Calgary Herald - Wednesday, July 10, 1895

TREATMENT OF PRISONERS

A few days ago THE HERALD received the following very remarkable communication:

"Sir, I would like to call the attention of the good citizens of Calgary to the Brutle and un-humane treatment those poor unfortunate prisoners are receiving at the hands of the Mounted Police, I would sooner be at the mercy of the Savages in Africa.
— A Sufferer."

Having received this alarming document THE HERALD, always ready to relieve the oppressed, immediately prepared to rush to the rescue of those "poor unfortunate prisoners" whose plight was more pitiable than that of captives awaiting the soup pot of the bloodthirsty cannibals of Africa. It was of course conclusive that if "A Sufferer" had made up his mind that he would prefer to trust himself to the tender mercies of "the Savages of Africa" rather than to those of the North West Mounted Police, the fate of the hapless prisoners must at least be more desperate than that of the victims of cannibalism. In short, the presumptive horrors to which those "poor unfortunate prisoners" were exposed demanded immediate action. THE HERALD at once despatched a reporter to investigate, and we are happy to be able to calm the fears of an indignant public and assure them that the lot of the prisoner at the barracks, if not exactly a happy one, is at least as tolerable and comfortable as under the circumstances it should be. When a man breaks the laws of his country he cannot expect to be lodged in a prison parlour with plush furnishings. Searching enquiries made of discharged prisoners failed to reveal any real cause of complaint. Their food, while plain is wholesome and plentiful, they are not overworked, and they are treated with all the care and consideration that can be expected. Discipline of course is sharply maintained, as was shown the other day when a prisoner got an extra three days at hard labour for indulging in abusive language to one of the guards. The work of the prisoners consists of shovelling, cutting grass, washing rigs and other outdoor exercise which, compared with Oscar Wilde's six hours a day on the treadmill, is mere child's play. All the facts which have come to THE HERALD's knowledge tend to completely exonerate the Mounted Police authorities at this post, both officers and men, of any charge of harsh treatment of prisoners, and the man who could apply such serious terms as "brutal and inhuman" to the case was evidently just recovering from the effects of a very bad night-mare.