The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-12
Il Did Not Copy from the Span
ish Inquisition."
Boys Hung Up by the Thumbs Until They
Faint = Whipping, Bloody LASH
ings and Bitter Tears Their
Daily Amusements.
sPOpe" Jones CrOSS-EXamined and His Victims
in the Witness Box.

Refuge on the lItn OF March l0st, or samuel calvert,
a keeper who had been accustomed for many years
to treat the boys in his charge very brutally, was
Yesterday continued before His Honor Judge Bed
ford in the Court Of General Sessions. The court
room was crowded with interested spectators OF
both sexes who seemed to consider every bit OF
evidence adduced as OF great Importance
Several clergymen were also present. The
prisoner is soft-looking bulky faced lad,
OF fair skin and without any traces whatever In
his features OF malice or bloodthirstiness He looks
like cabin boy OF packet ship doomed TO hard
work and hardship and misery. superintendent
Israel Jones, OF the House OF Refuge, was also in
court smiling benevolently on every one, as II he
were about to be sent on . missionary enterprise
among the heather. He is uare-shouldered.
round headed and cold-eyed man, who talks in the
witness box like story book, and what is worse he
likes to hear himsef talk and ances that every one
is pointing at him and whispering to each other,
"Lookl That's the great, pious and moral Jones,
who is so kind to the boys in the House OF Refuge.
Mr. william +. Howe appeared, In white flannel
trousers and coat and diamond pin, for the pris
Oner, and Mr.. O. Stewart appeared for the people,
being the Assistant District Attorney Several
times during the progress of the testimony the
counsel for defence and the District Attorney had
their little jokes together. His Honor Judge Bed
ford, during the trial, ruled quietly but with de-
termination all technical, points with decorum
and mpartiality.
Israel c. Jones, the Superintendent OF the House
Of Refuge was recalled and ss-examined further
by Mr.. Howe. He said The boys work in teams
OF ten to twelve, eight hours in summer and seven
in winter; the maximum task at lasting making
shOes) is forty pairs or shoes each day.
JONES AND CIRCUMSTANCES.
O. II they fell short Of forty pairs day were they
punishedY A. That depended upon circumstances;
not necessarily by any means.
Mr.. Howe about TO ask the witness the
nature OF the punishment and by whom 1t was in
nicted, when Assistant District Attorney Stewart
objected to the question irrelevant His Honor
permitted the question, as counsel on cross-exami-
nation had wide latitude
THE GENTLE MERCY JONES.
The witness replied by saying that If a boy did
not perform the task allotted to him his excuse
would ne heard, which, II reasonable, exempted
him from punishment; II repeated delnquencies
were recorded against him his grade would be
changed; II all these means were exhausted cor
pOreal punishment would be resOrted to- there is
not an institution known at the House or Refuge as
"the whipping closet"
JONES AND HIS LASH.
The instrument used In whipping the boys is a
small strap, which s fastened to the end OF stick
from fourteen to sixteen inches long and as large
finger the strap s split into about four strings,
from six to eight inches long, about the size of an
ordinary leather shoe string.
CAT FOUR TAILS.
O. Instead of Its being cat o. nine tails 1t Is cat
of four tails A. We do not call 1t cat; we call
1t strap; it is not always used the bare backs
OF the boys but 1t s in very extreme cases. in the
majority of cases it is applied over the boys cloth
ing; there were never, to my knowledge, nine
thongs on those instruments.
STRIPPING BOYS.
I do not see all the logging administered; never
counted the number of lashes given but know
forty were never administered at one time; the
Assistant superintendent, Mr.. Branch and Captain
Eldridge, administer the punishment; in my opinion
from fifteen to eighteen Is the highest number in.
nicted at one time.
BLOOD FLOWS FREELY.
have never seen boys whipped until the blood has
trickled down their backs, but have seen dis
coloration; it is impossible to strike boy
upon the skin, or perhaps, over the clothing
without making o mark; do not remember
single instance OF boys bleeding from the
nose when struck by keepers, but l have
known keepers to strike boys with the nat hand on
the side OF the face; never knew that It was com
mon saying among the boys, "You will get the
stars and Stripes, and never heard the term until
saw 1t in that report. (The witness referred ia
the report Of the Legislative Commission, which the
counsel held in his handy 1t Is only after known
wfulness and repeated offences that boys are
punished for tearing uppers and destroying their
work; have had boys come to me and complain
that they were struck by the instructors employed
by the contractors in the institution, and have dis
missed the instructor at once.
THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.
] never knew the instructors to teach the boys to
steal leather from their "bosses" and be rewarded
for so doing with bread and butter and cake
BARBARoUs BUTCHER.
never heard OF a Catholic boy being sent from
Astoria, who was severely beaten because he re-
fused to read a Protestant Bible, and who In con-
sequence Of the beating, had TO be taken home,
where he soon died, and the whole village turned
out as a funeral procession to follow the remains OF
the little fellow to the grave there was a boy
named John Callahan in the House Of Refuge and I
know Michael Ward and Thomas Welsh: know of
Ward being tied up by the thumbs. (The witness
described this mode Of punishmentl
HOW THE DEED WAS DONE.
In the taiiors shop there IL an iron column FIVE
inches in diameter; around the top OF that was
placed small cord, and another small cord was run
were put into the ends and drawn up until the
arms were extended, but their 1eet were not
moved.
BY Judge Bedford-.How long were they Kept In
that position A. They were from three, perhaps
To Mr. Howe-I tried the effect upon myself;
did not copy this mode OF punishment from the
spanish Inqusition; 1t was an idea that struck
me to deal with that particular class OF boys; no
boys before or since were ever dealt with in that
way.
THE NUMBER THAT WERE HUNG:
think seven, not TO exceed eight bows we're pun
isied In this way; was present during the punish
ment OF one Of the boys part OF the time; went
out Of the room.
BY Judge Bedford-Yon do not know OF your own
knowledge whether they were raised from the
srouhoY A. Not OF my own knowledge.
THE hcArt AGAIN
ny Mr; Howe-lou saw the boys put up by this
small whip cordy A. Yes sir
Aho you would leave the room when they
were sphced' upy A. Yes, sir: stepped out OF
Tue room once or twice: have seen bows beaten