin-", llie st
mcapDere soon became intolerable?almost
taphyxUtiog; and 1 vsrltanly believe that liad
?nr journey laated ten miufttes longer I mu<t have
'?luted. i did not rte iVwr .rem tae nausea In
laced by it untU 1 had been ft r some time ia the
lesbairof Blacitwe:l'? Island. That ride in the
?lack Hftllft gave me some conception of the nor
rors ?ii the notd oi a slaver uf ban a century ago,
t waft rather surpruid to aee so ma .f more
wotten ihftft nun la Ue party j but rleo, at toe
gfiueai frrencUaieu remarked <>??? lit Jtun nm,
??? ?owinw tea po mines at terre;
fa te from* partout.
TBI '"HDIES" OP OCR PAKTT
were all, apparently, of that stripe so aptly de
scribed by Drycien la the Hue.
Tnen hasten to bo ilruuk?the badness of the day.
There was a general eomp>rlaon ol notes as to
their respective aontencej whun they were ud
on the Inland last, wtiat Ju<luo committed them
and other interesting topics of a kiuured charac
ter. '1 hough the men were all as silent and grave
us an undertaker at a luneral t'je women, wii.ii
ti e exception of liie lair occuoant of my lap.
laughed, ouattered and sung ail the way, tho
groaaest Indeiency and profanity flowing Ironi
their lips without restraint. At tlto uteuinooat
dock vre were put into a sort ol'lockup, which
whs already occupied by some ten or u dozen
pru-onent, includlnar two soldiers from Governor's
Island. Wnat studies for the brush of an artist
many ot them presented! A true lover of his
profession would have been in bis Klory, and
would have remarked?as did ihe Irish
medical lecturer on enteritis during the
great cholera season to las audience ? i
"Fortunately there W uo lack of subjects for
illustration." There was our college professor,
in irlossy black frockcoat and trousers, black silk
waistcoat and chimney-pot hat, sitting side by
aide by a bundle 01 tatters and wretchedness who
was busily occupied in searching ont and destroy- j
lng tne vermin which Infested him: an operation I
greatly facilitated by his "looped ai.d windowed |
raggednesa." a dissipated looking young clerk
was joking over his fate with a canaller and a sta
bleman, wmle 1, tne disguised fraud, hobnobbed
with the two soldiers. Two of the worst-vlsaced
men I ever saw sat apart and cursed their luck
and the Judge who had committed them. They
were companions in crime evidently, or, as Byron
puts ir, in "Don Jaan," "arcadts ambo?id est,
biackgaarda bot h." The face of each of them luily
came up to the mark of Addison's epigram on a
rogue. which concludes wltn the following com
prehensive summing up:?
With all thesu token* ol a knave complete,
shuul.i'm thou he hon?at tiiuu'rt a devilub cheat.
I never saw two men with thief a j plainly
written in every lineament. A* young English
sailor, who ought to have sailed in oue of the
Liverpool steamers the previous Saturday, de
clared that one 01 them had robbed him of some
small cuange even in the sacred precincts of tin
Tombs. I pitied tnis sailor. He was a flu >? :ing
youug fellow, had a frank face and winni: >U
dress and made the best he could of his pos. .1.
Aline knew about himself was the fact t hut he
woke up on Saturday morning in the station
house. He had no recollection of being taken
there, and aeemed to lancy he had been drugged,
as he assured me he was not given to getting
drnnk. Jt seems to me tha'. his was a case
where magisterial leniency would have done
no harm. As it is ne will, he says, un
doabtecly lose his ship; and yet when the boat
at last arrlveo. and we were marchel ou board,
ihe sailor was the only cheerful oue ol tno party.
We were not allowed to remain on deck during
the passage to the Island, but were all imprisoned
; in tue f recastle and made secure b.v the padlock
ins 01 a heavy Iron grating, which was snut down
over the hatchway. A few minutes later cur
numbers were reinforced by the arrival ot another
batch of priaoners, and as soon as tne grating was
once more secured the boat left the deck, on
ieachlng the landing place of the luiand we were
t ailed up from below, placed in double tile, the
soldiers leading the way, and marched off imme
diately to prison. 1 just had time to say, sotto
voce, to a member of tne Herald staff, wno was
waiting 10 see If all had gone well, "Come over
aaaln to-morrow morning," and then, al ad,
"Don't know nothing aodat the boat going back,
ain't much acquainted here, sir," oeiore we
started. Two minutes ufrerward we stood
IXSIDS TUB PRISON' WALL1.
We were fliat ol all conducted into a side office,
where our names, Ac., were called over. 1 was
asked tne same questions wuch had been
pot to mo at tne Tomos by a cock-eyed,
deiormed Utile dwarf, who itering.y re
marked that I was a line-looking man, and
complimented me on the apparent muscular
power ?: my forearm. I felt lu* strangling the
little monster. 'ihese preliminaries beini over we
were marched into a large cell on tne flrst tier,
alreaay hair foil 01 prisoners, the accession ol oar
party raising the number in the cell to lortv-three.
It was an awfol crowd; a cnesviug. smoking, spit
ting. noisy, curaing, restless crowd, jost such an
assemblage as rnuy be seen in the waiting room of
a railroad depot on a cold spring morning watting
tor tee permission to enter the oars of the special
tr. ln which Is to convey them to the ground 01 a
forthcoming bloody encounter in the prize ring.
