Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-01-25
Prison Punishments.

IOOiu, vi, Us DIGlCT lOktTln IL, IOIlIlTG
! chamber. As glanced hurriedly around
at the various implements of legalized
cruelty, I could almost imagine | saw
Prynne, minus his ears, or the Jesuit garb
| and shaven crown of some long dead con-
ductof OF the inquisitfon. There are no
| thumb-screws, no racks but there are
other appliances relatively as brutal, con-
| sidering the enlightenment of the age, and
it is no secret that they are often and
vigorously used. There are five modes of
| punishment in vogue in the prison-the
| dark CELL" the ball and chain" the
collar and crown" the ''back handeuff,"
and the thumb pulley" the last the most
ingenious torture Of the whole collection.
The ball and chain are attached TO prison
ers who have attempted to escape, by a
band OF iron rivets round the leg, just
above the ankle. This may be a neces-
sary precaution to prevent them from re-
peating the attempt, but it is unnecessarily
cruel to keep them on the prisoners when
| locked in their cells, as their weight and
inconvenience must render them most un-
desirable bed-fellows, and likely to inter
| fere with the amount of rest the wearers
require to enable them to &C through the
next days labor. The" collar and crown |"
| is put on for trivial offences, such as talk
! ing. 1t is composed of a circular band of
! lIOu, WHICH Is IdSltutu luC ACCh
with a paddock, from which five or six
iron bars spring and join over the scalp,
| forming a sort of rude crown. These in
struments vary in weight from four to
seven pounds. They are constantly in
/ use, | saw several prisoners wearing them,
both in the dinitig=ha]l and in the work
shops. 1t does not require very lively
imagination to conceive the distress. and
annoyance of having to stoop for ten
hours over the shop-bench with seven
pounds of iron dragging at the nape of the
neck, and weighing down the head, OF the
dexterity required at night to pad and
stuff the machine artistically with dirty
stockings, cket-handkerchiefs or any
thing that comes to hand in order that
the wretched prisoner may rest his head
on his pillow without the iron grinding
it into the skin.
The other pEnishments are all for re-
fractory or violent prisoners. The dark
cell is an ordinary cell, without stick of
furniture, which is closed by solid iron,
migrated door. The floor is covered with
sawdust. Asthe door closed ON me could
fully appreciate the horrible situation of
the Egyptians of old, when they were
visited with the plague of darkness that
might be felt" But the dark cell is, in
many cases, punishment very detrimen-
I
Prisoners of the degraded class-a crime
to which large majority of the prison
ers at Sing Sing belong-are desperately
obstinate, and will suffer considerably be
fore rendering submission. Many a one
has passed two or three weeks, and even
longer, in the dark cells at Sing Sing.
But the exclusion of light means the ex
clusion of air and stoppage of all ventila
tion-a fearful deprivation and, more
over, any medical man will vouch that
is in itself very necessary to health
Many doctors declare that sunbath is al
most as useful IN its way as cold-watel
bath. There must, of course, be vigorous
punishments for breaches against prison
! discipline, but the most advisable form:
, have not yet been hit upon. Next sprins
the International Prison Convention as
: sembles in London. Let us hope tina
this matter of punishment will receive
: their most earnest consideration, and tina
! thorough reform will follew.
By way of delicately leading the read
) ers of the Times up to the horrors of thu
E pulley" / will first tell them somethin!
: about the 'back handouts" Along thu
: wall of the punishment-room are fiv,
a stout hooks driven into the wall abou
> four feet from the ground. When prison
' er refuses obedience his hands are put il
b handouts fastened behind him. To tn,
3 connecting link a strong ring is attached
. and this ring is hoisted on to one of tn
: hooks on the wall, forcing the head ant
: shoulders forward, and drawing up tn
arms behind and the lower part of tn
t body into a cramped and painful posture
$ The keeper told me that they once had
! prisoner who bore his punishment for si1
h hours and half before he would give il
Il and agree to behave himself
1 But the most diabolical of all these in
d struments of torture is the ''thumb pul
n ley;" for its power of inflicting agony ia
VI surpasses all the others put together.
" do not hesitate to say that its use in a
is American or any other prison is an ou
IL rage on Christian humanity, and a burr
4 ing disgrace to the boasted civilization 9
d the nineteenth century. | can speak fro1
3 personal experience. / was o Mortified 8
# the keepers explanation of the mode c
sr working that / turned round and reques
,e ed HIM to try it on me. The fellow wa
d rather taken aback, and suggested that
il would not be pleasant-in fact, that it wa
ut "rather painful" Rather painful! 1t
Dr. the most excruciating agony. l II
lie piled, ''That is the very reaso
Or why 1 want to try it." He som
:, what reluctantly consented, and I'll
d. operation of torture began. He produce
ne about foot of very stout whip-cord, wit
Z slip-knot at either end, and putting II
ne thumbs in the loops, drew the knot tai
ns below the first Joint. The cord was the
NJ hung on a hook attached to the end of
ed rope which dangled from a pulley in ii
id ceiling, and the preparations were col
so so pleted. On my giving the word ready
ne brawny-armed convict seized the 9TH
n. end of the rope and quickly hoisted n
ai from my feet till l could with difficult
4, touch the floor with the tips of my toes
C the whole weight of my body, of cours
nd dragging on my thumbs. l was literal
in suspended from those two small portion
BY of the human frame l hung there fl
al about five seconds. after which the pa
y became insupportable, and l requested
nd be let down. In those few seconds
he experienced quite enough to assure n
of of what must be the indescribable sufferiI
he of poor creature suspended for even
all minute And yet the keeper told II
no no that prisoner once endured this helli'
ym torture for five minutes and half wit
We out fainting. 1t seemed to me that II
IN IN thumbs and the tough sinews on the i
rs 1n side of the wrist were being drawn ou
he l felt that my arms must leave Il
TO- shoulder sockets, and that the muscles
ct. my back would be literally torn away il
lte were not let down Immediately.
zee found when my thumbs were released fro
Se the slip-knots that there were evide
ses signs that the cord had almost buri
ors itself in the flesh. An indentati,
M M over an eighth of an inch deep c
circled each thumb. 1t was of transI
rent white color. Then came bal
lal slightly discolored, and then band
zee red. The flesh did not altogether rega
he its natural appearance on one thumb +
lie. some time after. And yet was the V
IN, tim of this engine of torture for only f
re- seconds Many tender-hearted and /
ID, name persons may be inclined to couft
ur themselves with the hope that the inf
ID, ton of the punishment of the pulley is
nd rare occurrence Let me undeceive the
7ht by quoting from the last official report
!" the Inspectors of State Prisons. In tai
his No. IA, under the heading, Exhibit
,es Punishments during the Year." the I
th | lowing item annears "Pullied .20S