July 27, 1863: With everyone re-organized, we’ve got Mrs. Mason and the women (including our many prostitutes from a week or two ago) up on the right side of cellblock 6 – each of the other cellblocks has been reserved for a different class of male prisoner.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I was outside overseeing hard labour, and I saw a piece of string, or yarn coming out a window from the women’s cellblock and re-entering into a window on the floor below – one of the men’s cellblocks. Couldn’t quite figure out what was up – so I decided to investigate.

Got one of the watchmen to take over for me outside, and headed in to confer with George (we wanted to catch the prisoners at whatever it was they were at, and not give them time to hide).

Turns out they were passing notes to each other.

The women were using balls of yarn they’d been given to do mending for the gaol, and using the paper that wrapped the yard to write notes. Then they’d tie the notes (and pencils they’d scrounged from somewhere) to the end of the yarn, throw it out the window, and lower it to the floor below, where the men grabbed it, and pulled it in.

Of course we punished them all (everyone involved got 3 hours chained to their cell doors – to keep them away from the windows, of course!), but you have to give them credit for coming up with the scheme.

Mrs. Morris wasn’t too pleased that it was us turnkeys who’d discovered that “her girls” were breaking the rules right under her nose, though…better watch ourselves around her until she’s over the embarrassment.