National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-01-26
Punishment OF Criminals.

tunislinlent OF trinlinaIs.
A correspondent Who has interviewed
Sing Sing prison, discusses the subject Of
prison punishment at Sing Sing lie
says There are five modes Of punishment
In yogue-the dark cell. the bah and chain,
the collar and crown. the back handcutf,
and the thumb pulley. the last the most
ingenious torture of the whole collection.
The ball and chain are attached 10 prison.
ers who have attempted to escape, by a
band of iron rvetrd round the leg, just
above the ankle. The collar and crown
is put on for trivial oifenses, such as talk
ing. IL Is composed of circular band Of
iron, which is fastened round the neck
with a paddock, from which five or six iron
bars spring and join over the scalp, form
ing sort of rude crown. These instru-
ments vary in weight from four IN seven
pounds They are constantly in use.
saw several of the prisoners wearing theml
both in the dining hall and in the work
shops 1t does not require a very lively
imag ginatOn 10 conceive the distress and
annoyance of having to stoop for ten hours
over the shop p-bench with seven pounds of
iron dragging Mt the nape of the neck and
weighing down the head, or the dexterity
required at nj ght to pad and stuff the ma
chine artistlcally with dirty stockings,
ocket-handkerchiefs. or anything that
comes to hand, in order that the wretched
prisoner may rest his head on his pillow
without the iron grinding into the skin
OF back Handwriting, he tells MS that
along the wall of the puni-hment-room
are five stout hooks driven into the wall.
about four feet from the ground. When
prisoner refuses obedience, his hands are
put in handouts fastened behind him. To
the connecting link strong ring ia attach
ed, and this ring is hoisted on to one of
the hooks on the wall, forcing the head
and shoulders forward, and drawing up the
arms behind and the lower part of the body
into a cramped and painful posture The
keeper said that they once had a prisoner
who bore this punishment for six hours
and a half before he would give in and
agree to behave himself"
The thumb-pulley the writer thinks the
most diabolcal Of all punishments, and in
lis power of inhcting agony far surpasses
all the others put together To make
sure OF the thing, he had it tried upon him
self. The keeper, after some hesitation
accommodated the anxious item seeker
and we will let the man tell his story in
his own words
He produced about foot Of very stout
whip-cord, with slip knot at either end
and putting my thumb into the loop. drew
the knot taut below the first joint. The
cord was then hung on hook attached to
the end of rope which dangled from a
pul ey in the ceiling, and the preparations
wee then complete.
On my giving the word ready brawny.
armed convict seized the other end of the |
rope and quickly hoisted me from my feet
till | could with difficulty touch the floor
with the tips of my toes; the whole weight
of my sody, of course, dragging on my
thumbs. | was literally suspended from |
those two small portions of the human |
frame. | hung there for about five sec
1nds, after which the pain became insup-
portable, and | requested to be let down.
IN those few seconds | experienced quite
enough to assure me what must be the in
lescribable suffering of poor creature
suspended for even miHute. And vet
he keeper told me that prisoner once
endured this hellish torture FIVE minutes
md half without fainting. 1t seem to
ne that my thumbs and the tough snews
m the inside of the wrist were being
rawn out | felt that my arms would
cave the shoulder sockets, and that the
muscles of my back would he literally torn
way if | were not let down Immediately
found when my thumbs were released
rom the slip knots that there We're evil
ent signs that the cord had almost buried I
sell in the flesh. An indentaton over
II eighth of an inoh deep encircled each
humb. 1t was of transparent white
olor. Then came band slightly dscol-
red, and then basd of red. The flesh
id not altogether regain its natural ap-
earance on one thumb for some time af- 1
n And yet | was the victim of this en-
inc of tor ture for only five seconds Many
,nder- hearted and humane persons may
e inclined to comfort themselves with the a
ope that the inhction of the punishment /
the pulley is of rare occurrence. Let +
e undeceiye them by quoting from the
st official report of the Inspectors of
tate Prisons In table No IA, under the
eadng Exhibit of Punishments During :
le Year the following item appears Y
Pulled, 20S!" Omitting Sundays, this v
tal gives an average of four prisoners 0
llied every week through the year" "