When the Deputy came in, I asked him whether the order for me to stand at the ration table in the kitchen, at meal time, had been approved by the Board.
"Has the order for me to be on duty in the prison at meal time, been approved by the Board?"
"You consider them a very intelligent body of men, do you not?"
"Of course,--they are my superior officers."
"How can they expect me to be in two different places at the same time?"
"I really don't know much about the arrangements on the women's side at meal times. My station is in the men's prison at that time."
"Yes, sir; and it is the place of our head officer to be stationed on this side, in the women's prison, at that time, and it is my place to be in the kitchen at meal time, to see that the meals go out properly, and that none of them are turned from the right channel."
The next day afforded him an illustration of what I said. The dinner fell short. He entered the kitchen at one door as I went in at another. He came hurrying up to me, and asked--"Why is this?"
"I don't know, sir! It was all right when I left the kitchen. Since that, I have no means of knowing what has been going on. I have been shut out in the prison, on duty."
He ordered in bread to supply the deficiency. In that case it was the mismanagement of the hash, by a new hand, when "dished out," which would have been prevented had I been there to oversee it.
The four Matrons took the evening watch, alone in prison, in rotation. It was a rule that one of them was to be always there, when the prisoners were in. They were not to be left by themselves a moment.
The one who had charge was to be alone; the other three were at liberty, one to go about the buildings or grounds, two to go out of the prison confines, if they liked. It was my turn to be alone in prison.
Immediately after they had been locked into their cells, and the other Matrons had left, Haggerton began to complain of her coffee.
"What is the matter with your coffee?" I asked.
Upon that she began to fret. "I haven't eaten any breakfast, nor any dinner, and I've worked hard all day, and staid an hour later,"--some of them had staid till eight o'clock that night in the shop--"and now I can't eat any supper because my coffee is cold. I'll tell the Master, and he'll make an awful fuss."