The Express.
London, England, 1853-10-25 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 25, 1853.

TO TER EDITOR 01 TEE lIITRESE.

Six,—The importance of the subject will, I hope,
be a sufficient excuse for troubling you with
this letter about the instrument of tort2re
wed in the New Prison, Winchester. The
fact that the visiting justices attempted to stale
inquiry, and throw discredit ou your report of the
inquest held on the debtor Jones in the (Junes,
Bench Prison, will be seen on reference to the report
of the Hants ichaelmas Session. How the magis-
trates managed to throw dust in the eyes of Lord
Palmerston and his prison inspector it is impossible
for me to say. The public may perhaps give a shrewd
guess, and, assisted with your powerful pen in the
cause of humanity, we may yet hope the investiga-
tion may be renewed, and the guilty parties pun-
ished. The following circular explains itself:

[COPT OP PAINTZD CIRCULAR ]
New Prison, Winchester, Oct. 18, 1851.
The chaplain presents his compliments to the visiting
justices, and, in reply to the remark of their chairman in
the court yesterday, " that the chaplain was not tit for his
office if he had nut brought the instrument of torture for
the prisoners under their notice," begs to forward then a
demnption of it, and the reasons for his conduct.
The apparatus is a frame of leather and iron to fasten
round the body of the prisoner, with iron sockets at the
hips, into which are inserted iron uprights, or crutches, to
he fixed higher or lower at the pleasure of the officer. The
tops of the crutches are formed to take the arm-pits; sad,
when used, the arms of the prisoner are raised to a cernin
height, at the pleasure of the officer, and the uprights
fastened to that petition. When so fastened, the arms are
forced down over the iron crutches, and strapped down to
the waist. Any surgeon, or any one having a knowledge
of mechanics, must perceive, at once, that the operation of
this apparatus would be to wrench, or dislocate entirely, or
gartialiy, the shoulder joint. In the instance in which the
Ilimplam saw it, it was used on a female prisoner, who had
geed ease improper language. She was in a darkened
Mils M which the chaplain was attracted by her screams at
trot and she was rolling on the flier, with her arms
autisentirely cold, owing to the circulation being
chaplain mentioned to the female turnkey
LeLrror be felt at such treatment ; she offered to take it
all, if he wished. He told her he bad no authority in these
Matters • and afterwards appealed to the governor as to the
dleitedtei nature of the thing, and the couseifuences which
emit on an exposure taking place. lo this he re-
viled, he should be very sorry if he thought the chaplain
cos about to make any representation of the matter; and
**chaplain did not do so for the following reason :—A
*Ma of misconduct had for a long time prevailed in the
pion, in the governor employing the prisoners and
Ogeolows in private work and domestic employment. The
lesgwatee of the prisons bad noticed it, and the chairman of
tea visiting justices had warned the governor of its ille-
gality and impropriety. It still went on; and, on one
oemsion, when the chaplain saw a female prisoner at dress-
Melting far the female turnkey he privately cautioned her
to its being contrary to act of parliament and being liable
▪ king her Into trouble. Instead of wisely taking this
Yet end acting upon it she carried the remarks to the
gmaser, who entered a formal complaint in his journal,
awl heersght it before the visiting Justices, as conduct in the
ellogieln which was calculated to lower his authority in the
gimes. The visiting justices very properly asked whether
eneLbgractices still prevailed, and the governor said be
not deny his faults, for that he had employed the
Omen in that manner, but in ignorance of its bobs
nalaw NI. Ile was reminded by Sir William liesthotae
that he had been before cautioned by himself as to the ille-
gality, and no more was said on that occasion. The
chaplain appealed then to the visiting justices aa
to the impossibility of carrying on his duty under such
a system ; and he was afterwards informed by a
visiting justice that, on the governor prominug that sash
emaduct should not be repeated, sad begging to be allowed
sea more trial, he was not to be recommended to be die-
*lased from his office. On this subsequent exhibition of
entity, the chaplain felt, then, that the dismissal of the
governor must inevitably take place if brought forward;
and out of pure torbearance, and Christian hope that the
truths which he preached to the prisoners might also, M
due time, reach the governor's heart, he did not bring for-
ward the matter to public notice, and alms being anxious to
escape the untrue and meet unworthy imputation which
had been cut upon him, of being influenced by personal
motives in what he considered the discharge of his duty.
The chaplain begs farther to inform the visitant justices,
that the reason of his mentioning this subject to Mr. Taylor,
in the court, was to express a hope that some definite scale
of punishments might be laid down for the prisoners; for
the inferior officers were placed in a most unjust position.
with such an instrument of torture in the New Prison,
their character must, more or less, suffer, if an exposure
should take place.
On inquiry, yesterday, after the Session., of the governor,
the chaplain woe informed that the apparatus came into his
keeping on taking up his office in the Bridswell ; that he
had brought it into the New Prison; and had ordered it to
be destroyed, but not at the direction of the visiting jus-
tices. Theehaplain begs to add, that although he has, for
17 years endeavoured to act with Christian feeling, and on
evangelical principles, in forbearing exposure, under •hop•
of amendment, which, he renrets to say, has of late been
frustrated in the governor's conduct ; yet, however unplea-
sant or distressing a *mina may be, there is a just limit at
which to:Osamu esuot egos. In conclusion, the chaplain
hopes he may be encased the liberty of expressing his full
conviction, that a governor mad nation, who would either
receive onto custody, or alaNst to use, such an apparatus
for the treatment of prisoners, or, under the circumstances
of this case, introduce it into the New Prison in the list of
stock ; or, omitted in that list of stock, so as to escape the
cognisance of the visiting justices; and, moreover, get rid
of it without sanction, on the breaking out of inquiries
into Birmingham prison abuses, cannot, by say mega., bb
ac-
tuated by Improved Chnstian principle., and must be en-
tirely wasting in those principles of humanity, an the one
band, so necessary for the management of ertminals, and,
on the other, must fail to command tie respect of every
other good officer in the prison.
The Chaplain has the honour to remain very faithfully,
(Signed) R. W. Watunr, Chaplain.
To the Visiting Justices.

I have been informed-that John Somerby, foreman
to Mr. Peaks, saddle and harness maker of High-
street, Winchester, has frequently been sent for to
the gaol to repair the straps of this instrument of
torture. This I have found out since I got the cir-
cular. You can use it if you wish.
Yours, &c., ARGUS.
W inchester, Oct. 23, 1843.

Micnazi.mas TERN.—Yesterday, on the termina-
tion et the long vacation, the common law courts exhi-
bited their 'mean. Thanks to the alteration of the law
and the exertions of the judges, they are almost nominal.
The Court of Queen's Bench, instead of beginning term
with 200 rule. for new trials in the paper, yesterday showed
but five such, with 17 special cases and demurrers, and 10
rules enlarged. The arrears of the three courts are as fol-
lows :—Court of Queen's ;Bench, 32 ; Common Pima, 4;
and Izahequor„B--totali 44.