Every one was asking every one toe length of the
term of bis sentence, who nad sentenced him and
how it all happened. Strange to s^y. ail seemed
to be buoyed np more or leas wrb the nope 01 be.
ing discharged beiore their time was up. They
were 01 many nationalities and all ages. The
Teuton and tne Celt, toe Christian and the Jew, the
lad of fifteen and the old man 01 seventy, were all
huddled together In tnu noisy, disgusting congre
gation 01 degraded humanity.
tlOXNING TBI UNIFORM.
Alter baif an hour's deiay we were all caUea ont
and marohed to the Superintendent's office for a
sort of afternoon parade and inspection, and taen
a bttoh 01 us, including myself, were ordered off
to what turned oat to be the prison dressing room
and barber's shop. Her# i encountered the first
of the really serieos unpleasantness of my novel
I at tuition. We were taken in charge by an officer
and two prisoners, who act as his aide*, it is
strange, bat only too trae, that prisoners when
??drest m a little briei authority" are always
j harsh to their f-Ilow prisoners. Toe two men in
question wert certainly no exception to toe rule.
One was a tot. greasy to:i?w, with a loud voice and
uagh, and ?vident'.y enjoyed the work he had in
hand; the other was more lightly built, bright
looking and active, bo', with a decidedly jallbltU
air aoont him generally, aurae, the tat one,
rubbed his bands gleeru.ly, and said:?1"Sow!
then, all of yon jump out of your domes, ana
pnt on these nice clean onea." iiy heart
sank within me aa my eyes feu on the
pruon uniform, for more reasons than one.
I know that all prisoners were not compelled to
change their ciothes, and I particularly objeoted
to parting with mine. I therefore appealed to the
officer in a very bourne tone of voice, told him
that I had a severe cold, was suffer mg from
firigbt's disease and other complaints, and that if
1 caught fresh cold it wonirt probably be tlie last
01 me. He replied curtly and coldly that I moat
put on the prison nniform. and that without delay.
When my auit was oanaed to me 1 remonstrated la
?arnett, tor 1 was now reauy alarmed. i lound it
?nijr comprised a pair of trousers, a common blue
and waite siriped shirt and a round Jaoket like a
schoolboy's jacket. 3e.ther undershirt, drawers
nor vest was orovlded, nor were tnose who had
?u"h articles of apparel allowed to retain them,
no matter how clean tbey might nave been
surely this is wrong. After a drunken
debanoh the blood is so feverish that the
?vatem almost invites a oold, and yet pris
oners are brought irom the warm city and are
turned out to face tne high and .requenily cutting
Windsor Blackwell's Island a.ter they save been
depnvsd of Jnst tha: portion of their clothing
wnieh is most serviceable In enabling rhem to re
sist the ill affects of so sudden a Change. 1 sa v
pr.ioners taua oeprlvea of the heaviest flannel
underdot lug. whic h they had ooen wearing ail
tne winter, in the Penitentiary those prisoners
who have underciotnmg are a:lowed to wear it
and. ?urely, a privilege which is granted to a ttuef
should not be denied t > a mm wno has had "the
rolstortune" t> gat drunk. The Penlten
ttary prisoner*, too, nave heavy coats
lor cold weather; the Workhouse pris
oners hare nothing but their Jac?et*
All my remonatraucss. however, were unavailing
wr. baiae remarked that orisonera could not be
choker*, Mat he clmaelf had to wear the same
catalog, and, fli.all?. rcqnes ad me to get out ot
my ciotaea, ' t?ud look a.iaip aouut it." There
was no hope for t. nd I slowly began to disrob*.
A gteam ut light came, ihe tronasra form sued
to uic would not ana cottid not oe made to meet
Mr. aurire <aid mey had 1,0 more large tiled
pair* to give ..at, and, very angraeioualy, said he
?apposed I muse wear mj own. 1 naa them on la
a m.'uiBwi. tful his iei** aide-*1'Jimmy," ib*r
called hlT?made for me savagely, and demanded,
with an oath, to know why I uad put on uiy own
trousers again. I explained. '-See here, now,''
he rejoined, "you've got to coine out o' them
pants, even It you have to go abont without
anv." He rummaged among the clothing, and,
tossing a pair of trousers to Burke, told mm to
"fie him into 'em, somehow or other." As I stood
up the waistband would not meet by two inches.
Hut the genius or Mr. Burke was equal to the oc
casion. He Is evidently a student of Charles
Dickons, and has r-ud Sam ".Veller's story of how
the bov at last robbed the old geutleman with the
big corporation of ms uoid watch, the sain old
gentleman being lu the buolt of amusing himself
by standing and looking into picture shops. Ac.,
and aliowlug the street thieves to tug away at his
watch guard, knowing that his waistband was loo
tight 10 allow of the watch being drawn out.
Alter one or two futile efforts to male the waist
band of my prison trousers meet, Mr. Burke drew
back, and, exclaiming, "I'll teach you to swell
your belly out like ibat," struck me a
blow with his list la the diaphragm.
The effect was immediate and magical.
