The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-05-04
FIRST EDITION
LEGAL TNTELEIGENCE.
The Case of Girard College.
Judge Allison's Charge to the Grand
Jury-The Inside Management of
the Institution-Is it ANY
Better than Prison?
Court of Quarter sessions-AIlison, p. J.

the Grand Jury was this morning formed with a
competent number Of members r. c. Henry Esq,
was appointed foreman of the inquest, who, having
been qualified, were instructed by the Court upon
the subject of their general duties. At the conclu-
sion of his remarks upon these routine matters his
Honor proceeded to subjects OF more interest and
special Importance, speaking as folows:-
In addition to your general duty to investigate the
several charges of crime against Individual Offenders
presented to you in the form OF regular indictments
you possess also the power Of general oversight of
the public interests as connected with class OF in
stitutOns which are directly or indirectly associated
with the governmental or reformatOry interests and
public charities of the city. 1t is customary for the
Grand Jury to visit these institutions and make re-
port to the Court OF their condition. and through this
channel the public are supposed TO be Informed OF
the manner in which their affairs are administered
That some advantage results from these periodical
visits to the Penitentiary, County Prison, Aims
house, and House Of Refuge cannot be doubted.
But still greater benefit would attend the
monthly examinations If they were made less formal
and more searching. If they were not anticipated
made at times when least expected, results
much more satisfactory than have yet been
attained might reasonably be expected from them
We have the stereotyped report OF the Grand Jury
made from month to month, that they had made the
usual visit to these several places, ana found them
dom, If ever, accompanied by statement OF facts
showing an investigation into the detail Of manage
ment or treatment OF inmates For the Grand Jury
to fix day and hour upon which they intend to
make these visits and notify the oncers of the insti
tuition beforehand is of little advantage except the
general result OF requiring everything TO be put in
order once month at least for inspection. 1t Is
very seldom that the officers interrogated under
oath that the inmates are separately examined that
food and treatment made the subject OF inYeSti
cation, that the general customs and practices are
in any degree looked into. That these practices
qure supervision may be inferred from the report of
the manner in which two persons under sentence OF
death were recently allowed to remain In our County
Prison almost unguarded and one OF them to become
his own executioner by suicide; and this, too with
the example which had not long preceded 1t OF
Similar occurrence in Bergers case. Had both
Twitchell and Berger been properly guarded, such
results would have been far more difficult OF accom-
plishInent and the law would in all probability not
have been cheated of its due and legal execution.
In this connection, 1t viii not be out OF place to
refer to the practice which prevails OF allowing pri
soners under sentence OF death to be extensively
visited 1t is reported to have been the case with
both Twtchell and Eaton-a practice which calls for
Correction at the hands of the proper authority and
to which the attention Of the Grand Jury may with
propriety be directed 1t will be conceded that all
Reasonable intercourse with counsel, with religious
Instructors. and relatives should be permitted,
nnder nroner conditions TO one whose life has been
declared forfeited to the violated laws OF the land;
vet no one thus situated should be allowed to be
visited from motives Of mere curiosity, which only
nanders to a morbid or vitiated sentiment, aud
which too often seeks to lionze one who stands con-
victed OF murder hero, deserving of sympathy
rather than punishment
tence should be carefully supervised by the Grand
Jury IL is almost the only mode Of reaching and
making public the administration OF prison dlsc-
pline and government 1t Is important that that gov
erument should be UNIFORM, tnaI the law may
should not mean to one man close confinement in his
CELL and rigid adherence to prescribed fare and
treatment and to another the use OF the corridors
of the prison. the free access of friends. and the
supply Of iuXuries which money Will procure.
