New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-03-03
NETWORK TRIBUNE.
SOCIETY MEETINGS.
of the Prison Association.

This Association met on Monday night az Ne
tropoEt1n Hall celebrate their eighth anniversary
Judge NcCouS presided. He stated thai they had as
sembled there that evening 70 celebrate the esh.h an
niversary Of the Prison Discipline Association Il was
be regretted hSt the workings OF the Society for the
psst year appear meager but that il because tue
law Is il At present stands does no; allow vide scope
of sction 70 the operations Of the Association This,
however though apology for the little that had been
done, would not form q subject Of consideration on
the present occasion; bg. efforts were being made 70
have the law amended in that respect.
lie then introduced Rev Dr. FERRrs, who offered a
prsyer asking for blessing the efforts OF the So
ciety.
DR. JoHS D. Russ then read the following rePor: Of
the Managers:
THE DoUcIrr AND YOKE As INsTRUxENTs OF PUNISH
MENr.
The cat usel be almost the only instrument OF ter
AID torture used IN prisons 70 insure order and
fubdue q refractory. |; IN daily Te4ulston, and
tn years SGD twelve hundred lasaes montn VS. no
uncommon occurrence Since ls47 IT. use mas been
prohibited, and hoping 70 evade The law and st -Fay
the EVIL pToPensites those monster instruments
Of torture the douche and The yoke save been intro
duced These are happy 90 say, are alike prol1it-d
BY law; and Il is some consolation 10 know that every
prison keeper who nicts either punishment on con
Wet may be prosecuted when that convict regans nis
liberty: and II il fortunate fJr PRISON keepers that
when convic;s are liberated they generally feel TOO
grateful tor their hJeTy harbOr feelings o. resent
neut too destitute Of friends OF mems TO prose
cute Even they do prosecute their oaths viii not DC
taken N Court Of Justice AID peThaps every witness
hut The parties themselves. j. Ike position; 80 that
tev have hut Lte hope OF redress But allowing some
OF them only the opportunity but the enjoyment o.
redress what becomes 0f at long catalogue OF insln-
ty and death which produced directly by this treat
ment Hear what the physician az Auburn says OF tne
doucho-"I an advocate for cold wnier. Il properly
sppHed but % cOufne convict ia the stocks uSlt and
finn with his bead thrown hack and then douche the
water upon him Is decidedly more dangerous AMI evil
than the cat. The muscles Involuntary 'hrnk upon
the application OF cold. But here they must ofsr
tie shock IN AL is severity Ile hrst effect
i stranculatou 70 most painful degree. The neNts
alteration OF mind csavi0ns, congestion OF the orsn'
liver and bowels The blood rccedng rom the surface
j. iruwn suddenly and violently upon the organs and
the above results inevitable. Dr.. Fosgaie bears tes-
rnony in bis examination hy TIE legislative committees,
10 The isCts in iii stronger language b't es AN
instrument OF torture aud OF death Il - conissedy more
dangerous Ia the hands Of uLedlcGtcd men, than the
lash Unlike those beasts OF prey whose app ics are
vhefed rs the smell Of blood Man generally recoils
from IT, sight ard as the scegs:'d backs OF the convcs
begin 70 d p with gore his hated passions begin 10 sub
fiae and thus Justice IL sometimes su0-tituted ior cru
city The douche and tue yoke pose, not even such
doubtful advantage, and should 40 once be torbid ~
law As l. there Il no law Tor Their use, as t!e eocu
tive II The State has officially declared Buts the yONe
and the douche are ready Instruments of PUNISH
ucut ard Of torture IN al cur ate Prisons Weugtt
tolerate, perhaps excuse such Violations OF the IA"
they subeTved any good purpose; but experience daly
terrhcs u thar not entire usees they NJ least
O. doubtful efficacy The experience OF the otate Pms
ca Of Maine to tie point. That Institution va gov
.trel for twenty months VE ut any utler punishment
fhan solitary confinement win pm average oss OF TWEEN
N Two dave each conyic and during the past year
the Warden states that the punsln0us have not aver
aged the Ices Of day each prisoner, ami stl Il -
considered by al that the discipline never was better
Unccr these circumstances t1v-e particular Nten-
tion 20 tlhs subject aud ASK the passage OF law r.