Vfhsn 1 recovered from the momentary
shock I found, to ray surprise, that the top button
wus fastened and that Mr. llurke's nimble lingers
were quickly running down the others. 1 ex
plained to him that the trousers were so tight
that 1 felt as though 1 were in a stralt-w.ist
coat. He gave a sort of hyena grin as he replied,
"Sever mind, they'll b3 a damneu sight too big for
you inside of a week." Mr. Burke'? sagacity was
not at fault. Tha trousers stretched and I shrank,
and be ore I Anally discarded those trousers they
were really too large for me. Rut, then. I lost ex
actly six pounds in weight, durinr ray few days'
voluntary Incarceration?that is. according to the
scales of the St. NicBoias Hotel. Fillv arrayed in
the prison uniform I waited anxlomlv to see what
they would do with m? clothes. Fortunately, thongn
not worth five cents, 1 knew they were clean, ob
their impoverished appearance was not the resnlt
oi wear.' Still it was possible that Mr. Burke
niicht not Ktve them a chance, but send tlieiu
off t? Hie "vermin house" wna the clothing of the
dirty prisoners. He pronouaced tnera clean,
however, and tnev were tied in a bundle and
' carrlcd up stairs. Oo, Mr. Burke! On, Mr. James
McDonouarii! could you hare only known that I
had a ten dollar lull sewed In each leg ol tho?e
trousers, how Happy you would have i.een! Can
you be surprised, men, at my anxiety to keep them
out hi your clutches ? But circumstances spared
you the temptation. You did not dream of the
small mine ot wealth contained In that shabby
old garment, and you nave one sin the less to
: answer for. Iliad, moreover, two dollars in small
change In ray right sock, tiirea .single dollar bills
in my left sock, and some single
bills aud small change rolled In the
folds of my faded old neckhandkerchlef.
Do you not riiiuk, gentlemen, that, had y.iu been
aware of these matters, you woiud have seen that
J had a private dressing room, with no eyes to
watcli<you while enraged in dressing me? I think
that 1 should ne\er have had two such willing
i va eta. Only two men ot the parly interested me
ttle K'lilorot' whom I have aireadv spoken, and an
elderly man, who seemed terribly downcast at
finding himself in prison. The latter b2wallod his
late, and spoke of himself with a mixture of bitter
ness and pity. It was evident that he had seen
better days. Indeed, he told me as much; nut
said that after the death of his wife, two years
ag?. be had nurortunately songnt com ort for nis
sorrows lu the cjp. uis business nad slipped
awa.v from htm. his friends had deserted him. and
ills present position was tho climax of his troubles.
The icars came into Ills eyes as he spoke of his
happier days, and his grlei for bis degradation
seemed to be deep and sincere. An, Dante: sow
true are your words:?
Neman m'i.reior dolore
t'he ncordartl del tempo felloe
N'eLLn mistirla.
NOTHING} WITHOUT LABOR.
1 had been warned by Mr. Bailey that the prison
authorities would put me to work, und thai it would
be necessary to bethink me of aoine occupation
anitaDle to my powera. Therefore, when I had been
asked in wn*t way I had been in the habit of earn
ing a living, I had replied that I was a carriage
driver. This enabled tne comparative whuenes*
and sottness or my bands to pass muster, on
leaving the dressing room, then, 1, la company
with 0'ie other prisoner, was marched off to the
' etaoiee. whlcn are located about ball a mile awar
from the pruoa. on my way 1 bad my first insight
into the brutalities of prison life. Some distance
to tne right of us were gangs of men
working In the flelda. Oao of the prisoners
wan apparently loafing over hU work, and
a Keepe-, or boss, swung a cuagel aloft and
brought it down with such force on the poor ie:
low'* shoulder that I thought The blow must nave
broken bis collar bone. The man had no chance
oi dodging th.* cudgel, for he had his back turned
to th? keeper at the moment be was struck. Now,
we all know that the data of men who are sent op
to the Iaiand can be aad nndoab;edly -re very
ugly in tbe.r temper at times, but there are pun
ishment rules In voaue, and I think it should have
been tae duty of the keeper to report the man if
kla offences demanded it, not to strike bin in the
savage fashion lie did. 1 know irom personal ac
quaintance that there are no two kinuer hearted
men in the world than Mr. Iiaaa H. ualley and
Mr. Thomas Brennan; no two man more desirous
of conscientiously managing the vast Interests
committed to their charge, and I feel con
vinced that sach conduct on the part of
the keepers would not be tolerated fur
one mooient. Cnrortnnately, these thiog9
are never done wnen they are around; tney are,
therefore, in Ignorance of tneir ever being done,
and if a prisoner were to mace a complaint the
keepers would all stand by one another and swear
that he was lying. The second day 1 was in the
prison a Penitentiary man came down to the
stables tor some drinking water for his gang. He
bad teen strnck on the head by his keeper the day
beiore a blow so severe that It Is a wonder that
his skull was not fractured. A large space on the
side of tne paor fellow's Bead was shaven and
plastered np. Be assured me that he had com
mitted a most trivial fault. Such treatment will
cnange the most docile into the most refractory
prlsbner to a rety short time, and is doubtless
sometimes the canse of the murderous attacks on
keepers of which we read from time to time. The
Commissioners ought to, aud tiouctiess will, enact
come very etrlngent regulations a* ainat striking
prisoners, now that the matter hag been brooght
to iheir notice.
A MEMBER OF TUB STABLE fj AXQ.
I waa duly installed aa one of the "stable gang,"'
and far from relished trie general demeanor or
tone of voice of onr ??boss" before I had been
half an hour under his orders. Be appears to be
;amlliarly addressed aa ??Joe" by bis brother
geezers, ?nd to rejoice In the surname of Gum
ruingfl. Well, I have no Hesitation in saying that
Mr. Cannings is aboat the snrilest, sulkiest speci
men of hnmanity with whom it has ever fallen to
mr lot to be associated. Every prisoner in the
gang warned me that lie was an "ugly case;" and
Icau testify tan 1 did not tear him everadarena
any or us otherwise than 11 we had been so many
vicious males the whole ilme I was In bis charge.
Mr. cnmminvB has evidently adopted Aaron Bill's
very mncn mistaken tneory a* to tne treatment of
those over whom circumstances empower him to
ezcerclse petty tyrannr: ?
