New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-02-05

New HarsIshire..iins3s e.4..I3 ;,k "a
FenfsvIyania-.-..tin4c 3-.7.-2 en- "a
New JcTeJ 1911 10 <,viV S-o-0 th isa
The above table sho as tia, crime Is more ssv.,.
ly punished IN WIS MA th,n In any Of TIE s,sis.
erumeTated bat II stands IN tue ninth rank ofcrme
that is IL has less CRIME than any oher excso. an.
and so far, seventy sreYnS 10 ceter from crime ~,
this notion IS con radicied by the example OF Con-
nectcut, which amos Ia the second RANK FOR sever,
ity while Il starcs lc me third rank for erne-,hs,
is there Is more crime IN proportion % ia no,,.
ton than any stare, except t~o New YORK stans.
in the fourth rss for severity bot I, stands Ia ~
second rank for ciins-ihat IS there is more crime
IN nropoI,ion 20 rs population than aay S,ate az
cent one lhes" examples ioFtty the clsclasons
drs wn from surve, OF the eight Judicial Dtsres.
IN Newly ok thst long sentences do no, deter nom
Having disposed Of The eaec' o. long sea,epcesin
aforcins 20 the manity protection az nss crime
we next TO II cure into theI ehec. On tie criml,
The object cf an enlightened criminal code hu
proyise security for the State, reformation OF the
offender ans provision for his welfare aiier The term
OF Imprisonment shall have expired.
The reformation OF the often, er Can only be effect.
ed by the emil h's nmen sno culture o. hsreisIoas,
moral and intellectual faculties, ana BY preserving
and iDpIoyD his physical powers
An inspection 0 S.aie Prisons will SATISFY any one
that these Indications are not tulaed BY long
fences. Most men who have been confined Tor long
terms are dlstneu,shed BY supor OF oo,h the moral
ard intellectual faculties they bee me mere nia.
chimes; long disused 10 the exercise OF their oFn
volitions, and SUBJECTED 10 an unyaTylnS r0ltoe OF
occupations ana Of otjecs, the noblest pc Sers Of
their natures ftli into decay, While tue mere IN
stinctiye aud anlmsl faculties are those which re-
main In exercise. Even hope dies within them and
not vi frequently insanity IN its most ishtt1l forms
completes the wreck o. All their faculties. kaorn-
alton then out of the question, and the power Of
providing for thar own livelihood Is forever de-
stroysd. Those who most familiar with the hts
tory of criminals. know that peCunlafy niece ssltes
are the chief springs Of crime Even those who en-.
ter the path of e'mlHaty through the portals Of the
grog. shop, tho brOthel or the gambling house, are
constrained 20 acopt this course because those agen.
cies have deprived them OF all other means OF pro-
viding for their wants
The report complains of the bad ventilation Of
the prisons the abolition of the cat mode Of
punishment is thought to have worked well, but
the punishment ofthe showerbath and that called
the yoke, which have been substituted for il,
are evidently liable to be grossly abused. These
infections are thus described in letter to the
Committee from DR.. Fosgate, late Physician Of
the Auburn Prison
The form OF The machine is that OF tle common
stocks with areseTvolr OF water above II, having
head II ty-f ioches measuring from the surface
OF the water - the perforated plate At she end Of the
dscharelpg' tube. The offender, being stripped OF
his clothing, is placed IN sitting posture in the
stocks, with his feet aud hands securely fastened,
and his head contained IA sort OF hopper The bot
tom OF which euclicleS his neck so closely that the
water will not Tur of fast It can be lei on the
water being uLder the control Of the keeper by means
of cord alta he'd TO valve III the bottom OF thu
reservoir From the perfof ated plate the water falls
about ee cen inches when IL strikes the head Of the
convict IN aoyaOly hxed thence passing over the
whole surface OF The BODY. When the reservoir is
full, the force Of the blow upon the head nearly
equal u n column of waer seyenty.tNo inches in
night. This force Is what reduced by the inter-
vention OF the perforated plate, late modification
! ip the UstruHtnt.
| Toll mech2uic who calculates The islaenes Of
| mere matter upon matter, the power Of tlls cOlumn
| OF ~aler must possess considerable importance But
| 10 the pbysoloslSt, who caa alone judge with any
| degree Of correctness OF the influence Of a stream,
generally at 80 degIoes Fahlerhei' ;alrg upoa the
beaG and thence covering the whole BODY the suffer-
| ing induced and DANGER incurred, must appear mo-
| meLtouS IL the extreme
! The KIND of punishment next in frequency inhc.-
ed III this prison yokmg. TEe yoke is formed Of
fiat bar of iron four i've ncaes vide, AMI from FIVE
to SIX feet IA leugth. with movable ST PIE IN the
center 70 tncirc rne neck, aRd a small AZ each
/ end to surround the wris.s All thege ttpes are
so arranfed ihat by turning screws on their pro-
trudlng ends on the back o. tie non EAR they can
| be tightened 70 any degree deemed expe5ent. The
weight OF the iiahtesG yoke is thiry- -four pounds
ayoirdup0is and some Of them believe weigh forty
The principal objection to this punisbmentis, THAI
the yoke bears too heavily the ceryict VertebrA.
Most persons are aware Of the un2le asant aud in
fact insupporiable sensation produced zen Dy the
weight Of The unouttoned coat and vest pressing
upon the hack The neck. UEder weight Of
this instrument the c0nylc, cannot retain the erect
posture even tDT few minutes c1nlerltyely but ia
forced t0 bend FOR ard IN mis- contiau4l WRITINGS
which brings the entire weight of the bar uDOn the
lower centcal ytrtrbra. The arfes ara generally
stretched to thsr full length, and from steady ten.
SION OF the nerves are oeuuDoet, while the hands
turn purple ana at times become much VOllen. 10
several instances have aced ny fingers beneath
the oke ard iound the pressure so great that it
was actually PAINFUL to me.
Instances Oh cruel and excessive punishment,
somtimesresutIng IN death or insanity, are given.
These were at Auburn, none such appearing to
have taken place at Clinton or Sing Sing. In.
deed 1t is expressly stated that Auburn Prisons
managed with much greater severity than either
OF the others The arrangements at that Prison,
for the care OF health, are by no means what
they should be DR.. Fosgate testiiies to the
effect long Imprisonment to produce alienation
and weakness Of mind onanism appears to be
quite generally practicsd among the convicts.
1t seems then that these important institutions
are not only imperfectly and badly arranged fox
their purpose, but neglected by those who should
attend to them, and badly managed and that
the State is puudered of a good deal of money
by contractors and their accomplices. The re-.
port does not express any decided opinion as to
the continuance Of Clinton Prison The Female
Department at Sing Sing is spoken OF in high
terms; while nearly one seventh OF the male
ccnyicts ccno back second time, only one
twelfth Of the females do So The following are
the concluding propositions of the Committee:
|. That grea. majority Of the convicts are sus-
ceptible Of beng influenced by the same good mo-
tlves ami impulses, which influence other men, and
therefore that system based upon reason al kind
ness, encDg 10 lntpIre feelings OF ssfrespect hope
uness and penIence, oughg 10 be adopted in all our
prisons, so far n practicable without inparing the
lettering Character essential to any syste Of pun
ishmeDt.
2 That the ratioDs OF the prisoners should inpayi-
ably be such as are, In the opinion Of the physician