at one time there was more food about than
the prisoners could consume; but whatever he got he kept until it was
taken from him. After being confined for about thirteen years, he was
allowed to go to North America, on a conditional pardon, to a son who
lived there. Among the many petitions I drew out for prisoners to copy,
his was the only one that ever succeeded. I have written petitions for
dying men to the Home Secretary, for permission to go out and die at
home, and many without any just grounds at all, but none succeeded,
save the one I have mentioned above.

I have repeatedly asked prisoners under sentences of penal servitude
for life whether they would prefer that sentence to being hanged. The
general reply was "I would rather be 'topt' at once, and be out of my
misery, than remain in prison all my days." "It's bad enough when I
have the prospect of liberty in twelve years." "If they are going to
keep men in prison all their days, and torture them besides, they'll
commit suicide or murder in prison. Look at Townley, who threw himself
over the stair-railings at Pentonville and killed himself."

Such would be the answers I would receive to my questions on this
subject. With reference to Townley's case I was told by an intelligent
prisoner, who knew him and saw him commit suicide, that it was
committed mainly in consequence of the cruel, absurd and childish
system of suppressing a prisoner's letters to his friends, on grounds
usually hostile to the interests of society, viz., the concealment of
truth.

Another class of prisoners were "coiners." These were generally
"fly-men." They knew every point of the law on the subject, and as a
rule returned to their profession as soon as they got their "ticket."
Prison is no doubt a great punishment to such men, because they can
make a good living at their business; but I question if ever there was
a reformed coiner. They are usually well-conducted prisoners, that is,
they are civil and do what they are told, but their influence over
others is very pernicious. A very considerable number of the convicts
left the prison with the intention of "hawking" from place to place,
and doing a little bit on the "cross" when they saw the coast clear,
which meant either stealing or "snyde-pitching." These hawkers found
friends in the coiners, who would tell them where they could get the
bad money, so that if they could not work themselves they could do a
friend a turn in the way of busi