SUFFRAGISTS IN PRISON.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 175, 18 April 1908, Page 11

SUFFRAGISTS IN PRISON.

.There 'seems to. be ail.idea among people of 6 oertaih\class ih? : New Zealand that the English' women-suffragists,'wto create disturb'ancesi an'di contrive ;tp be'sent, to gaol; 'really enjoy ■ their experiences, : and .consider any discomfort to which: ..they may be subjected quit« worth I while, because '6f ;the'.-Teiy desirable' notoriety 1 which 'it. them.'.,-The very, detailed description' of her : esp'eriencos' in .HoUoway '|Prison; : recently .publish<kl By Mrs.'' Panihurst: in an English ; newspaper, Ehould go far.to/correct such:an impression. It is a' not'-of torture; or; severe hardships, „ but; of; incessant ; unpleasant- 1 thin'gs.' : tbaV have.bo,'cbm'e .necessaries_!|;'o\any Probably.- 'bigger, . ; would, have '.■ been, easier to bear; The, prisoners/ nave' to' wear th'e ordinary ;prison garb/th'o; rough clothing that; has' ; been; worn by many women before .^em' > of- doubtful cleanliness". The s&ondfclass' prisoners wear green /serge ; dresses. ' and 'ttie third-class brown. 31ey f ; all'have white caps, blue and /white : check',aprons,/ and one big blue and. whitorcheck- handkerchief '.a week. , The iun•dOTclothing,for.'prisoners.of, all 'classes is the >and THg stockings, which' tiave; no "■ garters , or.;' suspenders to' keepMhom-up, ; are' thick' and jed "stripes going 'round the; many-of which are,rnot r ' in * pairs, 7have !leather' laces which break very easily, : are" ill; heavy and clumsy, and / some • are awkwardly' made enough; to 'have .been; fashioned -by 1 prehistoric man. -r\- /•.-:' r- ; ;/ \Tho_ dim , light, * andthe, hurry andconfusion in which/ the .' garments ; are selected; seem to make matters worse, and all the tall 'women; somehow;'manage -'to get 'rigged, out in tho short.dresses, .and the little :women 'in 'clothes : that;. are..too/ big; . .Needless to say,, ■the cell and its belongings are as funcomfortab]o as. possible,/, many of them ..being''so badly lighted, at, night that .it is -impossible for/the' occupants sto read. All tte weaning to - bo; done' ;by • the < prisoner, ■: washing of iher ■ own person, of' the' cell or utensils ;has ..be done .by .means .of. the. same .cake, of soap, and with' rags'; that are' used; alike' for the*dishes "and the floor. These rags, moreover,', are those which have been left in the cell by tho last oocupant,';and'are not freshly washed for each prisoner. ' : ' ' ,

After tl)o tins, which have to : bo 'made - spotless and-very; bright,-have; been l cleaned . early in 'the- morning, the prisoner rolls up . tho.'bcdclothes; spreading tnorn'oution tho fioor'ite ;do sb. : -This has to be .very neatly 'dorie.-. 'Neri: sh'e;scnibs r thebed,-. stool, and tablo, .washes tho shelf,'awl scrubs-.tho stone floor. For' breakfast ■ the;prisoners; have a pint of oatmral gruel and 60z.,': of brown bread, very - indigestible/ Dinner .lis , between: 11 and 12 o'clock. , It, consists ; ,' inthe third class, of a. pint of oatmeal porridge and, 6oz.;'broad;thre«'• days a .week,., Boz. .of' potatoes and..60z..;0f bread two;days a'week, and on thetwo, remaining days 6oz. of suetpudding' and 6oz. '.Woad.": 'This dietary, is supposed- to last I 'only '. for -'"the ; first-' sevenand to'.be changed Afterwards, for that of" the; second-claes. . .'There is reason :t&) doubt whether '.this rule is obsorvod. -Breakfast, arid supper are'tbesame for.second and ' third - class,'/and in':both' cases consist"'of '6qz. bread arid-a pint The: gruel is-poured into tho prisoner's "own; pintpbt; which', she ; isvobliged to.keop bright -and clean; but .tho dinncrcomes round in' dingy--1 coking.quart tins, and: the pint' of porridge or- foa of . suet-pudding.at the bottoin of eaoh ' tin is alwiays - stiff.'and cold, /lie pudding is, '• ;irideed, 'fearfuHjrl ( arid .wonderfully -made.'-- -It : has neither ..salt with it, and, is ' very heavy, ■ for ;the 1 6oz. are'compressed 'into the•'smallest: possible' oompass;.: To every pound',of: pudding thero is, we'.are: told,'2oz. of suet; a'nd-.'862.' of wholemeal flour. ; TKe .dinner .for ~prisoners in tho* seconder's isserved in the-same fashion,-! and, like . the others,', they have- only a-wooden-spoon -.to: eat'.it; with,; but; the .-food itself is ratheir diffcrent.i'.Tliis consists either.of Boz."pota- , tocfl,'Boz; - of :beana, and an ounce of .fat b&con j -pf..Boz. of potatoes'arid a. pint, of soup, ,Boz. arid/3oz. of hot meat, or Boi£ of^p'otatobsarid 3o'z. of '.tinned. m4at, , 60z.';.0f brown bread: ;each day: . In tho ' first-class, 1 vegetarians ' are allowed , and milk, -rnstead of ' meat. , "When 'the votes-for-woroen prisoners ,were. in thoVsecond division-last year no' special provisiori was made for vegetarians. It remains to be seen! what irill be done now. j'.Secorid-class prisoners are allowed one book a week .'jfrom- the prison library ; and 'thirdclass prisoners only if tho privilege is specially granted to them by the chaplain.' No books may be read until after' 5 oWock, cxcopt'on Sunday. Prisoners-may'go to bed as soon- as they wish after 5 o'clock. This they are generally glad to do, for one gots m tired and cramped from sitting all day on the little wooden stool. ; ' . Just-before the light is put out'someone knocks at the door and asks: " Are you all right?" I cannot 'say at what 'time this takes place, because the -door is never opcnc.l after 5 p.m.'until next morning, and, of course, there is no clock in the cell. ;It < seems to be a very long time after supper, but all . tho hours seem long in prison. The sun can never get in through the narrow window, with its little opaque panes and iron bars. The. cell is ~rso small and bare,; and ' every day ■ so : changeless and uninteresting . that one grows to long for the coming of tho wardress, and yet'to shrink , from the, shan>'noss of; her .voice and the banging of the door.' One grows to feel almost too tirod to go through, the exercise', and yet one. has' B yeaxning- for' the' open ai<, ~