The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-12
stoppedl Witness was in the first rank Of merit.

Judge Bedford at this stage or the proceedings,
adjourned the case until this morning, and said =:
Gentlemen OF the jury. be very careful and do not
| talk about this case with any person PERSONS
Mr.. Howe read some choice extracts from testi-
mony given before the State Commissioners Of
Prison Labor. appointed by the Legislature In 1871.
The Commission consisted Of M. 8. Myers, X. O..
! Wines and Thomas Fencer. The report numbers
| nearly three hundred pages, and we give few OF
| the extracts which were read, In an incomplete
Thomas p. Crowne sworn and examined-Q
What Is your occupation A. lam shoemaker.
nor WAS emnloye9 ihara ~ as sh irstrnctor from
October. 1865, to September, 1858.
O. How many boys were there in your team and
what were their agesy A. From eighteen to TWEEN
ty-two boys, or from thirteen to seventeen years or
age.
Q. What amount OF labor was exacted OF them
daily A. The boys under me. all, as a regular
task, lasted forty pairs day. though some did not
times lasted from one hundred and twenty 70 three
hundred pairs a day; at lacking on soles the task
was ninety pairs day.
man do, employed on the same grade OF shoes A.
Fifyive or sixty pairs at lasting at second last
ing the days work Is about the same; but this IN
cludes lacking the soes. also, which Is done by
another set OF hands in the House OF Refuge.
Q. How much would man earn by his days
grade as are made in the House OF Refuge 7 A. He
would get seven cents pair, which would make
hfty-ive pairs cost So So.
q. Did the boys all last forty pairs day. A.
Forty pairs was the standard; new boys could not
do as much as that.
o. When they became proficient were they
quired to do forty pairs A.. They were, and were
punished II they fell short
cient9 A. l should about three months; but
forty pairs were exacted OF them before they had
been there half that time.
@. You have spoken of the tasks required OF boys
in your team-was an equal amount required gen.
orally of the boys in the Refuge A. II was.
@. How the boys punished, and by whom
A. They were punished by the superintendent and
Keepers sometimes at the request of the instrIc-
complaint OF an instructor so hard that 1t produced
bleeding from the nose; have seen boys, while
their bleeding. sent to the
hydrant to wash; sometimes they were
gone ten or fifteen minutes, in which
case they were required to make up for
the time lost. or be punished again; the Superin-
tendent or his assistant used to come around daily
at about ten O'Clock to receive complaints; II he
thought q hoy ought to he whipped he sent him
down to the whipping closet; when the boys came
back have often seen red stripes on their back
among anon ae boSs you'll eel the stars stars
and Stripes" think this whipping was very bad
for the hoys; and IT was one reason for my leaving
the Refuge that did not like to see the boys 80
treated.
@. Is this exercise OF discipline by the keepers
O. Have You ever known instructors employed
by the contractors to strike the bOyss A. I have
seen them do it, although it is forbidden; have
also seen them, when keeper around and
they did not dare to strike, tread the boys bare
toes they wearing no shoes in summer), SO as to
cause them to squrm all around.
| q. What was the general character OF the con-
/ tractors instructors From the manner in which
they are obliged to act, in order to advance their
| employers interest, they are compelled to
he very SELFISH have been told by one OF the con-
tractors agents that did not report my boys and
get them whipped half often enough, thus not
getting enough work out OF Them know that. as
a general thing, the foremen are told to get all
e out Of Of e e s saas s
have known some OF them to teach
srra %a bow boy me s9 tsns when Be
there, to steal the leather from another
instructor, rewardng him with bread and butter
or piece OF cake the effect Of this on the boys
| reformation Is very bad.
Q. What was the motive for this since all the
material belonged equally to the contractors A.
Each instructor receives certain amount OF stock
to work up--e. O., sixty pairs OF out-soles.
Valentine Fedman was sworn and examined
| @. What Is your occupation A. am u practical
| shoemaker.
@. have you ever worked in the House Of Refuge
| A. have from 1889 to 1857.
O. In what capacity? A. Az a free laborer, In
| both the first and second divisions.
O. What amount Of work was required of the
boys A. At lasting. forty pairs.
| O. How many pairs OF shoes Of the same kind
| and quality are required Of a free aborer outside
| A. FOrty-fve pairs. II the work regulated the
same as 1t is on the Island, would be a fair days
work.
@. Have you seen, while on the Island, any OF the
boys purlonng the stock belonging to other teams
A. have not.
O. Could it occur without your knowledge A.
1t could, because ! have nothing to do with the
boys
Q. Have you ever seen any Of the boys abused by
the contractors employees A. often and often.
They do not call 1t abusing boy to give him kick,
| or blow on the head.
| Q. Was the reformation OF the boys the principal
aim OF the officers In the sh0pss A. lido not think
IL was. The way the boys are abused and the mode
of their punishment show this think
Q. Please describe the way in which they are
punishedS A. have seen boys punished for not
completing their tasks 80 that the blood ran down
| into their boots.
Q. Where was this punishment indicted, and by
| whom9 A. 1t was inflicted in the shops by the
Q. Who was the Assistant superintendent while
you we're employed there? A. Part OF the time Mr.
Jones' the present superintendent, and part OF the
Q. How was the punishment innictedp A. They
were punished In one of two ways; in small office
connected with the shop there was box: the boys
pants were taken of, the boy laid across the box
and whipped with cane, so that you could count
the welts by the blood; l was an eyewitness to
this; the other way was to take the boy to the
stairs, take down his pants and whip him there In
@. How lately have you known this to be done
A. 1t was an everyday occurrence while l was
there, down as late as 1857.
q. Have you ever known any OF the boys to be
disabled in any way through their treatment by the
contractors employees, or BY any of the officials o.
to be punished there, in 1864 1885, think, that
he died in consequence in about four days.
completing his task and not doing it well. He was
reported for this to the Assistant superintendent
Mr.. Halleck. He carried him down to the ONCE
by his collar and there punished him for about
fifteen minutes with his cane, 40 that the blood rar
down the boys back; then the Assistant Superln
tendent brought him back into the shop to his
place, and there struck him the side of the head
telling him that If he did not do his worl
right, he would give him more yet then the
boy cried our, "FOr Gods sake i am not able
to do IT." so he took him by his neck ant
carried him to the office, where he caned hin
again; after that he brought the boy back to hi
place in the shop, and treated him then he did
the other occasion: the boy could not speak wore
after that then the Assistant carried him down Il
the Office and caned him for the third time; aftel
this Gaming the boy could not come up stairs, 81
they took him to the hospital, where he died II
about four days; after his death a correspondent
wrote letter to the New York Tribune stating tn.
facts and asking for an investigation which tool
place the punishment Of Mr. Haeck was his depo
sition from his office as Assistant Superintendent
and installation as teacher OF the SCHOOL, the eye
witnesses of the occurrence were not examined
but the whole matter was settled In the Office o
the institution.
rOTrpT M AppEATc