'Ti* the tame with common natures
I *e 'em fcind.y, Uiey rebel;
But b) rough R4 Dutoiog ?rater<.
And toe roauet obey von W-ll.
1 was prepared to offer Mr. Cummings some
Bon of respect,ul Balutation, buc ail cuance or my
doing so mbs killed ov bis muttering surlilr be
tween bis teeth, ihe very moment we reached the
arable door, ">iow, you big f-llow, go and help
tnein men mix that cnt eed." I went through
tne sos 11 process, withdrew inside my shell oi re
serve aud obeyed his instruction?, carrying tne
lee J whoa ml*; J. and distriontiug it in the man
gers. H - watcijd me witn a cruel look In hiaeye,
as tnouau waiting tae slightest opportunity to
kanl me over toe coa n. 1 took pleasure in notic
ing that bis disappointment at m, n .t doing any
turns wrong made htm puit very vigorously at the
flirty ciay }>iue ue baa m his mourn and eo ex
h nst hi* tobacco prematurely: at the same time
1 made a meatai piioto?raya of my friend. Alter
hating carrot) ar-Und th* feed, t Was ordereu to
aeib uoBiua ike harass as the? taus \m toaa la
sweep up the yard and do other things.
it ?lx o'clock, ttae bou dismissed at with a 101)17
motion of the bead, and we all started tor the
prison.
81PFER.
On reaching the bail we were marshalled into
tbe nrison dining room, where all the other prls
oners were already seated at supper. 1 was by
tills ilme luriously nonary. having eaten nothing
since my early breaKUst beiore going to the
police court; the law, in whose power 1 was, hav
ing tarnished rae no load and preventing me irom
obtaining any on my own account, our supper
consisted solely 01 a large tin disa of corn meal
iiuihD, Willi u spoonful of molasses daubed la tne
middle. I am not partial to luusti?it Is by no
meaus an epicurean dish?but I snould prenounce
the uiusii 111 quesilon very fair in quality. The
molasses was nasty, having a strong flavor of
paregoric. As soon as we had finished our supper
we were marched off to the cells, and a lew
minutes later the bolts were shot and
we were nil locked in lor tbe night. For
the moment it was quite a relief to me to be qui
etly sitting 011 on* of tbe hammocks after the
ex :ltements and novel situations of the dav; but
1 soon became restless, and at once busied myself
In becoming better acquainted with my fellow
prisoners and in an inspection or my quarter?.
.So far as 1 could Judge by pacing the cell it was
about 25 feet by 10, wita three strongly barred
windows lacing tne west and a grated Iron door
in the eastern wall. The cell contained twelve
hammocks, that is, a piece of canvas Uced with
cord on to a light iron framework. There were 1
six npper and six lower hammocks, like the
berths in a snip. 1 was provided with a straw
pillow without a case and two aroiy blankets,
and I am bound to say that I could not complain
of them; neither rttd 1 experience any practical
evidence of the presence of bedbugs or otiier ver- i
mln so long as 1 remained In tne prison.
BCT THE SANITARY ARRAN'GKMENTS
are barbarous lu tnelr primltiveness and dls- ,
graceful to any prison in these days of boasted
civilization. Tbe only provision for tbe twelve
prl-oners in ray cell consisted of tnree common
bouse pails with some lime In them. The con
sequence was tnat by nine o'clock la the evening
we bad thr.xt miniature open cesspools ro polFon
the atmosphere of the cell. My companions
tormed a motley gronp, and I sat for souio time on
the hammock studying the most noteworvny of
them. They one and all removed their boots and
socks(when taey had tbe latter), some eveu took
off tnelr irousers. 1 was thunderstruck. With
one exception their leet were coatea with greasy
black dirt, and, lu many ca-es, their legs were
primy to a degree, even above the knees. 1 am
surprised that tne keepers do not make prisoners
taken bata wbea tnev arc brought lu. Tbe Com
missioners have a regulation that every pri oner
shall take a bata ou his arrival, but tbe lazy keep
ers disregard it.
The first I took iio'e of was a little, half witted,
feariully dirty specimen or humanity, with a de
formed loot and ankle, which gave a crab-iiLe
movement to his locomotion. Ho had managed
to get hold of one of < he pilson loaves ot brua ,
and speur. the Urst half or the night In slowly
muiicuing it away, lie was the butt for all the
Mangy wit of the party, and hud been satirically
nletnauied ??Pocahontas."'
An ither was a very ilwarlsli individual, with a
humpel back. wtio rejulced lu the sooriqaet of
"Snorty." He was very lively, fond or singing
sentimental son?rs. ami seemed to be a-favorite.
A tnird was au irishman, who liud Arrived in
company with myself; a tail, powerfully built,
Jollr. go.id-Dumored and good-natured lellow of i
about flity-flve years or age, and with an immense
shoes head of silver gray hair. As he assumed lo
Enow something or the ways of the place I was
emboldened to ask him if he had ever
stayed in that hotel beore. He laughed
heartily and replied. "Be dad I an* Its only
last Wednesday as I went out.*' be told me that,
he bad left trie prison wi h ninety cents In hu
I poeltet; haden.ereda liquor saloon on Twenty
sixth street on leaving the 1-land steamboat, and
had there and then got. drunk on his ninety cents,
lhe following day (Thursday) he had earned a j
df lar by hauling coal in the same neighborhood; j
bad got drank on that dollar on Friday; had been
arrested In the evening, and committed for ten days
on Saturday morning. Tiiey called him "Haver
straw,'' from the fact of his sometimes working
In the brick > aras 01 that village.