And whilst the laws OF the prison should be
ri9dIv enforced and obedience TO its rules eXacted
with frmness, the manner OF enforcing such Ooedl-
ence should from @ time 10 Ie of an oG of on p G
the New York prisons, not long since, whilst under
going punishment led to an nSestIgau9n, R Wnlcn
upon the inmates that were disgrace to the age In
which we live. The exercise OF arbitrary power
when hidden from public view, when allowed 10 run
on unouestioned for long time in secret is almost
certain to degenerate into an abuse OF such power
and often to be attended WIN CIRCUMSTANCES Vi great
wrong to the deienseless. -. =, 49,
could be given Of this truth tnan was DToug TO llght
i'm the recent investigation OF the Jont special COM
mittee of inquiry relative TO the management OF
Girard College. The inmates OF that institution are
the orphan children of the city OF Phiadelpna, the
objects of ts care as they the recipients OF the
bounty of the muni1cent founder OF the college
and vet the report made only last year SHOWS that
the fstherless and motheress inmates OF the lnstltu
tlon as a punishment for mlScohduot, were cohnneu
in what were called locEups waeI9 VhSy a MesS hepI
water in some instances given to them only twice
day with but little ventilation IN summer, tne at
heat in winter Mr. Boswell testihes that in
one instance a boy was Kept mere untu nus
feet were so badly frosted, 1t was weeks before ne
ecovered With no suitable, and sometimes no, pro-
vision for attending the most pressing necessities
that the moor OF the & ro0h mat he Visited t
lockup when it was offensive ne coulu not go IN
had boys removed from because tney eOuu % & hot DC
Lent there without danger to their health ana ves-
,1eicete hoys with cOnsumptVe tendencies ana ap-
nearance who had been connneu lroM t.Iee "SShs a
10 two months on bread ana WAFER WltnouI nIe y,
severe were without shoes or cOatsi no water WIN
with which TO wash A little DOy; u D. nau
his feet frosted by the cold OF the lookup III WHICH ne
was kept that they had TO be treated S % Mis
he was also severely 1ogged by one OF ue preiects
and the marks of 1t remained on i lOt otS t Ti h
Mr. George Truman says the treatment 0i Ine poy
could be designated by no oteg elI ihIa S'i coT5
The atmosphere Of the lookup was teIiaoS, tb a
not nut INV head inside OF the door, the slench was
so terrible: no air could get IN tle IOois .I 9 o9
were without shoes but one pahe. 0e to Which
Mr. Cyrus Horne confirms the statements 10 VIII
have referred Says he found niue poys yVniii.u @ y
in what he terms filthy dem Woulu noe I alJH @ iol
dog to be Kept in 1t; no luIhtuIe vd or tbe mainI
mart OF their clothing; no Oed cIollllg q rnr',ira
bncket without cover, for the hecessay ropei,
ments of three boys s0iees 'I0S ass of testlmon,
sim liar 10 this MY attention was dlrecg9u 70 & ~ -,
raadinp the report Of speech Oh lne noii tn 80 -
Connel made short uie o+idn I' az u thai testImon,
erieved as n almost confoundeu me. IL ui9O,O5 ni a.
Sscfs which every citizen OF Phladeipna spou ann d
up In honest indignation anu NY oiieoe an OIL
cIoi visit some time during your term 9l I'm
~ innuire whether the condition oI tnlngS tg mi
brought TO light In any degree sun cbarties O
~. and i'm some respects the most lnpoItnam "a y
Snnealing as strongly as any 0tier y. o erSight an
~ me public ana delhalulhs 10 mich Won ma
,ardia nship / hope the eAamPio nro.tice uhic
Buai this resnect will inauRurate PIacuSi9S iio
e set ~ Grand iures will follow, so JaS dt doy
nav hereafter receive WhaterSt W w the Grand inaues
syy, niay the neriOdcal Inspection ol III NJ s''N
from Sia( i,pt ana county of Phiadepnla. - o,on =
Oh 'r w attertion, gentlemen cailnoI pS % crin,f
,o earnestly called TO the pIt from exposur
100 ca 20 great extent are eXempI iIO tn nnT
Wblcn W arSeons who are engaged IN theln ho , i'm
aent anu e1 refer TO the maintei@hnos IAN cole ~ otteI
houses houses OF pro- sai of intoxicating drink