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92 - Mysteries of London Vol II by George W M Reynolds · Mysteries of London Vol. II

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  Speaker 1: Chapter two hundred and twenty seven, called Vith's Field Prison.
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  Speaker 1: Return we now to the resurrection man, that incarnate fiend,
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  Speaker 1: whose crimes were so numerous and also black a dye,
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  Speaker 1: firmly bound and guarded by three officers who kept their
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  Speaker 1: bludgeons in their hands. The myscreant saw that all resistance
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  Speaker 1: was vain. He accordingly threw himself back in the cab
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  Speaker 1: that was bearing him to prison, and gave his way
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  Speaker 1: to his saturnying reflections. If I had only thought that
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  Speaker 1: Richard Markham would have accompanied that young girl, Catherine, it
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  Speaker 1: was thus, he mused, a very different song would have
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  Speaker 1: been sung. But I knew that he was married only
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  Speaker 1: a week ago, and never dreamt that he would leave
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  Speaker 1: his pretty wife to poke his nose into Bank's crib.
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  Speaker 1: What an infernal oversight on my part. And now here
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  Speaker 1: I am regularly lumbered, and all the swag rising from
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  Speaker 1: Cape Wilmant's business is in the hands of that canting
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  Speaker 1: sneak Banks. Damnation to Richard Markham, I shall swing for
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  Speaker 1: this if I don't take precious good care. He'll swear
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  Speaker 1: to two different attempts on his life, one at the
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  Speaker 1: house near Birdcage Walk, and to other at twig Folly.
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  Speaker 1: What a curse ten times cursed full I was to
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  Speaker 1: let myself tumble into a snare In this way someone
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  Speaker 1: else will find the gold that I have saved up.
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  Speaker 1: And when I shall be cold and stiff under the
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  Speaker 1: pavement of Newgate, others will ride on my treasure. But no,
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  Speaker 1: it can't happen in that way. It's impossible that my
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  Speaker 1: time has come. Yet impossible. I shall escape somehow or another.
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  Speaker 1: I must escape. I will escape, But how that question
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  Speaker 1: is the devil of difficulty. Never mind escape I shall
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  Speaker 1: So I mustn't be downhearted. These and numberless other reflections
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  Speaker 1: in which despondency and hope alternately asserted a predominant influence
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  Speaker 1: opied in the mind of Anthony Titkins. And as the
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  Speaker 1: cab proceeded rapidly through Bethnal Green and Snoreditch, and then
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  Speaker 1: along Old Street and up Goswell Road, through Northampton Square,
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  Speaker 1: and lastly among Exmouth Street in its way to Coldbit'sfield Prison.
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  Speaker 1: At length the cab turned in the short road which
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  Speaker 1: forms the approach within the wooden railings in the front
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  Speaker 1: Governor's Dwelling to the great grates of the jail, those
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  Speaker 1: gates over which may be read in large letters Middlesex
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  Speaker 1: House of Correction. A shutter crept over even the iron
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  Speaker 1: frame of Anthony Titkins, as those huge portals towering high
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  Speaker 1: above the cab, which now drew up close to them,
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  Speaker 1: seemed to frown upon him like a colossal genius of evil.
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  Speaker 1: Amidst the obscurity of night. Ben Stead left from the
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  Speaker 1: cab and knocked loudly at the gate. The iron din
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  Speaker 1: responded to by gloomy edcoes from the courts. Inside a
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  Speaker 1: few minutes, heavy chains fell, and the wicket was opened
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  Speaker 1: by a man bearing a lantern. Ben Stead whispered to
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  Speaker 1: him for a few moments, and Titdkins was conducted into
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  Speaker 1: a little lobby on the left hand. The turnkey had
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  Speaker 1: opened the gate, then proceeded to the Governor's house, which
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  Speaker 1: was close by within the walls, and after an absence
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  Speaker 1: of ten minutes, he returned with an affirmative answer to
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  Speaker 1: ben Stead's request that the prisoner might be retained in
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  Speaker 1: the custody in that jail until a magistrate should otherwise
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  Speaker 1: dispose of him. The turnkey accordingly led the way through
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  Speaker 1: the wicket of strong iron grating across the yard, where
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  Speaker 1: a watchman armed with a loaded blunderbuss was stationed, and
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  Speaker 1: thence into a building and up the narrow stone staircase,
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  Speaker 1: of which the party proceeded until they reached a cell
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  Speaker 1: where the resurrection man, was now released from his bonds,
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  Speaker 1: was left tidkins, threw himself upon the bed, and soon
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  Speaker 1: fell asleep. He was not an individual to whom danger
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  Speaker 1: or even the prospect of death could bring remorse. Darkness
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  Speaker 1: and solitude had no alarms for him, and thus, in
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  Speaker 1: spite of the prow found vexation he experienced at present predicament,
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  Speaker 1: he yellded to the influence of fatigue and slept soundly.
