I-Eastern State Penitentiary itholakala ePhiladelphia, ePennsylvania, futhi ithathwa njengenye ye kakhulu haunted amajele emhlabeni. Ijele laqala ukuvulwa ngo-1829 futhi laqhubeka ukusebenza kwaze kwaba ngu-1971. Lalakhelwe ukugcina iziboshwa ezingama-253 zivalelwe zodwa sonke isigwebo sazo.

Lapho nje isiboshwa singena, kwabekwa isigqoko phezu kwekhanda labo njengoba unogada ebaholela esitokisini sabo. Bebevalelwe ngaphakathi usuku lonke, bondliwe nge-slot emnyango, bavunyelwe kuphela isigamu sehora lokuzivocavoca futhi bavunyelwe kuphela ukuphuma esitokisini sabo kanye njalo emavikini amabili ukugeza ngasikhathi sinye baphinde bavalwa ukuze bangakwazi ukubamba ukubona kwesinye isiboshwa. Iseli ngalinye lalakhiwe ngendawo yokuhlanza egandayiwe kanye nezibani zamazulu ezazivumela “ukukhanya kukaNkulunkulu” ukungena esitokisini kanye nendlu yangasese, amanzi ahambayo, ukushisa neBhayibheli.

Iziboshwa ezimbili ezaziwa kakhulu yizigebengu ebezigebenga amabhange “Slick Willie” Sutton kanye no “Scarface” Al Capone.

I-Eastern State Penitentiary aka Hell on Earth

Ijele lalisebenza “umsindo wokuthula,” okusho ukuthi iziboshwa zazingavunyelwe ukukhuluma, ukucula noma ukuhayiza. Iziboshwa ezingazange zilandele umthetho wokuthula zingazithola ziboshwe ngocingo lolimi lwensimbi olufaka ukufaka amaketanga ezilimini zazo ezihlakaleni. Uma behluleka ukulwa namaketanga, lokhu bekungahle kudabule ulimi. Lo mthetho wenza iziboshwa eziningi zahlanya.

Kanye nokuthula kwafika izijeziso ezinonya. Lokhu kufaka phakathi:

• Ukugeza kwamanzi - lapho iziboshwa zazidonswa khona emanzini okugeza abandayo futhi zilenga odongeni ebusuku.
• Kwakukhona nesihlalo esihlanyayo esasiphakathi komgodi obizwa nge- "The hole," isivimbeli esitokisini esingaphansi komhlaba esingaphansi kwesitokisi esingu-14 lapho kwakungekho ukukhanya futhi iziboshwa zaziboshwe ngokuqinile esihlalweni, zikhawulela noma yikuphi ukunyakaza izinsuku ezinezikhathi zendlala. Ezinye iziboshwa, lapho sezisuswe lapho kuboshwe khona, zazikhubazeke unomphela. Lokhu kwakwenzelwe iziboshwa ezaziziphatha kabi, lawa masonto ayedlulwa kwesinye isikhathi.

Abesifazane nabo babengaphakathi ejele; babevalelwe kabili esitokisini iminyaka eyikhulu kwaze kwaba u-100 ngenkathi kungeniswa isiboshwa sokugcina sesifazane.

U-Al Capone wayeyisiboshwa lapha kusuka ngo-1929 kuya ku-1930, ekhonza izinyanga eziyi-8 ngokuphatha isikhali esifihliwe. Ugcinwe eCellblock 8 ngaphambi kokudluliselwa e-Alcatraz. Wayenesitokisi esihle kunazo zonke ejele lonke. UCapone uvunyelwe ukuba nempahla ebandakanya amalambu, imidwebo kanye nomsakazo wekhabethe.

Ubehlala ekhala ngokuthi uhlaselwe yisipoki sikaJames Clark, ongomunye wababulewe ovela eSt Valentine's Massacre eChicago. UCapone akazange asidubule isibhamu esabulala uClark, kodwa wayala ukuthi kudutshulwe.

Ukubulawa kwabantu kwakungenziwa kuleli jele, kodwa kwabulawa abantu abaningi okubandakanya onogada ababili ababulawa kanye neziboshwa eziningi kule minyaka edlule. Amakhulu eziboshwa abulawa ukuguga noma izifo.

Ngo-Ephreli 3, 1945, ukweqa okukhulu kwenzeka ngeziboshwa eziyishumi nambili. Esikhathini esingaphezu konyaka, bakwazile ukumba umhubhe - ongatholakalanga - owawunwebeke ngamamitha angama-97 ngaphansi kodonga lwejele. Ukulungiswa okwenzekile ngawo-1930 kwaholela ekutholeni eminye imigudu engaphelele engama-30.

Ziningi izindaba eziyizipoki ezizwakele kuleli jele emuva ngawo-1940.

Izivakashi zibike ukuthi zibona isipoki sikaJoseph Taylor owabulala isiboshwa okuthiwa nguMichael Duran sambulala ngo-1884. Ngemuva kokwenza lokhu kubulawa, kubikwa ukuthi wangena esitokisini sakhe wayolala. Isipoki sakhe kubikwa ukuthi sizulazula emahholo kuze kube namuhla.

Okunye ukuhlangana okuyisipoki kufakazelwe uL Lockmith. Wayenza umsebenzi wokubuyisela eCellblock 4, ezama ukukhipha ukhiye oneminyaka engu-140 emnyango weseli lapho ibutho elikhulu limhlula futhi wangakwazi nokunyakaza. Kukholakala ukuthi uma le lokhi isusiwe, kuvulwe isango elivumela imimoya ebanjwe ngemuva komnyango ukuba yeqe. Umkhandi wezingubo uthi ubuso buvele odongeni lweseli futhi bazungeza ngakuye.

UCharles Dickens wavakashela i-Eastern State Penitentiary ngawo-1840, wathi wathola isimo sempilo seziboshwa sinyantisa. Ubachaze ngokuthi "bangcwatshwa bephila" futhi wabhala ngokuhlukunyezwa ngokweqile kweziboshwa.

Uhlelo lokuvalelwa wedwa ekugcineni lwawa ngenxa yokugcwala kwabantu ngo-1913. Ngemuva kwalokho lwasetshenziswa njengejele elihlanganayo laze lavalwa ngo-1970. Labe seligcina iziboshwa ngemuva kwesiphithiphithi kwelinye ijele ePennsylvania, zavalwa ngokusemthethweni ngo-1971. Leli jele lenziwa elikaZwelonke Indawo eyingqophamlando ngo-1965 futhi yavula iminyango yayo yokuvakashela umphakathi ngo-1994. Le ndawo manje isivulekile njengemyuziyemu kanye nezokuvakasha