Then there was a young Enaluh Jew, who was
! always addressed as "Sheeny." He had a lair
Daruoae voice, and regarded himself as a second
Oiazunl. Pernapj the most entertaining of the
numner was a regular New York boy, about ntnr?
tec-n or twenty yeara or age, very great at break
downs and mimiory, lull or atones and adven
tures, and apparently knowing as much of wild
life as most men of thirty; and, perhaps, I ?
may characterise myself as one ol the note
worthy ones, altboogh no one, or course, hsd
tho slightest suspicion of my identity. 1 was
ocUged to fabricate a history of myself to satisfy
the yearning curiosity of my companions. I told
th ;m that I bad been drinking hard all the win
ter; taat 1 bad asked my folks to have me home,
bat that they bad refused to do so till I got
, straightened up a bit; taat feeling such a de
voutly to be w!shea consummation waa hopeless
of accompUshmcnt if 1 remained in New Yoik i
had asked judge Bixby to lei me come up on the j
Island tor a week, and mat that stern dispenser
or justice bad ruthlessly committed me for a
month, to my infinite disgust. This last announce
ment procured me the general sympathy, and
brought down load and deep curses on "that
brute, Bxoy." I beg here 10 offer my liumbie
apology to the Judge for thus taking his name m
vain; but I think he will be the first to admit that
I could hardly help myself.
??Weil," said one, "I guess It'll be a warniu' to j
you to give up ram. I never mean to touch a
drop again alter I gel out tula time."
I waa surprised to hear expreaslons of a deter- j
, ruination to reform en all aides. I fear that in
most of the case* the good resolutions are likely
to vanish in the atmospneie or Kew York. Rabe
lais said trnly when be wrote:?
?Tbe "terli was ?lck. the devil a monk wonld be:
the devil was well, the devil a mouk vu he "
The first eveuing passed away qnietiy amid a
glowing sunset. The new prisoners were not very
cbecrfal, and bad the remains of their morning's
headache to keep them qatet; the old ones were
anxious to learn the stories of the new comers,
ask what was going on in the city, and inquire
a.ter possiole mutual acqoalntanoes. Be.'ore
the color had laded oat of th* western
sky I wss the omy one not In his
hummock and the only one not
asleep, with the exception of "Pocahontas,"
wbo lay silently munching his loaf of oread. I
stood gating cut of the window into that busy
world which 1 had voluntarily abandoned, and tor
the lite of me I coma not help leeling half-sad
dened. 1 thought of my home and it* comiorts
and compared them with my present surround*
mgs, and felt
A fleeting of ?s<ln?is and loafing.
That Is not skiu to pain.
A ad rotemutes sorrow onlv
A* the mut re'.euiDles tne rain.
In sucti a frnm* ol mind I monnted on to ray
hammock, tie upper one, and, lying down, threw
a blanket over myseif. not wltn tne idea oi sleep
ing, bur ftmply because 1 a as tired of pacing up i
and down toe cell. 1 had, indeed, very lUtle hope
of sleep that nights and as I glanced around at
my sleeping fellow prisoners 1 coaid trniy say,
with'Louis Onze?
*h i'tuur?ut miserable' an dou* sooosbsII l'attend.
II vs demur; et inoi ? ?
SANITARY HOKROR9.
By tbis time the atmosphere of tne cell began to
cause me considerable disoomfort. in tbe first
place there were the three small open cespoois in
the ceil, tne font stench from wulch increased
every moment; then there waa the exhalation
from tbe bodies or eleven excessively dlity men,
ana asleep, too. With these odors was mixed up
tne state imoes oi ail tne filthily bad plug tobacco
wnkh bad been emoted during the evening; and
the oeaviuesa of the atmosphere was still mrther
intensified oy tne unnecessary beat from toe
steam pipo. An open window was oat of tno
Question, on aoaount o. the position of the grated
door leading on to the main corridor of tbe prison.
Chose sleeping by the window couut not or would
not stand the oraugnc. in time, 1 Began to duie
uneasily, dreaming ail tag while, fifli uf one thing,
?H*n ar another, bat never sms of being in a
prlioD. Then came a fearful nlgktmare tnai some
one was trying to murder me bv strangulation.
I 8 woke with a yell and waa unable, ai first, to de
termine wntre 1 waa. Bat the mquliy, "What'*
the matter, old man t" from tbe occupant of ttie
hammock below, qnicic.y recalled me to toe
realities of the situation.
"I am ueariy suflucatlng," I replied; "this hor
rible atmosphere is poisoning rat.'1
The mun gave a long sigh and Haid, "I've had
two months of It. it's tne pails. OnIr fancy what
it woala be to any one coming In outot the iresb
ulr. it'd really knock 'era down."
But this learrul atmosphere noi only noLaoned |
my lungs out my Btowar.n. I became so nauseated
that 1 feared I should soon be seriously ill, ami.
weary and tired as I was, I left my nammock and
toado my way to the iloor. i'or the best part of
three hours. I judge, I remained with my face
pressed-iitalnHt the grating of the door, soaa to
inhale tho comparatively pure atmosphere of tlie
corridor, and 1 only then rotnrnei to my hammock
because 1 was worn out.
PRESU AI K AND KKB.SH WATKK.
Gradually the day crept In upon as, far too
slowly for my impatience; but at last, acout five
o'clock, the eel] door was opened and we were at
liberty to go to the washing room, one half of tlie
tapa In the washing room will not run at all and
neArly all the others only send forth a trickle of
water. Told, without soap, Is not conducive to the
sun of "rinse" Sam Weller wus wont to revel in;
and the Jack towels which no duty all round are
soon wetted aud very dirtv. The prison regula
tions order all prisoners to go to the wassroom.
