The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1856-01-24
Voluntary Torture in English Prisons.

teen years OF age, recently died at the
prison in Parkhurst, England; and, at the
inquest held on his body, evidence was ad-
duced which, according to the report in the
local papers, exhibits the extraordinary
methods resorted to by prisoners to gain
admission into the Infrmary. The chief
witness was James Limb, a convict, who
said:
II have been here four years. l have
known the deceased ever since he has been
here. On Thursday, he told me he wished
to get into the 1ntirmary for the winter, aud
he asked the best way to manage it. I
told him to get some of the stuff of the
pump, and swallow it like pill {; and so
he did. lie took off the green stuff of the
brasses with bit Of tin, and made it into
pills for him. lie was at work on the
pump that day. 1t was green, and mixed
it up with soap from his cell into pills will,
the oil from the top of the pump. told
him where to get it, and made it into six
pills about the size our doctor gives us. lie
got drink Of water, and swallowed them
one at time, and in the afternoon lie told
inc he had a pain in his head. saw him
the next morning, when he said it hadn't
made him quite bad enough, SO he would
take some more pills; and think he did,
for he had enough stuff in the box to make
six more. and there was none left in the
box the next morning; and then his cocoa
got OH his stomach, and it made linn sick,
and he told the officer, and he put him in
his cell. took the oil myself when tried
to get into the Infirmarv; but there was no
vcrdigris in that, but it made me very sick
lie said he thought the verdigris would
make it all the better, and So he took it,
1t is common practice for us prisoners to
make our eyes and legs sore, to get into the
hospital. Some eat ground glass, and put
coppcras into the sores. can't say whether
deceased knew Of these pills before I told
him, but the last time he got in by running
stocking-needle right through his leg,
above the knee. 1t was full of thread, and
lie did it to make his leg sore but he most
lost his leg by it. lie got in all last win
ter, and he often tried the same thing over
again when he did not succeed at first, but
he got in every winter somehow. lie asked
me what to do, and told him what had
tried and l got in. You must mix soap
with it, to make it stick; but its two years
ago since took any. lie said lie wouldn't
like to try the experiment that No. II did,
of eating pounded glass. l was sent here
for stealing horse. l was only eleven
years old then, and was remandcd for tM o
assizes, cause they couldn't find the man
sold it to-"
The witness detailed the particulars Of
these horrible practices with the greatest
GOODNESS and cffrontcry, and seemed proud
of the part he had taken in the transaction.
Mr.. Dabbs, hospital surgeon, said he had
frequently discovered the prisoners in the
act of removing the dressings from the
sores, and irritating them, with the hope of
continuing longer in the hospital. The
doctor cited one case Of a prisoner, for
whose disease he could find no remedy, and
who appeared to be daily wasting away.
He at last ordered him to he stripped ma
ked, and to spread out his arms, when
vein in his arm spirited blood, and he then
discovered that he had, by some means,
obtained lancet with which he frequently
bled himself down to deaths door, in order
to remain in the hospital. The jury re-
turned verdict to the effect that the de-
ceased died by poison administered by his
own hands, with the view to gain admission
into the 1nfirmary, and not to occasion his
| own death.