The 'Black Hole of Calcutta' in Colfax
A judge declares the Whitman County jail a public health nightmare, forcing the sheriff to find humane quarters for the detained.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In the habeas corpus case of Michael Schreck heard at the last term of court, it was shown by expert testimony that the county jail at Colfax was an unfit place to confine anyone. It was compared to the 'Black hole of Calcutta.' The court, after hearing the evidence, ordered the sheriff to find better quarters for the prisoners at the county's expense. Our advanced state of civilization demands that the health of all those who are confined in prisons shall be protected and cared for, and from the evidence in this case it is evident that our county jail is a barbarous place in which to confine anyone.
“Our advanced state of civilization demands that the health of all those who are confined in prisons shall be protected and cared for.”
This 1888 editorial highlights a recurring civic struggle regarding the conditions of public detention and the basic standards of humanity required for those held by the state. While the location and the scale of the facility have evolved, the debate over the morality of how we house the confined remains a core issue in Pacific Northwest civic governance.
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