Many do not go. aud tbe lazy keepeis do no;
trouble themselves to compel tnem to do so. In
such condition was I left by my night in the cell that
1 waa unable to attack the huncn of bread provided
lor my breakfast-. I tasted tbe cofTee. There
was plenty of it, but it was very weak, and served
without milk. Now cafe noir is very nice after
dinner, especially with a gloria in it: but at five
o'clock in the morning, and without the gloria, it
la a decided failure. I took the precaution, how
ever, of secreting: half mr bread under iny jacket,
knowing 1 should get hungry alter having teen in
the iresh air awhile. The remainder I turned
over to the greedy maw ol "Pocahontas." We
went direct lrom toe breakfast hall to the arables,
On onr getting outside the ouildtng one of the
prisoners called my attention to nls lip. which
was bleeding from "a smack lu tue mouth," as he
termed it, given him by one of the keepers whose
toe tie had accidentally trodden upon in passing
out oi tUedoor.
in a few moments tne iresh air began to revive
me. It was aa lovely a spring morning as I can
call to remembrance, and belore we reached tbe
atables "my ldngs began to crow like cnanucleer,"
as the melancholy Jacques has it. our boss was
not on hand, but our prisoner-foreman quickly set
us all to work. I had three Uor3es to groom,
their beds to rake out and their stalls to sweep.
1 had also to help harness and bitch up teams and
then to sweep the stable yard.
By the time I had fluistied these Jobs tbe boss
put in his appearance, with his invariable dirty
??lay pipe in Ills month. lie looked even more
surly ttian ou the prsv.ous day, and, as loci: would
have It, he caught bio doing nothing, He gave me
a wicked look. "Can't you find something to do*"
he inquired, sarcastically; and then he quicxiy
ad-led, "Come along wilt me. I'll tlx
you, damn you." Mr. Onmmiags set
me to work wheeling hue mould lor his small
llower patch aud then some heavy tun" sods to
make a now verze round it. Re would not allow
me to carry a fair and moderate load, but seized
tne snovel aud piled tae wheelbarrow, wmcn was
a large oue, till it would bold no more, say*
ing, with a malicious sneer as he did so, "We'll
sweat some o' that rum out of you beiore we're
tbrousrb." Strong man as I am I almost stag
gered under the heavy loads he made ice wheel,
and my elbows and wrists trembled with the jar
riug strain -on them. Auy one who kuows any
thing of gardening knows that line black mould is
very heavy wheeling. But what did Mr. commlngs
caret Well, yes, he did care a gocd deal. Be en
Joyed the sight, for be bad evidently taken a d:s
line to me at first sight. I thank him lor the com
pliment. Cntttng hay tor. feed, onhuching teams,
Ac., carried me on till dinner tim??twelve
o'clock.
TBE EDfXKB.
For dinner we bad a tin dish of very tain bu>
not otherwise bad aoap, a canch of bread, raiiier
?oar, ana tome inmpa or meat, the sunt ot which
waa quite enouga fur me. Win legardtotbe
oread, thia waa tne only occasion wane I waa in
the prison oa willed 1 c?nld complain of It. It
varied a little from meal to meal; out, geuer.-Uy
speaking, It waa very fair bread and waa well
baked. The meat may bare been rrean and ten
der, bat It waa shamefully cooked and cut and re
pelling to the eye. On leaving tne dining hall I
ionnd many of tho prisoner* luangmg outside the
building and carrying on a warfare or aiang and
ribaldry with aome of the lemale prisoners who
were banging ont cloches to ary. There
was no doubt# entendrr. The indecency
waa as plain and as outspoken as ran
M conceived, and was thoroughly garnished with
proianity. To my snrpriae and disgust aome
keepers stood listening and lauabingano made no
attempt to pat a atop to ao dlagreceiai ia seen?,
wmcn most dave lasted eight or ten mlnatas. W#
had a good loif all round at the stablea that after
noon.
CUM Ml sua AND HI8 PET:".
Mr. Camminga was abient from his post till
about three o'clock, and when be and hu dirty
clay pipe did appear It waa evident that he was in
oie of his sulKiast tempera. Where ha had been
or waat he haa been doing 1 cannot *ay; bat he
wu very hot and flushed and his nose shoue lite
the led bail's eye oi a railroad signal mab'a lamp.
Miad, we were all loafing together; but Mr. Cam*
mings pounced at ones upon me. "Say, didn't I
set yoa catting hayt" be demanded in bis onrueat
tone. "No," 1 replied.
"1 didn't, eh t" he rejoined, as bis eyes gleamed
wickedly at me. I explained to him that he could
not have done so, as I bad not seen bins since din
ner. This thrust was more tnan he eouid stand.
He yelled oat, "Go and cat hay, God damn yoa !'?
and aprang towarda me. Bat 1 was too sharp lor
him, the stairway into the bay loft waa at my
elbow, ?ud Ileit Mr. uammings to mutter himself
ont by himself. Haa he only known that 1 had
been away from the' stable daring his absence,
and bad had a quiet chat with the gentleman
from the Uioald, wno nau come over to see bow
1 was getting on, hia wrath against me woald
have known no bounds. The following day
he set me to work "fixing up" tue roadway in
iront of h;a cottage. In strange contrast with
this man's benavlor to the prisoners
was that of a keeper or a gang of
penitentiary men who wen breaking stones
near the ataUefl. When he spoke to his
prisoners it waa in a kindly and encouraging
tone, and any one eonid see that he waa a favorite
with them. In fact, thoae wno oami to the
stabiee for drinking water told me that they were
all giad to obey htm because he was kind to them,
no much for tue advantage of leading by a silken
cord rather than driving wttn a knotted scourge.