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  Speaker 1: On the following morning, A bowl of gruel and a
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  Speaker 1: piece of bread were supplied for his breakfast, and he
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  Speaker 1: washed at the common sink belonging to that department of
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  Speaker 1: the jail. At ten o'clock, Benstead and two other officers arrived,
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  Speaker 1: placed manacles upon him, and conveyed him to a cab,
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  Speaker 1: in which they seated themselves with In about half an hour,
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  Speaker 1: the resurrection man was placed in the dock at Lambeth
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  Speaker 1: Street Police Office. The Prince A Montenay attended by a solicitor,
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  Speaker 1: Mister Dyson had entered the court, and a few moments
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  Speaker 1: before the magistrate, upon being made acquainted with his name
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  Speaker 1: and rank, immediately threw down the newspapers, saying, it is
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  Speaker 1: by no means necessary that your Highness should enter the
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  Speaker 1: witness box. Your Highness will do me an honor to
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  Speaker 1: accept a seat on the bench, and the clerk will
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  Speaker 1: take down your Highness's evidence at your Highness's leisure. Make
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  Speaker 1: room there for his highness usher clear the way for
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  Speaker 1: his Highness, scarcely able to conceal his disgust at the
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  Speaker 1: foulsome behavior of the magistrate, the Prince coldly stated, I
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  Speaker 1: thank you, sir for your politeness, but I cannot consent
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  Speaker 1: to receive a favor which would not be shown to
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  Speaker 1: a poor and obscure individual. The magistrate turned very red
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  Speaker 1: and bowed meekly, but without repeating his offer. The case
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  Speaker 1: was then entered upon. The Prince detailed the particulars of
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  Speaker 1: that adventure and at the resurrection Man's house in the
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  Speaker 1: neighborhood of the Birdcage Walk, with which the reader is
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  Speaker 1: already acquainted, and he also related the subsequent circumstances connected
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  Speaker 1: with the blowing up of the DNA deed which had
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  Speaker 1: caused several persons their lives, at which added Markham was
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  Speaker 1: no doubt perpetrated by Tidkins himself. When these depositions were
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  Speaker 1: taken down, the Prince was about to enter upon his
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  Speaker 1: second charge, namely the attacks were made upon him from
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  Speaker 1: twig Folly, but the magistrate thought the first case had
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  Speaker 1: better be previously completed and resolved upon remaining the prisoner
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  Speaker 1: for three days in order to allow time for the
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  Speaker 1: procure of evidence of those surviving policemen who had witnessed
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  Speaker 1: the fate of their brother officers on the occasion of
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  Speaker 1: the blowing up of the house. Tidkins was accordingly remanded
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  Speaker 1: to Coldbethsfield Prison, and the Prince of Montemai immediately repaired
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  Speaker 1: in his carriage to the Wholesomeford House, the particular years
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  Speaker 1: of which visit have been detailed in the preceding chapter.
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  Speaker 1: On his return to the jail, Titkins was allowed to
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  Speaker 1: walk for an hour and the treadwheel yard nearest to
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  Speaker 1: the entrance of the prison. There are several treadmill yards
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  Speaker 1: in Coldbethfields Jail alike for males and females. But we
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  Speaker 1: specify the particular yard in which the resurrection manner was
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  Speaker 1: permitted to take exercise, because it has relation to a
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  Speaker 1: certain event which is to follow. It is also of
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  Speaker 1: the wheel in this yard that the fan or balance
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  Speaker 1: is seen above the wall near the southwestern angle of
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  Speaker 1: the prison, and by persons passing through coldwith square. The
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  Speaker 1: treadwheel is an enormous drum or cylinder, with ranges of
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  Speaker 1: steps all round it at a distance of about a
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  Speaker 1: foot and a half from each other, and between forty
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  Speaker 1: and fifty persons can work on the wheel at a time.
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  Speaker 1: It moves slowly round towards the prisoners placed upon it,
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  Speaker 1: and thus the steps on which the foot stands descend
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  Speaker 1: while the next step presents itself. A platform is built
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  Speaker 1: to half the height of the wheel, and from this
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  Speaker 1: platform the prisoner's step upon the wheel itself. They support
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  Speaker 1: themselves by railing, and their weight keeps the wheel in motion.
