we had all come with experience of prison life, and were not easily perturbed. we had become accustomed to taking things as we found them, and making them the basis of improvement, not in the mood of those who sought privileges, but as those who demanded rights. our first act was to elect a ceann-phort, through whom to formulate our demands, and by whom to lay out the lines of our life together. our next act was to put together the tables that stood in the passage in order that we might have our meals together. from the very first during the time we were permitted together we at once took the control of our affairs into our own hands, and it became a recognised principle that any dealings of officials with us were with us as a whole and not with individuals.
for instance, the prison had to be scrubbed through twice a week, and in addition there was orderly work to be appointed, such as daily [113]sweeping, polishing of rails, cleaning of dishes, and, as we had elected to take our meals together, the preparation and clearance of tables. for this work it was proposed, as in the usual way, to select the required men, and to pay them at the prison rate of ten pence a day. instead of that we desired that the payment should be made to the ceann-phort, saying that the work would be done under his arrangements. we were then drawn out into eight teams who took it in turns for orderly work. the fatigues on wednesday and saturday were taken by each half-company of four teams. all questions concerning our life were arranged between our ceann-phort and the prison governor.
the moneys that were paid over to us were expended by us, together with contributions made from time to time from among us, on the canteen that was open three days in the week. for the food that we received was the same as we had received in other prisons, except that at first its quality was improved. while our exchequers lasted we were able to enrich our dietary to some extent by extra doles of bread, margarine and sugar. this canteen was in the hands of one of the grocers in the town for the use of all the prisoners in the jail.
[114]
the first night we were locked up at eight o’clock, with lights out at nine. this was one of the first matters to which we turned our attention. we were not successful in approximating this to the conditions that had prevailed elsewhere with us, such as at stafford, but we were finally able to have the time altered to ten. the gravest hardships, however, in the conditions as at first announced to us were that we were only suffered one visit every three months and one letter each month. these were the ordinary conditions imposed on penal servitude convicts,
finally we were permitted one visit a month and two letters each week, the letters to be written on little slips of paper provided for us. at first also we were refused the right to receive parcels of food sent in by friends. this was clearly contrary to the code prevailing for prisoners ...; and this also we had annulled.
therefore our life, as finally adjusted, was on this wise. we were aroused at seven o’clock, and the orderlies for the day at once laid the breakfast, which was taken at a quarter to eight. at half-past ten we were taken out by the warders to the work yard for exercise. [115]there we disported ourselves as we pleased until we were brought in for dinner at twelve. in the afternoon we went out, not to the work yard, but to the small exercise yard at the back of our prison. this was separated by a wall from the debtors’ yard, of which wilde had sung:
in debtors’ yard the stones are hard,
and the dripping wall is high.
then tea at five—
and the bitter bread they weigh in scales
is full of chalk and lime.
after tea, during the summer months, we were allowed out into the yard again till it was dark, and at ten the key grated against us once more in our cell doors.
each narrow cell in which we dwell
is a foul and dark latrine,
and the fetid breath of living death
chokes up each grated screen,
and all, but lust, is turned to dust
in humanity’s machine.