"OB, TOO'Vn SEINKBD IT."
On one occasion, at dinner, on sitting down at
our table at tne inrtbsr end or the room, there
were three dishes or meat wantiog. One or the
prisoners called out to the distributer to notify him
of this iaot and to request that he would make
the deficiency good. "Oh, you've skinned it,"
was the suny and only reply?meaning that th*y
had oonceaied it tor the purpose of obtaining a
second ration. Two poor feltows had, conse
quently. to go without their meat; the third had
mine. I once or twice saw a keeper, the only one
wno appeared to me to be guo.l-narured, give ons
an extra ration, bat it wati quite exceptional.
Thoae of the stable gang, who drove toe teams
aroond to the cnar.tr iioapital, Lunatic Asylum,
almsbocs a, Ac., would often uet a loaf or oread,
n nice bit or cold mntton, a plug or tobacco or
ottur little luxuries. The old man at the alma*
house, too, are oiteu wltliag to se.l their allowance
of tobacco at les? tnm its market value. 1 was
several times asked by them if I wanted aay amok
tng or chewing tobacco, when passing to and irom
my work, uat oi whisker l absolutely saw or
h?ard nothing all the tlmj I was in the Wnfkhouie.
1 tried all 1 could tc buy some, just to sec it it was
possible. Bat it seemed lapoettoia, and tun two
?f taiM bid prisoners ?!*? 1 esnaamd on the
matter told me that it was, a* far a* they knew,
hopeless.
. ENTERTAINMENTS A I. A MODE.
Tlie nlffht uefore I lelt the prison we had quite a
little entertainment hi our ceil, oar mimic fare
some ex'-eileut representations or Dutch and Irlsti
character, a man named "Jim" dauced a capital
breakdown; "Mjeeur," "Shorty" and I coutnb
uted the vocal part, and "Foeabontas." "Haver
straw'" and the otberu were the eutbusiastlc au
dience. -Shorty" saug "Goodby, Sweethearr.
Goodb.v" ami "Shades of F.venlng Close Not O'et
l "Sneeny" sang one sentimontal ami tw?
comic song,?t, the burden oi' which 1 cannot recait,
aud I lavored the company with ihe loilowiu;
original composition, which came m very appjo,
l?riatel?. under the ciroumstanscs:?
?!'<?" ollif-r drink i und otlir r .suiile*
i in*ii* tale* nc:?t mom null tell
ini uukiiir.li ivIioKft excess naught wile*?
?i "u *""w pain ho well;
??" B'"oll"hot eyes : hall 'ware the flask.
At such mi hour, you'll
i bill oue curt* draught l.i ail vou'il atk
? Urn vou rcuifuihcr me.
J'"1' ?"i* or Uip Kout ?hali blight
iliJtt beauty now >*ou uri/o
Anu make ii a degraded *hrht?
A bean, in pious eyes.
lharc may. perhaps, 'n?id tev'rlsh dreams
feonid recollection be "
Of drink* if]*1' flow from purer ?ureama
j And you II remember roe. *
- Thia parody on Air. Balfe's wen known goo* la
the "Bohemian Girl" brought down the nons*.
1 he next Instant the stentorian voice or the night
watchman was heard, demanding to Know wuai
waa the meaning of all that noise in 8-J?tne nam.
ber of our cell, it was alter eight o'clock, at
which hour all talking is supposed to cease. We
were hs quiet as mice in a moment, and crept
quickly under our blancets. In a quarter or aa
: hour all were sound asleep, and a concert ?.f
another and more discordant character waa aooa
in full blast. Bnt I could not sleep. Toe attnot
pher.t was rabidly becoming very foul again
j alttiough not quite so bad as usual, as the steam
had been turned off. About nine o'clock 1 waa
aroused by a shout outside the building, followed
by more shouting. I sprang rrom my hammock,
and saw men running up and down the river
bank, under the prison windowa, with a lantern.
"THERE IS AM ESCAPE,"
I cried. In a moment all were crowded at the
open windows, and a terrible scene was enacted,
not before our eyes. lor the moon was sot yet op
and we could see nothing, but, what was equally
horrible, in our hearing. A poor fellow, under
sentenrp for one .year, bad managed to get locked
out of the prison, aud was at the moment battling
for hu lite against toe stream in the middle of the
n\er. He had evidently a irtend waiting for him
at the loot of the rocka on the other side, for *
voice could be eonnnually heard shouting:?
"Keep uy, old man; Tor God's sake keep yout
bead up, and don't let any water get in yon
mouth, llero'a a boat acoming." Ana thei
tue nsiin ou the bank would shout wildK
, "Come, hurry no that bout." All this whu?
we could hear the cries oi the rnau in the wate
wno bad either got cramped or frUthiened anu
was in dire danger or drowning. Scarce a word
was spoken in our cell: all held their bated breath,
aud I could not help muttering a prayer that the
poor struggling wretch m the water might suc
ceed in reaching the bank, and in escaplug. The
suspense was uornbie. Every inomout seemed tc
be a minute, and ii looked as if tnat boat would
never com?, and there we stood behind the bar*
powerless and helpless, worked up to an agony,
i:nd most of us trembling with excitement
Feebler uud leebier grew the cries of tne drown,
lug man. Loader uud more frantic grew the
shouts of the inau on the bank as he encouraged
him or sought to hasten tue men in the boat.
1 Ou; would that boat never come f
TlilC MAN IS DROWNED.
