The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-24 00:00:00

LEICESTER COUNTY GAOL.

LEICESTER, SEPT. 22.
The first witness this morning was William Godfrey,
an old soldier, who wore a Waterloo medal, and also
one in commemoration of another battle in which he
fought. He deposed that he had the superintendence of
a ward in which there were 30 cells, in 28 of which there
were cranks. He had been a warder in the gaol ever
since its opening in 1846, and was a turnkey in the old
house of correction many years before, having now been
a prison officer for 25 years. To the best of his re-
collection, the rule for compelling prisoners to earn their
food before being allowed to have it was put in operation
in 1848. When a prisoner came in he gave him a copy
of the crank labour rules, and if he (the prisoner) could
not read, read and explain them to him. Told him he
would have to perform 14,400 revolutions per day, which
was 1,800 an hour for eight hours, and that he would
have time for meals, exercise, school, and chapel. He
also told him if he did not do the proper amount of
work he should have to report him, bnt did not tell him
his food would be stopped. If the task was not per-
formed on the first day he reported it to the governor,
at 8 o'clock in the evening. The next morning the go-
vernor explained to the prisoner particularly " the keep-
ing-back system," and admonished him, but did not stop
his food at that time. If he was behind with his work
at dinner time that day, he would not get his dinner. nor
would he get any other meal until he had got up the work
in arrear at that time, unless it was ordered by the gover-
nor or surgeon. He thought two days was the longest
time a prisoner had been without food, and that only
an odd one or two had been without so long. A dinner
which was not earned at the proper time was left stand-
ing near the prisoner's cell for a reasonable time, and if
it was then earned it was taken to the cook-house, and
warmed before being given to him. If it was kept for a
long time, so as to be at all damaged, it was taken to
the cook-house, and fresh food issued. He had seen a
prisoner in a state of exhaustion at crank labour, and
had known the surgeon order prisoners to be taken from
the crank and kept in bed three or four days. That was
frequently the case. Blisters were frequently put on—
generally on the side. Some prisoners complained very
much of the severity of the labour, others said nothing
about it. For his own part, he thougt it hard work, but
considered labouring (agricultural) work was harder.
All the difference was, a labouring man who had got a
good job lived better than a prisoner at the crank. Pri-
soners had been whipped on days when their food was
stopped, and put to work immediately after the whip-
ping. In all such cases it was held out to them that if
they showed a disposition to work they would soon get
their food. If they still remained idle they would get no
food, sinless it was ordered by the governor or surgeon.
Prisoners at the crank generally began to get thin after
being at it a week or ten days. Men did not get thin at
the treadwheel when it was in use. Some prisoners at
the crank were low-spirited, some very irritable and in-
subordinate. It had been a very hard job for him to
manage them, especially under the stoppage system.
(The stoppage system, it should be remarked, has been
discontinued for some time past, in consequence of the
interference of the Home-office.) There were frequent
cases of swelling of the legs. He often found it out be-
fore a prisoner complaineu, as he could see it when the
men walked.

Capt. Williams —You are an old soldier; what appear-
ance did men's backs present after whipping ?
Godfrey—Oh, very slight injury. Nothing like a
whipping in the army. Three dozen is the most I re-
member being given, and that's not like getting 309.
Capt. Williams-1)03-m: think men were fit to ,7o to
work after receiving three dozen lashes ?
Godfrey—They generally did. lie had seen men in a
strait waistcoat strapped to the wall, and with a collar
on. Believed the collar was introduced in 1846. It was
not used in the old prison. He had never seen it used
in the new prison. He had never seen it used in the new
prison as a punishment. The man who was in the strait
waistcoat so long was not insane, but was a very deter-
mined
man, and would have committed suicide if he had
not been strapped. The collar was used to keep a man's
head up, and preventing him tearing the waistcoat with
his teeth. • He could not tell what became of the man
after he left the prison. He had not formed any opinion
as to the attempts at suicide being feigned ; he confined
himself to obeying orders and reporting anything that
required reporting. The youngest boy he ever had at
crank labour was eight years of age. He was required
to do 10,500 revolutions per day, but he never did that
number, nor was he ever punished. He considered the
boy worked very well, and he supposed the governor did
too, for he never punished him. The entries in his re-
port-book were all correct.
A large number of these entries were then read, show-
ing the working of " the stoppage system." The meals
of one day were frequently given out one or two days
later than the proper time ; a supper was often given at
8 o'clock iH the morning, and a breakfast at 6 or 8 in the
evening, with all imaginable variations of the orler of
meals. One prisoner had got seven meals in arrear, an-
other had only three days' meal in 14 days.
Godfrey continued—Men were sometimes ordered to
do only a boy's task at the-crank, when the surgeon
found them weak. The keeping back of food was not
considered a punishment, because prisoners could have
all back meals when they earned them.
Numerous further entries were examined. One pri-
soner bad very little food from the Ist to the 6th of
March (year not stated). On the 7th his breakfast and
dinner were stopped, and he was whipped. A prisoner,
named Joseph Allsopp, had meals kept back several
days ; he was reported idle again and again, broke an
index hand off his crank dial, and was whipped ; still
continued idle, had more meals stopped, and 14 days
after the first flogging received three dozen lashes. For
a week longer he frequently had meals stopped, and was
excused from crank labour on account of weakness.
Another prisoner, who was flogged, had one and a half
days' food in five days. Another prisoner was reported
on the 10th of April as " the fourth day without food."
In explanation of this, Godfrey said the prisoner refused
his food two of those days, saying he could not take it.
Mr. Welsby—So that two days he could not or would
not take his food, and the next two he was deprived of
the possibility of getting it ?
Godfrey—That's right, sir. I informed the governor
and surgeon of that.
Mr. Benfield and Mr. Musson both said it was im-
possible for them to have known of such a case ; they
would not have permitted it.
Godfrey re-asserted that he reported the fact to both,
but they still had no recollection of it.
The surgeon's journal was examined, and it was found
that the same man was entered as being five days with-
out food.

