Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-02-07

! NASHVILLE, TENE., February J, 1858.
1 Editors Memphis Appeal:
A very great reform has been effected
In the management of the State Peni.
Tertiary by its present Superintendent
the Hon. Thomas 3. MeElWee, formerly
State Senator. This has not been from
Increased rigidness Of discipline, but
simply from the unaffected regard Of the
! Superintendent for humanity in its most
degraded condition. He neither tries
that Pennsylvania system which trans
forms It's victims into idiots nor seeks to
/ emulate the brutality OF some of his pre-.
decessors, but he treats the prisoners as
men-erring, unfortunate, ignorant men,
/ bat still within the pale Of humanity,
and having capacity for future usefaI-
ness. The treatment to which prisoners
10 this Institution were formerly SUBJ
jected was horrible. They were locked
up In narrow, iH-ventilated cells st ali
times, when not at work. They were
tasked beyond their utmost capacity and
unmercllulIy beaten when they failed to
DO what was required OF them. The in
strnments of torture were heavy whips
OF thick leather with loaded thongs and
heavy club handles that could be used on
occasion 70 knock prisoners down. In
six months there were five hundred and
twenty-nine whlppings Of greater or less
severity, and in most cases for trivial Of
lenses. In one Instance seven mea were
badly beaten for laughing a. some little
ludicrous Incident ia the dining room.
In another case forty prisoners were Sc
verely whipped because it could not be
discovered which one Of them gave
little whistle la q cell when they were all
locked up. Many Of the Whippings we're
for mi A,NfraaS Naa A1II
that it was 8 irequent practice to increase
the tasks from week to week until fail
ure TO perform the labor demanded was
followed by whipping occasionally, or
week sitter week until the tOTturers tired
out or became satisfied that it was
physical imp0ssibility to do the work re-
CURED. One man, named Peter Reeves,
was whipped every night for three weeks
Tor not doing an impossible task. There
was no protection for prisoners and scarce
q chance FOR tbs best behaved Of them to
escape the degrading lash. During the
time when there we're the five hundred
and twenty nine Whippings, there were
only from two hundred and forty to four
hundred prisoners. Mr.. McElWee
stopped the WhippiDgs. If prisoners
mi,behave, they are locked up in cells,
and when they get out are treated with
kindness until they again misbehave
Those who act las they all generally DO
nOwl properly, are allowed a good deal
of privilege. They have TIE open air Of
the yard, they have chance 10 talk at
times to each other, they are encouraged
in well doing, and are made to feel that
there is still chance for their becoming
useful members OF society. Their health
and comfort is well cared for, and there
never was q time when they were go
orderly or when there were so few at
tempts 10 escape. So grateful are the
prisoners, and 50 attached are many Of
them to their present keepers, that it
would De impossible to keep from the
keepers the knowledge of any general
conspiracy to escape. Prison discipline
under Mr.. McEiwee makes cOsvicts no
worse on the contrary, they will leave
the prison, 10 many cases, better men
than when they entered il. Perhaps
there is no similar institution in the
country where the refurmatOry objects
OF impris )nment are better attained.
This may be ia q consideTsb,e degree
owing to the character of the prisoners,
who are not generally such hardened
villsins as come from the Bedouin hordes
of great cities. They are in many
simple fellows, whom drink or iu-
rather than deliberate scOun-
drelism brought to the State prison. Be
tween two aud three hundred of them
have been sent to prison for years on
charges Of haVin QuS,|ei.n - verage,
less than five doI nth q property
each. some of the cases are most pItia
bic. One msR named William Watts,
who is now confined under sentence Of
year for stealing four pounds of meat, is
only thirty seven years OF sga, and has
spent altogether twenty years in prison
yet he Is not q bad feilow-simply
weak, good nstured Outcast. Another
man named Jack Cunningham, only
twenty five years old, has spent thirteen
wears in prison. A more shocking fact
than this il is difficult TO imagine. The
authorities OF the prison are desirous Of
having all those who have been iHcar
cerated under charges Of violation Of
rights during the war, whether
they were Federals or COnfedeTates, re-
leased, as It is believed that many were
led by the prevalent license Of the times
TO commit petty offences and would not,
il released, follow longer evil courses.
1t is probable that an act Of the Legisla-
ture may also release many Of those sent
to this prison for very petty offences.
Senator Smith is taking an active part
in this measure, which Is not simply
merciful to prisoners, but is necessis sated
by the cost of keeping up the Peniten-
tiaTy and the want of room in it for the
who come in at the rate Of one
8 100 - cosf thR Stsfo. T-- .E'5--s