The second operation consists in depriving "suspects" of their liberty， of which deprivation there are several degrees； there are various ways of getting hold of people. - Sometimes， the "suspect" is "adjourned，" that is to say， the order of arrest is simply suspended；he lives under a perpetual menace that is generally fulfilled； he never knows in the morning that he will not sleep in a prison that night. Sometimes， he is put on the limits of his commune. Sometimes， he is confined to his house with or without guards， and， in the former case， he is obliged to pay them. Again， finally， and which occurs most frequently， he is shut up in this or that common jail. - In the single department of Doubs， twelve hundred men and women are "adjourned；" three hundred put on the limits of the commune， fifteen hundred confined to their houses， and twenty two hundred imprisoned.[8] In Paris， thirty-six such prisons and more than "violins"， or temporary jails， soon filled by the revolutionary committees， do not suffice for the service.[9] It is estimated that， in France， not counting more than 40，000 provisional jails， twelve hundred prisons， full and running over， contain each more than two hundred inmates.[10] At Paris， notwithstanding the daily void created by the guillotine， the number of the imprisoned on Floréal 9， year II.， amounts to 7，840； and， on Messidor 25 following， notwithstanding the large batches of 50 and 60 persons led in one day， and every day， to the scaffold， the number is still 7，502.[11] There are more than one thousand persons in the prisons of Arras， more than one thousand five hundred in those of Toulouse， more than three thousand in those of Strasbourg， and more than thirteen thousand in those of Nantes. In the two departments alone of Bouches du-Rh？ne and Vaucluse， Representative Maignet， who is on the spot， reports from 12，000 to 15，000 arrests.[12] "A little before Thermidor，" says Representative Beaulieu， "the number of incarcerated arose to nearly 400，000， as is apparent on the lists and registers then before the Committee of General Security."[13] - Among these poor creatures， there are children， and not alone in the prisons of Nantes where the revolutionary searches have collected the whole of the rural population； in the prisons of Arras， among twenty similar cases， Ifind a coal-dealer and his wife with their seven sons and daughters， from seventeen down to six years of age； a widow with her four children from nineteen down to twelve years of age； another noble widow with her nine children， from seventeen down to three years of age， and six children， without father or mother， from twenty-three down to nine years of age.[14] - These prisoners of State were treated， almost everywhere， worse than robbers and assassins under the ancient régime. They began by subjecting them to rapiotage， that is to say， stripping them naked or， at best， feeling their bodies under their shirts； women and young girls fainted away under this examination， formerly confined to convicts on entering the bagnio.[15]
- Frequently， before consigning them to their dungeons or shutting them up in their cells， they would be left two or three nights pell-mell in a lower hall on benches， or in the court on the pavement， "without beds or straw." "The feelings are wounded in all directions， every point of sensibility， so to say， being played upon. They are deprived one after the other of their property， assignats， furniture， and food， of daylight and lamp-light， of the assistance which their wants and infirmities demand， of a knowledge of public events， of all communication， either immediate or written， with fathers， sons and husbands."[16] They are obliged to pay for their lodgings， their keepers， and for what they eat； they are robbed at their very doors of the supplies they send for outside； they are compelled to eat at a mess-table； they are furnished with scant and nauseous food， "spoilt codfish， putrid herrings and meat， rotten vegetables， all this accompanied with a mug of Seine water colored red with some drug or other."[17] They starve them， bully them， and vex them purposely as if they meant to exhaust their patience and drive them into a revolt， so as to get rid of them in a mass， or， at least， to justify the increasing rapid strokes of the guillotine. They are huddled together in tens， twenties and thirties， in one room at La Force， "eight in a chamber， fourteen feet square，" where all the beds touch， and many overlap each other， where two out of the eight inmates are obliged to sleep on the floor， where vermin swarm， where the closed sky-lights， the standing tub， and the crowding together of bodies poisons the atmosphere. - In many places， the proportion of the sick and dying is greater than in the hold of a slave-ship. "Of ninety individuals with whom I was shut up two months ago，" writes a prisoner at Strasbourg， "sixty-six were taken to the hospital in the space of eight days."[18]