Glimpses into the Abyss

Correspondence w

mon lodging-houses. Your experience coincides with mine, with the exc

k; out next morning at six o'clock: for breakfast had a drink of water and a tinful of broken crusts, seven pieces in all, and I should say not more than six ounces. I suppose they had been left by the children or at the infirmaries. Sa

about fifty), four feet wide with three landings; ditto one bath-room and two lavatories; clean bath and closet pans; and polish sixty-seven sets of brasses. I started at seven o'clo

came out; and whatever the chairman may say about coming

public works, and this as you kno

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roken by a man were ten hundredweight. Why, he knew a man who could easily break two and a half yards in a day,

size of those broken by the casual, and that he had no grid to put t

a man will start, we will say from Yorkshire to Devon: if he can pick up a day's work on the way he will do so; but his object is to get to Devon, and he is going to get there as soon as possible. He is pretty certain of work when he gets there because he is known either to t

ss for whom the casual ward was in

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ing him-he would be no charge on the rates, and your pauper returns would be greatly reduced. Very likely the argument would be that the guardians would be interfering with private rights, i.e. lodging-houses. In answer to this, I have to say that in a great many towns there are no lodgings of any kind, and in others they are so bad that no decen

se if money is found on him in the workhouse he loses it. Give him th

be interfering with the liberty of the subject in taking them off the road and ma

chance of reclaiming them when they knew they had to go back, and there would also be an inducement for their friends and relations to show what they are made of by helping to keep them. Of course there are numbers w

be clearing the roads of a disgrace to the country; and I have not the slightest doubt that you would do away with a great deal of disease and crime. I have

sent off without his bath; he was given the usual rugs, which of course were placed with the others next morning, and not stoved, because they have no stove there. This man had been going from place to place, and could not get to see a doctor, he told me himself, and I can well believe him. I have had occasion to ask for the doctor myself and have been refus

e better, but there is too much left to the discretion of the guardians, which means the wo

als. Why that is I do not know, because if a man is found sleeping out or begging he goes to prison. I have never been in a p

a master can keep down his pauper returns. In passing I should like to say that I h

arvest short and only got two days. He found that numbers of men who usually found harvest employment could not obtain it, and that hard-working men were roaming from place to place, and, being

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many that night. You will see that room was limited. There were two dirty-looking baths there, but how many made use of them I could not say. I did not. Your clothes are tied into a

hs, and are full of vermin. Mine was, and the complaint was general, so I suppose they were all alike. Sleep is impossible. You get up, have your bread and cold water, and are put on the pump, eight on and eight off, every half-hour. There are two pumps kept continually going all day, so it cann

, my correspondent crossed to Lancashire

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and nine on the left. My cell was four from the top on the left. The right side was full, and the three on the left above mine also full. I noticed three pairs of boots outside each cell; a pleasant prospect. There were two men already in my cell. I made the third. That made forty-five men for the fifteen cells, then there were the eleven men I left in the bath-room, who would fill four others, that would make fifty-six men in nineteen cells. Now when I tell you that these cells are four feet six inches wide,

estion, even if you had not been disturbed by the groans and curses that were going

from other causes was bad enough, but when I tell you."... Here follows a description of consequences. "The old man said it was useless to call to the attendant, he had been in before." When at 5.30 the door was opened it was only to

w the vessel to be removed 'because it was against r

who could consume it had to do so in that atmosphere of horror. We were kept locked

arious parts of the country, that it has been taken there by tramps. Now supposin

of cells I noticed, about twenty, that had the appearance of being unoccupied. There were certainly some o

ed to see a doctor. I was too ill to work, but was told to go to the yard. I went but did nothing

ing, and wanted to see the doctor. He told me that I was a malingerer and that I should not see the doctor. 'Doctors are not for such as thou,' says he, and that I should have no dinner. I asked him to send me before a magist

could not do much. At 4.30 o'clock work ceased and we had a roll each. Afterwards I noticed that a number of men crowded round the door leading to the cells. Thinking there was something in it, I got as near the door as possible. At 5.30 this door opened

he remainder slept in the other room or not; I had a better night than the one pr

uoted the punishment of vagrants in Henry VIII.'s time. I think if Sir John had studied the matter he would have seen that at that time vagrants were favo

en to the ratepayers, and the cost of their maintenance will be supp

been done in two hours. Now, why were these men kept in their cells from 5.30 to 8.20?-why were they not sent to the labour yard at six o'clock and worked for this two hours, given their breakfast, and sent about their business? The ratepayer would have the same amount of work done, and have saved the price of 102 rolls and thirty-four lots of coffee, and thirty-four portions of cheese. To give an instance of the work done. There were two men nearest me

is twopenny feed in that time, and it does not cost more. You will give the man looking for work a chance, you will r

ted half a dozen men who understood the game