^es. it would, and It did come, and thenornblf
words trated on my very soul as the mnu oo u ?
bonk called out to the boatman, "Tue re's whsrt
he weut down?just where yon are now." With $
chilled sensation at my heart I crept bark in;?
bed. Tne others sougut their hummock# ic
silence. They were evidently all greatly shocked.
Very little was said, aud that in a very snbdueu
tone of voice, as though the body was then lymg
| in the cell, i cannot learn that an? publicity was
given to this poor fellow'a death. Very likely his
fileuia did not know his whereabouts. Vary
lUaly bis name will be inscribed on the long rui
of mysterious disappearances.
Tne day ifMt this lamentable occurrence I was
discharged, after aarm? served oat a very aman
portion oi the term lor which I was committed. I
wusiniormed oi this lact at dinner, and told to go
up stall s ana get mv own clothes, ana then go to
the dressing room. The little old man who handed
mo my bundle of clothing seemed to be very
grieved over my discharge.
"1'on'11 be drank to-night ror a certainty," he
said; -vou oujht to have stayd ten days at least;
It would have been much better lor yon." 1 was
delighted on untying my bundle or olothes to find
the two ten-dollar bills in the ie*s ot my trowaer<
I all sat*. I hurried on my own clothes, and sooa
Joined the gentleman Iroui the Hsrald woo hat'
j brought over the order lor my discharge.
By the way. I uave spoken of the keepers stnk.
' lag tho pt (toners. This gentleman waa a witnew
of an exhibition or brutality of mis if'rva on thu
very occasion. A Germao, on coming from th?
dining room, was ordered off to do certain wore
of a disagreeable nature. Be remonstrated; sale
he was not a convicted but a vagrant prisoner,
and said he wonld do no sacu work, or eonrs^
this man was wrong. But wnat shall we think 4.
the conduct of the keepers' Without another
word two of them selssd tne man by the capo or tha
necc aud ran biro alone iu the direction he ought
to go, one striking aim several sovere blows oo ih*
back of toe head and neca as they did lo. and
finally flinging him away with an injunction tog*
and do what he had been ordered to do. My irtend
wis astonished, lor tais brutal scan* was enacted
In the most public part of the pmon. Jnst inside
the msl? entrance, aud when tha prisoners were
leaving the dining room.
But we hastened away. I had Men quite as
much as i cared to expetience of Uie on Biack
weil's Island. I waa furnished with a pass t#
leave the island; but it waanotaaked tor on golap
on board the steamboat nor ou landing at Twenty*
alxth street. I rumk there must have been som#
carelessness somewhere about this. On reachiai
New Tom I made s;raight running for a barber's
ahop. then went nome. took a warm bath aa^
dressed myself in civilized fashion, ana thea
hastened off to the Turkish batha Sot tin I had
been thoroughly rubbed and scrnboed and sham
pooed dirt 1 feel at ail saie or comfortatte aa m
possible consequences from naving served a short
time as a prisoner in the Worahonaa oa .Black
wen's Island.
THE FINANCIAL CRISIS IN PATXB&ON.
The committee aDpolmed in bekaif ?( tkt cn*
itor? 01 toe Grant Looonotlve Work* la PaterOoa
have made a report and auggeeted a Mala 01 aec
tiement. Tkt liablittlee or ike ooneorn an
9M1.MIM; tu? aaeeta, ?7i2,B6i at; liabilities orei
? Meta, 1138.890 1ft. The ajnopsia of toa propoaed
basisofMMlaaoantlatitat the buodkoidera akoll
consent to satisfy *11 mortgages aert bond*. learta#
the property free of eucambrooeea; toot toe more,
gagee* and gooeroi creditor* reoelre in ptfooal
oi cialma the eapltoi atook ($300,000) pro rot*
to ttie amount or otalma; mat tka ololmi
of all creditor* oe determined bj
the report or the receiver; teat ttM
certificate* of atook oe aaalgaeu aid surrender**
to I). B. Grant upon najmeot ot the par vaine,
without lbtereat; the nei prod: of tue ooaoeru to
bo uivlded annually among utockhol lere; u oe*
profli* exceed aU per cent in tee amount of preo
eut lU'ieotediieea at aiz per cent dinuood to t>a
made; should the profits in any ? ear not amount
to aix per cent tue deficiency to be paid oat or ike
i earning* or the next year that exceeds alx per
l cput net prom heiore any aoipioa b?r<*aa six pet
cent aoaii be utvrued amour siocttaoiaer*; a
board oi nve u tree tore to be ananaily a*reed upon
to minage the concern, tnree oi wkont *.aaU oe
nominated bv the general creditor*; Mr. W. B.
Grant to oe employed a* mauager oi tae worn* at a
I aaiery oi $10,000 per ununm, k<* agreeing to axtua
all mtereat in patents owned by rum ana the
Urauv Locomotive Worka: tkla beau el aottlooieat
no; to do oinatnc umo.si signed by ail tne creditor*.
Thmaaverj important matter ft?r fateraon, the
continuance of me establishment oemg oi vuai
lutereat to rae piaco. It n^uaiiv amuioya ooo fit
6oo oanda, most o wuotu have beett idle ainee tJM
atoppaae ot tae wort-i, and man? hundred pe<>p?
are devootlr pravlagtoat tae aaitieotont pn>r><JeO
will be agreed upon, *o taat bsilnena nay oe re
sumed. it la taid tnat ad toe principal erection
, <kt* ready to aign tha agi corneal, oat meet of tM
auaiier one* ooject touoikg *o. Coiefta tou agree
| meut i* ?eui?d open u is iware* tae p?4bb #Cl fet
i i eoia oat aa? ft***d bp aniurtv*