that he will do better he can be
released, he leaves the cell feeling much different than the prisoner
who leaves the whipping-post, after having received any number of
lashes that a brutal officer may desire to inflict. One goes to his
work cheerful, and determined to behave himself; the other dogged,
revengeful, completely humiliated, and only lives in hope that he may at
some time take his revenge upon the person that ordered or inflicted
the punishment, and upon the State or country that would, by its laws,
tolerate such a brutal or slavish practice."

CHAPTER V. SUNDAY IN THE PRISON

A prisoner is always thankful for the Sabbath. He has been working hard
all week, and Sunday affords the opportunity of resting. On the Sabbath
morning, the bell for rising rings at eight o'clock. At its ringing
each person must rise and dress; he is not permitted to do so before
it rings. If he gets tired of remaining in his bunk so late as eight
o'clock, and should wish to get up and dress, it would do him no good;
it would be a violation of rules and result in punishment. After the
prisoner is up and dressed, he washes and marches out in ranks to
breakfast. It is hash, hash, hash, for Sunday breakfast, the same as any
other day, except once a month it is codfish hash instead of beef hash.
After breakfast, instead of going from the dining-room to work, the
prisoners are marched back into their cells where they remain until time
for chapel exercises.

There is a dining-room for the prisoners and another for the officers.
The room where the prisoners dine is a large hall capable of seating
fully twelve hundred men. Each table is long enough to accommodate
twenty men, and resembles an ordinary school-desk. There are no
table-cloths or napkins; nothing but a plain, clean board. The table
furniture consists of a tin quart cup, a small pan of the same precious
metal, which holds the hash, an iron knife, fork and spoon. No beautiful
silverware adorns this table; on the contrary, all the dining service is
very plain and cheap. The convicts are marched into the dining-room in
divisions, and seated at the table. Here they remain in perfect silence,
with their heads bowed.

No talking or gazing about the dining-room is permitted. After all the
divisions are in and seated, the deputy Warden taps a small bell, and
the convicts begin the work of "concealing the hash." Before the men
enter the dining-room the coffee, bread and hash are plac