The Brooklyn Jail Gazette

The Raymond Street Jail was nicknamed Brooklyn's Bastille - it was a notoriously decrepit place, even after being rebuilt in 1879 (it was originally built in the 1830s to replace the Flatbush jail where prisoners had been incarcirated before that time).

I came across this odd piece of history while researching the Raymond Street Jail for my mystery novel:

In 1874, a prisoner named Thomas C. Dunn, who was serving time for "several charges of forgery," tried his hand at writing a newspaper, which he called the Brooklyn Jail Gazette. Dunn was a good writer, and had quite a sense of humor, all the more remarkable given that the Raymond Street Jail was a grim place to be. The very words "Raymond Street" evoked horror - so much, that the street name was changed to Ashland Place in the 1930s. Dunn was supposed to be "a young man of good culture" and the stepson of a minister, the Eagle (which quoted several long excerpts from the Jail Gazette) noted. Here are a few selections (I really want to quote the whole thing, but it is too long):

Dunn's lead story in the Jail Gazette was entitled "T.C. Dunn in Jail - How He Eats":

This young, interesting, and would-be James Fisk, Jr.*, is incarcerated in Cell No. 4 of this jail, on the criminal tier. He manages, however, to pass the time, agreeably, his daily diet being canned turkey, soft crabs, buttered toast, &c. He is very partial to Regina Victorias - made out of Whalen's tobacco by Teby, the hall man. He is melancholy at times, and longs for the society of Nellie and "Spareribs" and Eighth Ward gin. He is prepossessing in appearance, but to keen eyed observers would be considered as having a little too much mouth. He has a total aversion to the powers (meaning Detective Powers) that be, and thinks that only for the said Powers he would not be now incarcerated in a vile dungeon, with a tinker lunch fiend [meaning his associate editor, Dennis Whalen, the burglar, noted the Eagle].

[Note: A "lunch fiend" or "free lunch fiend" was, in 1870s slang, a fellow who went into saloons, cadging drinks when he could, and eating up the free snacks that bartenders set out for the paying customers.]

WANTED [selected]

Bail for $3,000, to enable an interesting young bloke to emerge from durance vile. Address T.C. Dunn, Cell 4, Criminal Tier.

Bail for $500, to enable a dead beat to emerge into public life, that he may play new rackets. Address J.J. Waylan, Cell 3, Criminal Tier.

Bail for $300, to enable a broken down clam merchant and lunch fiend to resume business. Communicate to William Lang, Cell 4.

BOARD [selected]

Accommodations for single gentlemen, who have little embarrassments with the authorities. Situation delightful. Fine view of the sky through a barred window, nine inches by three feet. Address Thos. Stinson [the warden], Hotel de Raymond, 215 Raymond Street.

I definitely will be basing a character upon Thomas C. Dunn, if not in this present mystery novel - then most certainly another. And I wonder - how long did the Brooklyn Jail Gazette flourish? And did any copies survive? I'm guessing that they didn't, sadly. So I'm glad that the Eagle reporter had such regard for his colleague, and quoted so much of Dunn's work.

Source: "Jail Literature," Brooklyn Daily Eagle, August 13, 1874, p. 2.

* James Fisk Jr., also known as "Diamond Jim," was a famous, and very wealthy, financier of the late 19th century - not to be confused with "Diamond Jim" Brady, who also was a financier of that period in New York.

Image from Correction History's museum exhibit Return to Raymond Street Jail (highly recommended, by the way).