Being the
Jailer in 1875 in Lyon County, Kentucky consisted of more than carrying the
keys to the cells. Other duties were required and were spelled out in a
document found among loose county court papers in the courthouse
in Eddyville. How do these rules compare to the duties of present-day jailers?
Rules for the government of the Jailer
"The Jailer
is required to Keep the Jail perfectly clean, & suffer no filth of any Kind
to accumulate in or about it.
He is required
to clean out the privy valt [sic], or Sink, under the Jail, immediately
and as often as may be necessary to prevent a stench in the Jail.
He is
required to whitewash both the upper and lower cells and to use in the cells
and in the Sink under the Jail, chloride of lime or other disinfect out in such
quantities and often enough to destroy the Scent and purify the air of the
Jail.
He is
required to Keep the clothing and bedding of prisoners perfectly clean.
He is directed
to feed the prisoners confined in the Jail at regular intervals three times a
day with a sufficiency of wholesome food and to keep them supplied with fresh
water."
Filed in
open Court and ordered to be spread at large upon the order book of this court
and delivered to the Jailer April 26, 1875.
Published 20 Feb 2020, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/
1 comment:
Cleaning out the privy under the jail, does not sound like a job that one would want to be elected for.
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