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475. SANITARY ARRANGEMENTS.—The accommodation is insufficient in the yard. 476. THE QUARRY.—Better arrangements ought to be made to prevent the possibility of accidents in the quarry. The stone has now to be lifted from ledge to ledge, as the Commission when they visit the place. 477. DISCHARGE OF PRISONERS.—Confirms previous evidence. No. 2007, examined. 478. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Rogue and vagabond; seven months. 479. PERSONAL.—I am a Mahommedan. and as such I object to the prison diet, which makes me an outcast among my people. There are about five, I think, of my co-religionists in the prison. I would ask for fish or some form of food which we could take in place of the meat, which we may according to our religion. No. 10531, examined. 480. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Larceny; seven years. 481. PERSONAL.—I want to go back to my country, otherwise I shall go mad here. I am always getting into trouble and into the cells in consequence. I have been in gaol about a year. 482. AGE.—20 No. 10526 and three other prisoners examined. 483. DIET.—We want to speak about the food. It has much improved since the Commission sat. The gruel last summer was black and musty day after day. The rice was dirty and badly cooked, and the bread sour and doughy. The meat was clotted with blood sometimes, and the pudding on one Sunday was positively stinking. We were allowed on that occasion four ounces of bread in place of the pudding. A lot of the rice has gone bad today. It looked all right before it was cooked, but then it turned black. One of us (No. 10526) was employed for three months at the contractor's for supplies to the gaol. His instructions were to pick out the bad potatoes rejected by other customers and send them up to the gaol. The same thing was done with any damaged oatmeal. No, 3242, examined. 484. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Larceny; 19 months. 485. MEDICAL.—I am suffering from syphilis. I am getting better now, but I am dissatisfied with the medical treatment I have received in the gaol; and I do not think I should have been required to go to work whilst under medical treatment for this complaint. I have no evidence to offer, except what is of a personal character. No. 3165, examined. 486. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—False pretences; 12 months. 487. DISCIPLINE.—The warders delight in provoking prisoners until they are guilty of some insubordination or breach of the rules and have to come before the magistrate. 488. CORRESPONDENCE.—I think that letters from prisoners to their friends and relatives should go out in plain envelopes, and not bear the official stamp of the gaol on the paper or the envelope. My wife lost her situation owing to a letter from me, which showed where I was. There is a feeling also among the prisoners that their letters are occasionally suppressed. I think, after the letters have been read by the authorities, they should be dropped into a box by the prisoners themselves, and cleared by an official from the post office. 489. MALINGERING.—A number of cases of ailing prisoners come before the doctor every week, but he only examines a few of them. He seems to assume that the majority are malingering. 490. DIET.—The food has much improved since the appointment of the Commission. 491. HOSPITAL.—Sufficient bed linen is not provided for the use of the hospital. Quite recently a man came in and had to occupy the bedding of a patient because no change of linen was available. No. 1868, examined. 492. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Larceny; two years. 493. DIET.—Greatly improved lately. I have no complaints to make in that respect now. 494. PERSONAL.—I want to leave the Colony. I have the money, or at least can get it to pay my fare if I am allowed to go. No. 3208, examined. 495. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Robbery; eight months. 496. MEDICAL.—I complain that the medical attention given to prisoners is not sufficient. I am suffering from internal fistula, for which I was operated upon by Dr. Allingham, in England, 22 years ago. Dr. Hope tells me there is no such thing. I have been put on to very hard work, for which I am not fit. I am very low and weak in health, caused by the constant discharge from the fistula. I want to be examined by some medical man now, who can ascertain whether I am speaking the truth. [Dr. Jameson examined the witness, and reported that he was undoubtedly suffering from fistula, and that he was not fit for hard work. The Superintendent undertook to put witness on to light work.] No. 2897, examined. 497. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Assault and robbery; two years. 498. DIET.—Confirms evidence of previous witnesses. 499. PERSONAL.—I have petitioned, but have not yet got a reply. I have not been in prison before. I am an ordinary labourer. I have no complaints to make. No. 3453, examined. 500. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Larceny; six months. 501. Age.—19. 502. PERSONAL.—I complain that on one occasion I was severely knocked about by Warder Patterson for refusing to go into a cell. I thought they were going to lock me up in a dark cell. No doubt I was wrong in resisting the warder. I have once before been in gaol in Adelaide. When I get out I mean to go back to my father and try and turn over a new leaf. No. 10523, examined. 503. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Larceny; five years. 504. DIET.—Confirms previous evidence. 505. MEDICAL.—The doctor's orders as to changes of food for ailing prisoners are systematically ignored. No. 10522, examined. 506. OFFENCE AND SENTENCE.—Unlawfully receiving stolen goods; seven years penal servitude. 507. PERSONAL.—I am a Spaniard by birth, but have been some years in France. I cannot speak English well, but I speak French fluently. [Witness gave his evidence in French.] I was charged with burglary and with receiving stolen goods. I was acquitted on the charge of burglary. I am a man of known good character. I was working in a restaurant at Fremantle when a man came to me and represented that he had certain jewellery deposited at the railway goods station on which there were certain charges to pay before the goods could be cleared. I advanced him money, and when I wanted repayment he suggested that I should accompany him to Melbourne and Sydney to assist in disposing of the goods, which at the time I firmly believed to be his own. Whilst I was away with him in the Eastern colonies circumstances occurred which aroused my suspicions, because he seamed so anxious not to personally appear in the disposal of the goods, and procrastinated about their sale. I pressed him on this point and then he at last said: "Well, as a fact, I stole the things." "If that is so," I said, "I'm off," and I decided to report the matter, but a warrant was already out for our apprehension and we were arrested and brought back here. I never had the least reason to suppose that the scoundrel who led me into this had stolen the things. I had on previous occasions had pecuniary transactions with the man, lending him money and so on. I want to know what I ought to do. [The Commission recommended him to apply for leave to petition, and explained the course to be followed.] (The Commission adjourned.)
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