stairing the oil the yoke the dOuche or any Cher
punishmcut except solitary confinement TN bread nnd
water and the number OF punshmens Gni the duration
Of each shsl be published annually under oath ot the
Warden ia his annual report
DsteEti0R for IFidL
Tie good order and weilbeing OF the community
may re- uTe that individuals under suspicious crcuu'
stances shall be arrested and detained ant An invest
garon a. their guilt or innocence ccn be had ana N
case of proved guilt, this preliminary confinement be-
comes very Justly part OF the deserved punishment
but when toe individual proved innocent II seems an
extremely hard case that he should have hal y ehfac
ter injured by eroundeEs suspic ns-be thrown out OF
HE business subjected 20 personal expenses ana smut
up In prison leaving his a1y % provide toritsen or 70
suffer the pangs miseres Of starvation, and THIS not
from any fault OF his perhaps, bat some iortutous
crcumstanccs over which he mad no control and
then after SIX or perhaps eight weeks OF eOhhhe-
ment turned q beggar upon the word. we nave on
former occasions directed attention 81 ths suhcc Out
IL has been forcbly brought nome 70 our attention
by the Application O. poor cOoret man whose iauily
had been turned into the street and the ayngs o. years
exhausted in the attempt To provide counsel lof nh
and tis while In prison, and 70 support me hniy'
while thosc on whom they depended tor support were
locked ND Tor the benefit OF the state Tals man aud
his son had been detained fge weeks, "hen after an
mvestinsiIon Of their case they were hon1raOy as
charged But who pays them ior her os OF caaFac-
ter-their hoes Of tine and OF money Although one
would suppose 10 be sufficient sacrifice iOr the good
Of society for innocent man 10 be incarceraei
for so long q time even IL lie was pad The ordl'
nary price of days labor, bot - compel the poor
man 10 suffer the loss OF liberty and the loss oil
money a. the time : sacrince too great 10 De
borne patiently This detention falls almost eAcasiVeiy
where il Is the lesst able be borne. IL s the poor
man suffers he Is that made 10 pay the tax Or the
security OF the ricn mans property Inc men can az
sny time provide bail and are therefore never the SUI
ferers Shall not some Provs'on'e rnsle wnoH snail
protect the innocent poor man while under ares.
retrospect OF the past-aIhOugh net without Us re-
grets-aiOrds numerous evidences OF duty PERFORMED
and Of good accomplished In no former year has the
AssocisOn been active II the dschare Oh - az
ties IN NO year have 80 many claims upon s charity
for discharged prisoners been presented ans Ia no year
60 many situations found Tor them in siduon % aese
duties Il has devoted much time and atenton 70 more
under arrest both in this Cry and Brooklyn Inc "Aoie
number that has been in Nay aided by the As-0c
ron during the amounts 70 6si VIZ ~ men ~
wouep and 20 boys aud girls. The receipts OF tAe In
stiurion a. gathered from The Tre6sureTs report are
a. g7g 81 ana the expenditure ncSiing soO Appro'
pr.Aied 10 building fund, si.O-ieaylns Asncen tae
hands Of the Treasurer on The 18Th lay OF January 4
of SO ST. OF these moneys So AZ - have been expend
q
sihing for discharged convicts slJ0 pad 20 financial
AGENT for service Sol IS for clerk hTe, and 100 hr
c0urses fec TIE Association regret fhat Il has not
been able 20 extend the Sere OF ts useuaes beyond
the limit 0; tis C;y and Brooklyn 10 OIer Counties
but the limited condition Of ther finances make ths re
striction impressive. Tie duty OF inspecting our CITY
Prisons Y one which since the pass e Of ne act Of
ls47 rereskng all former sets IN re-sTd % nee rms
eos. and imposing tie duty On hs STATE Pnson Inspect
orr who have neglected and we believe hually been
relieved from il Il OF the ara importance. and one
which demands the immediate, deliberate and earnest
attention Of the Legislature. Can BE- nat tnee RE
oDs are 70 be longer EFF 20 the management ,snsn
s,ereut Of persioned Otcers without any one legally
qualified or permitted 70 iRTe<.s.te thesr coz
dltiou.
prison system Il tb cur heases Of deen,on should be
such a. preserve the nGlAts run contamination and
rorrur1or Thee Gre Do, prsons simply Tor me tsr'
denei offender, bsi ofteutmes are tensn;ef ~ nose
vtose ehaucters spotless O. cur own and mus
sb ~ ertd 10 The cu,arn afinE influence VI vet