e prisoners to a fearfully demoralizing
extent.

[Picture: INTERIOR OF MALE PRISON.]

The outer building contains the female prison, which lies along the
Leonard street side, the boys' prison, and the halls of justice, or rooms
occupied by the Tombs Police Court and the Court of Special Sessions.
Over the main entrance on the Centre street side, are six comfortable
cells. These are for the use of criminals of the wealthier class, who
can afford to pay for such comforts. Forgers, fraudulent merchants, and
the like, pass the hours of their detention in these rooms, while their
humbler but not more guilty brothers in crime are shut in the close cells
of the male prison. These rooms command a view of the street, so that
their occupants are not entirely cut off from the outer world.

The female prison is in charge of an excellent matron, who has held her
position for more than twenty years. Men are never confined here, and
male visitors are subject to certain restrictions. In this portion is
located the room used as a chapel. Religious services of some kind are
held in the Tombs every day in the week except Saturday, and the effort
is made to give all the denominations an opportunity of doing good.
Sunday morning and Tuesday until noon are devoted to the Roman Catholics;
Sunday and Tuesday afternoons to the Episcopalians; Monday to the
Methodists, and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to the other Protestant
denominations. Some of the Protestant clergy sometimes attempt to hold
religious services in the main hall of the male prison, so that the
prisoners in their cells may hear what is going on. The latter pay
little or no attention to the preacher, and frequently interrupt and
annoy him by their shouts, jeers and imitations in their cells. The
Sisters of Charity are in charge of the female and boys' prisons, and do
a vast amount of good by their quiet ministrations. The boys are kept in
a large room during the day, and are locked up in separate cells at
night.

[Picture: THE PRISON CHAPEL.]

One of the principal rooms in the Tombs is "The Bummers' Cell." It is a
large apartment, shut off from one of the main halls by an iron railing.
It is always tolerably well filled, and on Saturday nights it is
overflowing. Here are confined those against whom there is no serious
charge; persons arrested for drunkenness, or for simple disorder on the
streets. On Sunday morning the v