This part of the inquiry led to a warm altercation
between Mr. Welsby and Mr. Reeve. Mr. Reeve
elicited from the surgeon the statement that the entry
was made as soon as he heard of it, and that he should
have entered the fact of a man being without food three
days, or even two days ; and from there being no entry
of either of those terms in reference to this prisoner, he
felt sure he had not heard any report of the kind.
Mr. Welsby said there were plenty of cases of food
being kept back for two days without any entry in the
surgeon's journal.
Mr. Reeve said that was a statement that was not
proved by the books.
Mr. Welsby said he was stating a fact which the books
proved most abundantly.
Mr. Reeve contended that two day's food being kept
hack did not mean that all food was kept back for forty-
eight hours together ; but an accumulation of meals
amounting to two days' food ; and it was very important
that it should not go forth incorrectly.
Dr. Baly was of opinion Mr. Reeve's view of this was
correct.

Mr. Welsby and Capt. Williams again referred to
entries in the warder's (Godfrey's) report book, and
found some showing that food had been kept back for
two whole days, and that one prisoner had only one
meal m three days, upon which Mr. Welsby' observed,
~ We need not have been so valiantly interrupted."
Godfrey was then further examined as to the prnetice
ofte strapping prisoners to the wall, and said in all cases
y were unstrapped to take their meals, and to go to
the water-closet. He had unstrapped the man who was
restrained for five or six weeks many times in a day.
He did not remember that he was taken out to exercise.
Mr. Kekle (late governor of a gaol in Oxfordshire),
who was
chief
iae
warder in Leicester county gaol at the
time, said
distinctly remembered that the man was
or an
taken out fhour daily durino., the latter part of
the time of his re t
i
as " a wild Irisl:inraanin. named John Fitzpatrick. He
believed he was sa„.
He (Mr. Keble) described him
'
The Commissioners appeared very anxious to ascer-
tain why such restraint ws placed upon a man who
was not insane if it was no:'fo
tranishment ; but could
get no further information onr
that it
to-day than
officers saying i was never used as
yesterday, all
punishment.
pwas also inves-
tigated case of a youth named John Start
tigated at great length for a similar
and other
was was
prisoner had been reported for neglecting wurcir This
The said to
offences 68 times, frequently had food stopped 7
flogged seven times. The strait waistcoat
have been put upon him only for restraint.
nor had received a letter from a medical man, ho
knew him before his committal, intimating that he was
sane, and the prisoner himself repeatedly said in prison
that his head was bad ; but Mr. Benfield, who had the
letter, was of opinion that he was not insane.
At four o'clock Mr. Welsby intimated that the com-
missioners did not think it necessary to call any further
witnesses ; if the magistrates wished any more to be ex-
amined, they would hear them. They proposed yester-
day (Friday) morning to hear any statements the visit-
ing justices might wish to make, and to close the in-
quiry with the examination of Mr. Perry.
The magistrates desired that Mr. Perry should be ex-
amined before they offered themselves for examination,
and that course was agreed to.
The Commissioners more than once complimented the
warder on the accuracy he had observed in keeping his
books, and the honesty he had manifested in entering
any error he had fallen into. With the exception of a
little hesitation in the answers to two or three of the
questions put by Mr. Reeve, they considered the manner
in which he had given his evidence was highly creditable
to him.

The inquiry was then adjourned to Friday morning.

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