1800. J 
eft conducted prifon we ever faw, for 
prifoners after conviction, the article of 
bedding only excepted, which certainly 
appears to.us by no means fufficient even 
for the fummer feafon. 
<¢ That for prifoners before conviétion, 
we think direétly, the contrary, inafmuch, 
as no provifion is made for them, but 
bread and water; and the difficulty, if not 
the impoffibility, of obtaining admiffiaa 
for their friends to fee them, renders it a 
melancholy and dangerous, fituation, and 
appears to us contrary to the ,principle of 
our happy conftitution, which has wifely 
rovided that no punifhment.ought to take 
place tillafter conviction. 
‘6 The cafe of Mary. Rich, that firft in- 
duced us, to vifit that place, is a cafe in 
point, fhe being a perion who has fuffered 
a fevere injury, for which fhe is about to 
profecute, has been confined there more 
than a month, without any provifion but 
bread and water, and whole friends, from 
their poverty and other difficulties, .bave 
fent her .animal food but twice dur- 
ing that time; fhe is now exceedingly 
ill, and we think it our duty to fay the 
ought to be immediately removed from 
that place, and put under the care of pro- 
per perfons, with eyery comfort and con- 
venience the nature of her cafe requires. 
‘©The appearance of the infirmary is 
very .favourable, but few fick, and 
none apparently dangerous, and vifited by 
the doctor every day ; but the other parts 
of the prifon appear not to be fo well at- 
tended to, we baving found two perfons 
in feparate cells (one locked up) both very 
ill, and who do not appear to have been 
properly attended to by the doétor ; thofe 
circumitances we particularly recommend 
to your ferlous and attentive enquiry, 
trufting, at the fame time, that the fame 
fentiments that induced us to obtain this 
information willalfo influence you to ren- 
der the fituation of the unhappy perfons 
confined there as free from complaints of 
this kind as the nature of their cafes will 
admit. (Signed) 
Mr. Campbell, Foreman Mr. Bellinger 
Mr. Flight Mr. Nath 
Mr. Deacon ‘ Mr. Gordon 
Mr. Smith Mr. Wylley 
Robert Cribb Mr. Hall 
Mr. Charlefworth 
Mr. Garling 
Mr. Saunders Mr. Newport 
Mr. Wm. Merchant Mr. Powell.”’ 
Infpe€tion of the Houfe of Correcfion, Cold 
Bath Fields, on the 30th of May and 4th 
of Fune, 1800, by the Traverfe Fury for 
Clerkenwell, . 
**On Friday the 30th of May, we, the 
Mr. Stubbs 
Mr. Thompfon 
Horrible Affair of Mary Rich, &c. 
69 
Bath 
Traverfe Jury, vifited the Coldced tg 
Fields Prilon; and being introdu , ot 
that part of the goal where the mut!"° : 
are confined, we ordered the turnkeys 
withdraw, that the prifoners might with 
greater freedom communicate to us the 
treatment they received; becaufe when we 
firft queftioned them they hefitated, being 
fearful of anfwering, dreading the feverity 
of the governor in cafe he fhould know 
they made any complaint. But we told 
them, our intention was to inf{pect into 
the real fituation of the prifoners in gee 
neral; and, fnould it appear that any of 
them had jult caufe of complaint, we would 
report it to the court, and endeavour to 
procure them redrefs. Having thus pro- 
milfed them our proteétion, they informed 
us that their allowance of: food was better 
now than what they formerly were fup- 
plied with ; but that their allowance even 
at prefent was not fufficient to fupport hue 
man nature ; and they declared their fuf- 
fering by cold during the winter was fe- 
vere in the extreme; and many of them 
faid, they had f{carcely a bit of fhoe to their 
feet ; and fome of them complained that 
money was left for them by their friends at 
the prifon-gate, which they never re- 
ceived. 
<6 We proceeded toa gallery, where we 
found a man named Jones, lying in a cell; 
with a handkerchief bound round bis heads 
He appeared to bevextremely ill, and we 
demanded to know the caute of his com> 
plaint; his reply was—¥*‘ Cruel: treat- 
ment,’ aad relatcd to us as © follows: 
That one evening in the month of Auguft, 
1798, after he had gone to bed, a turnkey 
opened his cell-door, faying, « Why do 
you make a noife?’-—-He anfwered,: ‘I 
have not made a noife; but I fuppofe the 
noilfe was occafioned by fome of the pri- 
foners clofing the window fhutters of their 
cells.” The turnkey faid, ¢ You area 
damned villain,’ and made ufe of othez 
abufive language, which induced him 
(Jones) to fit up in bed. At that moment 
the turnkey {truck at his head with a 
bunch of keys, which muft have proved 
fatal if fome of the keys had not hit againtt 
the wall, which broke the dangerous ef- 
fectof the blow. The turnkey then with- 
drew; but returned next morning, and 
again opened the cell, faying, ¢ Come 
with me, Jones, to be ironed.’ = ¢ For 
what? (replied Jones) If 1 had committed 
an offence I ought to be ironed; but I 
have committed none.” During this al- 
tercation the governor came up, and beat 
him (Jones) with a flick till he broke it: 
to pieces : then he renewed the affault with 
his fifis, and beat him in a cruel manner ; 
atter 
