Green’s Dictionary of Slang

perpetual staircase n.

the prison treadmill.

1830		Stamford Mercury 19 Mar. 4/2: Robert Upex [...] was taken into custody, and ordered to ascend a perpetual staircase for one month.
1846		Kerry Examiner 8 May 4/5: He had recently returned from a flight on the perpetual staircase at Preston for dabbling in the art.
1887		Cheshire Obs. 6 Aug. 2/2: Hei is locked up now [...] where he is allowed to exercise his limbs on the ‘perpetual staircase’.
1909		J. Ware Passing Eng. of the Victorian Era.