led with the
latter material, and when packed down becomes as hard as a board. When
the beds are not in use they are fastened to the side of the wall with
a small chain. When down and in use they take up nearly the entire space
of the cell, so that it is impossible for the two occupants to pass each
other in walking to and fro. The other furniture consists of a small
tin bucket, holding about two quarts of water, and a wash-basin. A
short-handled broom is also found in one corner of the cell, with
which the convict brushes it out every morning. The walls are of stone,
decorated with a small looking-glass and a towel. Each cell contains one
chair and a Holy Bible. There is no rich Brussels carpet on the floor,
although prisoners are allowed one if they furnish it themselves. No
costly upholstered furniture adorns these safe retreats! Nothing in
that line is to be discovered except one cane-bottomed chair for the
accommodation of two prisoners, so that when one sits on the chair the
other stands, or occupies a seat on the stone floor. There is not room
for two chairs, or the State would furnish another chair. These rooms
are built of stone. The door is of one-half inch iron bars, crossing
each other at right angles, leaving small spaces about two by six
inches; through these spaces come the air, light and heat for the health
and comfort of the inmates. When I entered my cell on that eventful
morning I found it occupied by a prisoner. He was also a new arrival; he
had preceded me about an hour. When I entered he arose and gave me his
chair, taking a seat on the floor in the opposite corner. After I had
been locked in, before going away the officer said, "Now I don't
want you fellows to get to talking, for that is not permitted in this
institution." We sat in silence, surveying each other; in a few moments
my companion, seeing something in my personal appearance that caused him
to lose his self control, laughed. That he might give full vent to his
laughing propensities, and not make too much noise, he drew from his
pocket his quarter section of a flour bag and put it into his mouth. He
soon became as red in the face as a lobster. I was curious, of course,
to know what it was that pleased him so much. Rising from my chair,
going to the door and looking through the openings I could see no
officer near, so I asked my companion, in a whisper, what it was that
pleased him so. It was with difficulty and after several trials before