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  Speaker 1: Thus they must sink with and their weight as they
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  Speaker 1: work on that rotary engine of dial bolocal torture. The
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  Speaker 1: action is that of going up the stairs without, however,
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  Speaker 1: ashly rising higher for every step, so upon the next
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  Speaker 1: one its descent and those prisoners who wait in their
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  Speaker 1: turns to go on sit upon the platform. The taskmaster
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  Speaker 1: in the yard directs the intervals of labor and those
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  Speaker 1: of rest. And upon this engine of torture, as we ear,
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  Speaker 1: dominated by the treadmills, not only boys of twelve of
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  Speaker 1: age are placed, but even women. Yes, in this civilized country,
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  Speaker 1: in this land where novelists and poets celebrate the chivalrous
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  Speaker 1: devotion which should be paid to the softer sex, in
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  Speaker 1: this great city, where the pseudo saints blurt forth their
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  Speaker 1: nauseating hypocrisy at Exeter Hall and swindle in the charitable
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  Speaker 1: alms for which the purpose of improving and conditioning the
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  Speaker 1: savages thousands of miles off, while there is such an
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  Speaker 1: awful want of instruction immoralizing elements at home, in which
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  Speaker 1: the very center of the English capital are women subject
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  Speaker 1: of ferocious torture. At the treadmill. The food is scanty,
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  Speaker 1: and yet the laberal thus forced upon the poor, sickly,
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  Speaker 1: half starved wretches, is horribly severe. Three quarters of the
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  Speaker 1: crimes which send prisoners to colbfields are larcenies and robberies
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  Speaker 1: caused by dire penury and pinching want the miserable beings
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  Speaker 1: are half famished already, and when they enter that jail,
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  Speaker 1: but they are nevertheless restrained and something closely bordering on
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  Speaker 1: this state of constant hunger. And while the hardest possible
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  Speaker 1: libor is required from them, Remember reader, that we do
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  Speaker 1: not wish idleness to prevail in a prison. It is
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  Speaker 1: just the place where the habits of industry should be inaculated.
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  Speaker 1: Ah We therefore prove the system of workshops establishing Coldbeth Fields.
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  Speaker 1: We admire the oakum room two, where the shoemaking is taught,
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  Speaker 1: the department of the prison in which rugs are manufactured
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  Speaker 1: for a wholesale warehouse, the contracts for the purchase of
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  Speaker 1: the same. But we have poor torture, we detest cruelty,
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  Speaker 1: and the treadwheel is alike a torture and a cruelty.
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  Speaker 1: It makes a heart bleed in the breast of the
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  Speaker 1: visitor to the female division of Coldbyth Fields to behold
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  Speaker 1: women nursing their babies at one moment, and then compelled
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  Speaker 1: to deliver them their sucklings the care of their fellow prisoners,
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  Speaker 1: while they themselves prepare to take their turn on the treadmill.
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  Speaker 1: Talk of the despotism of Turkey, Russia, Austria, Prussia. Talk
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  Speaker 1: of the tyranny of those countries where the will of
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  Speaker 1: man is a law, be it for good or evil.
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  Speaker 1: We solemnly and effenttitically cry look at home flogging in
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  Speaker 1: the army and navy, private whipping in prisons, semi starvation
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  Speaker 1: and workhouses and jails, the tread wheels. These are tortures
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  Speaker 1: which exist in this land to boasted civilization. There are
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  Speaker 1: instances in which our rulers seek to emulate the barbarism
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  Speaker 1: of the past ages, in the wantum inhumanity of foreign autocrats.
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  Speaker 1: We must, in justice observe the kulbe Field's prison is
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  Speaker 1: kept in a most cleanly state. Perhaps the ventilation is
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  Speaker 1: not as perfect as it might be, and certainly the
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  Speaker 1: stone cells must be awfully cold in winter, where there
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  Speaker 1: are no means of imparting them to artificial warmth. But
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  Speaker 1: there are far as wholesome cleanliness as is concerned. There
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  Speaker 1: is not the slightest ground whereon to raise a cable
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  Speaker 1: against the establishment. The discipline maintained at that jail is
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  Speaker 1: on the silent system. There it no separation, no classification
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  Speaker 1: during the day, but the plan of silence prevents the
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  Speaker 1: corruption of the only moderately bad by the invertently wicked.
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  Speaker 1: At night, each individual sleeps apart in a cell. Anthony
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  Speaker 1: Titkins walked about in the yard, affecting a moody and
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  Speaker 1: sullen air of indifference, but in reality catching with rapid
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  Speaker 1: glands at every point of the buildings around him, every
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  Speaker 1: object within the range of his visions, so that he
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  Speaker 1: committed to memory a complete map of the division of
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  Speaker 1: the prison where he was now taking exercise. Having walked
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  Speaker 1: an hour, he reconducted to his room, where a bold
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  Speaker 1: bowl of pea soup with a slice of bread was
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  Speaker 1: given to him for his dinner. In the evening, he
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  Speaker 1: was supplied with a basin of gruel and another piece
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  Speaker 1: of bread, and was then locked in for the night.
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  Speaker 1: End of section ninety two. Recording by Jason Ivy. You
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  Speaker 1: may find me at gitthub dot com slash jyv Guy