his son performed the duties of warders in this filthy, abominable hole
of "justice." And the ragged, wretched crew bemoaned their wretchedness
in vain, for no helping hand was held out to succor. They were
"destitute of sufficient clothing, for which there was no provision; in
rags and dirt, without bedding, they slept on the floor, the boards of
which were in part raised to supply a sort of pillow. In the same rooms
they lived, cooked, and washed. With the proceeds of their clamorous
begging, when any stranger appeared among them, the prisoners purchased
liquors from a tap in the prison. Spirits were openly drunk, and the ear
was assailed by the most terrible language. Beyond the necessity for
safe custody, there was little restraint upon their communication with
the world without. Although military sentinels were posted on the leads
of the prison, such was the lawlessness prevailing, that Mr. Newman, the
governor, entered this portion of it with reluctance."

As Mrs. Fry and the "Anna Buxton" referred to,--who was a sister of Sir
Thomas Fowell Buxton,--were about to enter this modern Inferno, the
Governor of Newgate advised the ladies to leave their watches in his
care lest they should be snatched away by the lawless wretches inside.
But no such hesitating, half-hearted, fearful charity was theirs. They
had come to see for themselves the misery which prevailed, and to dare
all risks; and we do not find that either Mrs. Fry or her companion lost
anything in their progress through the women's wards; watches and all
came away safely, a fresh proof of the power of kindness. The
revelations of the terrible woes of felon-life which met Mrs. Fry
stirred up her soul within her. She emphatically "clothed the naked,"
for she set her family to work at once making green-baize garments for
this purpose until she had provided for all the most destitute.

To remedy this state of things appeared like one of the labors of