, 1873-12-31
Verdict of the Coroner's Jury.
Everybody Whitewashed and Nobody
to Blame.
The Decision in the Interest Of 1bc
Penitcntiary.
An Absurd and Disgracef1l
Document.

Sn'cfai Di&pa'ch IA 1he Chicago Tribune,
JOLIET. Deo. 29.-Tho Coroncr's Jury which
nan Tor several days boon Investigating the cat1ao
of convict Williams death met ut the Court
Honao at 10 O'clock thfs morning. Two of tho
Ponitontihry Commissioners and tho Warden
woro prosont, aa atao the attorneys oil tho prison
authorities tho Hon. Henry snapp and Egpcrt
Phelps. The assembling Of the Jury was for tho
purpose ut making mp o verdict based ou the owl
denco. 1t was rather singular, tI,cn, and almost
without precedent, TINT tho
ATTORNEYS SHOULD pK PRESENT
aud allowed to 1uako lengthy argunleilta in tile
interest Of their clients, tue prison authorities.
Tho people, who instigated tho invcstigation
were without counsel. In fact, counsel upon
either sfdo was out Of place. and ought to have
been prohibited, ,-tat H. II tho object Of tllo In
vesttgation was to get ut tho true morita, WITH
ont fear or favor, Of tho caso under consllera-
tion,
THE ARGUMENTS.
Mr. Phelps, employed by DR.. AIaaon, in his
argument Was quite vehement. Hc took occa-
sion to say, among other things, TINT DR.. Da-
con's testimony before the Jury was falBo aud
prejudicod, and that he deliberately sworo to .
lilo. Hc denounced the Chicago Times reporter
who was hero aomo timo anco and wrote tho
affair w as m "nnprinoiplod aud shirt
iess Esia,4 II follow ind unworthy public re;
sSe e' ues h' conaoens wss eTsee1in btss toward
sentative III this city: Dir. Snapp, in the en-
ploy Of the prison folks, also, was very surcastio
toward that Journal because Of the position it
las tak9u In this matter. lEo called it a
"guorrilla In journalism" and, after reading
from It some structures upon the question under
confederation, expressed the opinion Tint II it
ought to be suppressed I" for its indeceucy aud
general disregard Of truth, mud that tile proper
wallis. He then said tho Times lad
taken the position it had bccauso Duck
master, its candidate, was defeated ~ Warden.
Ills lalguage throughout was moro forcblo than
elegant. and, while his ndiectiveB and logic were
sotf-oyIaont, thoir application to the question
woro considered about as near in place as he
himself was III trying to persuade and mislaat
Coroner's Jury. Tho argunlouss occupied tho
cntire forenoon, whom the jury adjourned to
meet again Ut o'clock.
THE VERDICT,
The jury met promptly ut 9 o'clock. After be-
Ing In seasion about two hours. it rendered the
following verdict through its foreman, s. W.
Mum:
We the undersigned jurors. summoned und sworu
liavr held corouers Inquest ttu remains Of tls
convict Henry Wtamp, liz tho City Of Toilet, Oh the
5ath 21t aatl mud aotl Of December, do find as fol-
Tliat tho dcccaeed'a name Henry Williams Thnt
eaS e o the Il d @ at s5 o % IL Of
Illinois State Ferenttary Ihnt he lul brcn received
Ct eaid Penttent!ary Or ao,!t Nov. 21 1879 from
aiadiRon colnty. Illinois, ahd had been ConvGtod Of
the crime Of horeoseang snsentcnccl for four years
to sald penitentinry: and we further find that he
Ills death bring heart tscasu and tho immediate ca,so
rupture OF the heart, ca1lsed either by yiolout
physical struggle Or tue shock while receiving cold
bath or from tho elYels Ut both III saia Pe,itnniury
Hail. Deputy wnrden and then Acting warisii Of sai
Assistant leputy Warden. .And We further il,ld
tat said order for said hath given by Dr.. D. H.
said aao received his orders to battle prisoners from
the Commissioners Of said Institution remedy in
bis dtScret:on md tint the bath to be epnel only
III fe1Hned atekncvs fcued insanity nlasturbatto
And We furthcr ansl that said Or. Mason used orl-
nary eare ~ bin e1amnation Of said Williams npon
ter,nin,ng tint said Williams was ,.ot aici. Int
that he fefBned sickness to avoid work, ant that
In this to order the deceased bathe and We fur
tl.er tnd, in conformity to sail order, officers Hall
arl Sleeper took sa convict TO the bath-house and
commenced Mountaineering Hasd bath, mud that said
convict then aud there resisted to ths extent Of hia
ability, hut w4s overcome aud thoroughly hathcd. and
further uu tnut the las. two times TINT tho d.
ceaaed was put !nto tile bath 1t punishment
for s%st snd ,. seo soSus fsaHs
physical nh1ts Int mt tho inclination, 30 10 DO, Aud
We further find hnt olcera Hull aud Sleeper alminiy-
fact that deceased had heart disease was then unknown
to then AMI ha4 he the sad illi4;ns been healthy.
aH tnRy supposed, Ito particular harm would have
resulted to hinl. Aud wa further ind TINT, BY the
written rules Of tho Commissioners, the "batl!
pnhishmcnt" wns then abolished. But we find
that HILL aud Sleeper were Mctlng upon or.
aeln from their snrortors, ind not cri,sl-
inaly gnits BY puntsing tho deceased, observing
dinary cure even though Technically IN violation n tile
rules Of said penitenary. AMI we further na TINT
the order to bathe. na given to Or. ason by the Cont
missioAers, aud rs by hin communicated to Ha,t and
Sleeper, was not explicitly aud definitely expressed
and rc1dy see how 1t was to aome axtent Mts-
understood By said 1lal mud Sleeper aud tu this
acted on by them hut VIC nd criminal negligence
in such misunderstanding Aud We further find thu:
tho ocers Of the penitenary humane, capable,
md elcent, and tha tho present discipline Of the IN.
Htitution ia most excellent.
The Jury had two verlicts before it for consid-
erntion, one prepared by Col. Rowett. and tic
other by s. ". Mum. Tile latter waa aslnutcd,
US above. with but little objection. THIS ouls
the question for the present. Tho investigation
will hive one good effect, II no o.her-the aboli-
tiou of tho bAth in tile priBna. The Poaitentiary
authorities and their friends are no little elated
over tho verdict.