One was an Irish sailor, who was
sentenced to three years and nine months' imprisonment by the United
States court, for revolt and a desperate attempt to murder the
captain of a ship; the next was a German, a soldier in the United
States army, sentenced to one year and eight months' imprisonment
for killing his comrade; and the third was an English sailor, who
killed a woman-but as she happened to be of doubtful character, the
presiding judge of the sessions sentenced him to a light
imprisonment, which the Governor very condescendingly pardoned after
a few weeks.
The two former acted as attendants, or deputy jailers; with the
exception of turning the key, which privilege the jailer reserved
for himself exclusively. The principle may seem a strange one, that
places men confined upon such grave charges in a superior position
over prisoners; and may be questionable with regard to the
discipline itself.
From this floor, another iron door opened, and a winding passage led
into the third and upper story, where a third iron door opened into
a vestibule, on the right and left of which were grated doors
secured with heavy bolts and bars. These opened into narrow portals
with dark, gloomy cells on each side. In the floor of each of these
cells was a large iron ring-bolt, doubtless intended to chain
refractory prisoners to; but we were informed that such prisoners
were kept in close stone cells, in the yard, which were commonly
occupied by negroes and those condemned to capital punishment.
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