The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1864-01-03

1
port on The Immoral ard brutal practices which
obtain IN those places 1t positvely c.ssses one
to shndder on reading through the airocioos de-
tails which these inspeetors Eavo given 60 the
public AID yet we arr told that Boston is
the great centre OF refinement. learning and
civiliNation-the modern Athensn.-the "Hab
OF the Universe" IL tho gentlemen who have
made ths report were not in high official posi-
tons and reliable in every way such shameful
revelations would scarcely be believed The
managers of the institutions must certainly be
deprived of every feeling Of decency. modesty
| and self-respect In The House of Reformation
| for Juvenile Offenders, we are told there Is
one spacious tub in which "the fso,icsomeness
| Of boyhood can disport itself with quite
limited freedom''-tbat is 20 say, TINT the boys
are allowed to strip and are huddled into one
tub to wash themselves, without any regard to
decency whatever. In The prisons, however,
the case is still verse. These are provided
with the ordinary bathtubs. from Tires to
seven 10 namber. PLACED aide by side at from
twelve to twenty inches apart, in open rooms.
without any screen or protection at all; and 10
these publicly exposed tubs the prisoners
men, women and girls-:n tbeir respective de-
partments, in groups Of frous three to seven,
are required to perform their ablutions Old
offenders. young offenders girls Of niue and
ten years Of age, alike must d:srobe Themselves,
and in full observation OF their fellows and
officers, in a state OF utter nudity, enter the
bath and perform its duty "We submit" say
the Inspectors. that there is scarcely any
prisoner, however calsous in the paths Of crine
from however low and degraded sphere Of
social life hs may have come that es this re-
quired exposure at the batbtub will not feel
his rudinentsI nature at least somewhat
shocked Anything more disgraceful can
scarcely be conceived, But The atrooty il
greatly increased when IL ia borne in mind that
there are bat few hardened criminals confined
in these Institutions The report tells US that
all life he's its representatives there. Young
girls aad ma;dens are there. tender, plastic,
sensitive, full Of the modesty Of nature, and, it
may be. culture slso-some with no other
charge of crime than not habi!3pIly attending
the public school.
Nor are these the-eniy on.rases detailed in
A.e report before-us. Girls aud boys are.indis-
ciminately aogged with cartwhips, beaten 9th
sticks. and maltreated in every wag without
consideration or pity. On one occasion
young woman seventeen years Of age, tin
stature a woman grown" was charged with
dsobedienoe Of orders and punished, by the
Superintendent in person, with rattan half an
inch in diameter aud twenty inches long. The
blows were dealt about her shoulders and the
back OF her neck The Superintendent says
that che struck her with all his might but
the spirit Of the girl was up and she
would not yield Her tormentor thereupon
waxsd exceedingly wroth, and, sending for q
large stick, fairly dubbed the poor young wo-
man until she gave in. He then caused her to
be thrown into the cell aud fed upon the food
Of the solitary-bread and water. And here
she remained from the 18th Of July to the 9Th
OF August, when she was released by the in
spectcrs. Their testimony as to the condition Of
the girl and the. brutality of her treatment is SO
revolving that we giveit here in condensed
form:-"Up0n each shoulder they say, "the
flesh was discolored, bue-black in spots full az
large a. the palm of the hand, and there were
perfectly evident traces Of blows upon her
back and shoulders. She seems to us q resolute
girl, Of more than ordinary strength Of purpose
and character; there were unmistakable evil
dences also that her feelings were quick to re-
spond to appeals of tenderness and good will, rs
no doubt they are quick in passion. On the 9Th
OF August we again visited the Institution. She
was suffering the solitary, It being the seventh
day of her incarceration; her shoulders were,
still strongly discolored: the same indications
Of character we're manifest. II appeared she
had been visited by the matron daily with food,
sndoby the physician, who seems by the rules
not to be allowed to hold communication with
any inmates except in pursuance Of his medical
duty She stated she had not been spoken to
by any officer Of the establishment about her
misconduct, her penitenee, her resolves or pur-
poses, or about anything connected with her
Imprisonment: and TO this extent her statements
were not denied. We repeated these state
ments to the Superintendent who replied by
this question to The girl, Have you ever sent
for me-! TO which she answered, No, sir, and
to which he reioined well, them She was
finally released from the cell on the evening Of
the 9Th day OF August, the same day Of our
second visit. Speaking Of the corporeal punish
ment, the Superintendent remarked, III was
the severest Hogging ever had to do In the
course Of this investigation we were informed
by this officer that in the boys department
the punishments are sometimes inflicted with an
ordinary wagon whip by the Superintendent
in person"
Not content with the full exercise OF these
shameful barbar tiles, the officers Of the reform
story are further guilty OF starving the inmates
committed to their care. Fully one-third Of the
male prisoners and many Of the females COM
planned that il was impossible for them to OBJ
tain food enough to satisfy the natural cravings
or hunger All their appeaIs and requests were