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Show TRAVELS TIIROUGII NOR TII Al\1ERICA: n1cnts nrc a11 arched, to prevent the communiLati0n of fire. Behind tlle buihlinO' arc cxtcntlvc }'at ds, which arc iecurcd by lofty walls. rfhis b gaol is better rcguLttcd, perhaps, th:w any other on the facl; of th globe. By the new penn] laws of PennJ} lvJn ia, lately enaCted, no crime is punif11ablc with death, excepting murder of the fir{[ d~..:grcc , by which ill n1ca.n t, murder that is pcrpctl,ltcl{ by wilful prenlLdit,L tu.i intention, or in attctnpts to commit rape, robbery, or the ]ike. Every other oft:;nce, according to it ~ enormity, is puuitncd by Jolitary imp1 itcmmcnt of a ddcrmincJ duration. Objcdions nuy be made to this tnode of puttif1uncnt, as not being fuHiciently icvcrc on the individu.d to atone for an atrocious crime; nor cap;'..bl , bccaufe not jnflic.teli in pu h'ic, of deterring evil-minded pcrJ<.ms in the comnumity from the comtninion of oil~ nccs which incur tl 1e rigour of the law; but on a clofe cx:unination, it \vill be found to be very fcvcrc ; and as f:lr as an opinion can be formed from the trial that hns b ·en hitherto 1n,1dc by the fi 1te of Pennfylvania, it fcems b~tt 'r ca1culatcd to rd1rain the cxcelles of the people than any other. If <Jny public punii)Hncnt could flrike t rror into the hwlL:fs part of the multitu...lc, it is as likely that rhc in fLclion of dc.1th would do it a<; any whatfoever; but d~Jth is Jivd1:.:d of m 1ny of his terrors, after being often prc!Cnted to our view; !o that we find in countries, for infhncc in En~;land, where it occurs often as punithmcnt, the f..1lutary c.trcets that might be expecl·d from it arc in a gn~at nlc.lfure loft. The unfortunate wretch, who is doomed to forfe it his lilc in cxpiat;on of the crimes he has committed, in nUinbcrlefs inftances, looks forward with apparent un ·oncern to the moment in whi~h he is to be hunched into ct -rnity; his comp:mions around him only cr;ndole with him, becau(e his career of ini 1uity h ts fo fu ddcnly been impcd~d by the courfc of jufl:it c: or, if he is not too tnuch hardened in the paths of vice, hut [,dis a prey to remorfe, and f~es all the horrors of his impending fate, they C1Hle.1vour to rally his brokc11 fpirits by tht,; confoling rem em br.tncc, that the pan~s he has to endure are but th~ pangs of a moment, which they illut11 ate by the Cpeedy l'Xit of' one who(~ death he w.1s perhaps hi 11ft.·Jf witncfs to but a few weeks before. A tnonth docs not pafs ovc1 in England without tepcated cxc:cut!ons ; .1nd there P I-I I L A D E L P 11 1 1\. 9 there is fc.ucely a vagabond to be rnet with in the country, who has not feen a fellow creature fufpended fi·mn the gallows. We all know what lictle good effcCl: fuch fpecbclcs produce. But imtnurcd in darkncfs and folitudc, the prifoncr fuffers pangs worfc than death a hundred times in the day: he is left to his own bitter reflections; th ere is no one thing to divert his attention, and he endeavours in vain to cfcapc from the hot rors whjch continually haunt his itnngination. In fuch a fituation the xnofl hardened offender is foon reduced to a fiate of repentance. Bnt punilhmcnt by imprifontnent, according to the laws of Pennfylvania, is im pofcd, not on 1y as an expiation of pafl: offences, and an exam pic to the guilty part of iociety, but for another purpofe, regardecl by few renal codes in the world, the rcfonn of the criminal. 'The regulations of the gaol, are calculated to promote this cff~cJ: as foon as poiliblc, fo that the building, indeed, defcrves the natne of a penitentiary h oufe more than that <lf a g.10l. As foon as a criminal is romn1ittcd to the p ri(()J) he is n1ack to vv.1fb; his ha!r is £horn, and jf not decently clothed, he is fur11ifhcd with clean apparel; then he is thrown into a folitary c~· ll, ahou t nine f~et long a tHl four \vide, where he t cmains de kurcd fi·orn the fi2ht of every !iving being excepting his gaoler, whofc duty it is to attend to the bJr nercnities or his nat ure, but who is forbidden, on any account, to 1i)enk to hitn \\ itho :t there is :-th!ul ttt, occafion. If a prifoncr is at all refractory, or if the oHcncL for which he is imr'ri1oncd is of a very atroeicus natt1 rc, he is then confined in a cell fecluded even fron1 the light of he~vcn. Thi is th wot (l that ran be infl1cred upon him. The g:1ol js infp~Cl:ed twice every week hy twelve perfcms appointed for that purpofc, wl 10 nrc rhofcn annually frorn amongfi: the citizens of Plllibdelphia. Nor is it a dif1icult n1att r to pro( ute hclc rncn, who readjJy <lnd voluntarily tale it upon them to go thrcms-h th~ troublcfon1c funcbons of the ofncc wjthc.ut any ft c or emolumc1Jt whate\'Lr. They diviJc thLmfdvcs into con1mittecs ; e.1ch of th .Jt; t.1kcs it jq turn, for a fi,ttcd pc1 iod, to vi.G t <.:vet y part of th -: prifon; and ~ rcpot t is lllatle to the in tjH.:C.lors at large, vdw n1eet to:,uhcr at ti•Les 1r n•brly ~ppointed. C' Frorn |
