The New York herald., 1873-08-22
What the Effect Of the Increasing Practice by
the Courts Of Life Sentences Will
BE on the Prisons.
SUGGESTIONS BY MISS CARPENTER.
The Views Of Warden Hubbell and the Matron
Of Sing Sing State Prison-Effsct Upon the
convicts Of the Present System of Contract
Work-In Inability to Teach Them q
Trade-Remarkable Action Of the
Yelled Murderess-Her Nmcem-
pliance with the Discipline of
the Prison = Her Refusal
to Accept Pardon.

to Accept Pardon.
In the State Prison at Sing Sing there are at
present thirty prisoners who are under sentence OF
imprisonment lOr life. This does not represent
the entire number now under confinement for that
period who have been received at Sing SIM in.
asmuch as Ia the drafts OF prisoners to Auburn
and Clinton "life men, as they are termed, have
been included. This was the case with Beakley,
the murderer of Maud Merrill, and also with Gilen,
Who murdered his wife. Both these men are now at
Auburn. In the list OF the prisoners given below
A. will be seen that the number OF those committed
for life sentences has during the last three years
largely increased or the thirty now at Sing
Sing eight have been sent there since 1869, and
Including the TWO mentioned above, Bleakley and
Gilen, nearly One-hali Of those now there have
been received since that time. In q conversation
which q reporter OF the HERALD had with Warden
Hubben u few days ago, in reference TO this,
the Warden said that 1t was evident
that there was a growing public opinion
against capital punishment, and that it would re-
suit. necessarily. in an increase of ie" convicts
in State prisons. AS far as this State was con-
cerned he was lully satisfied that the alteration in
the law by which verdict of murder in the sec
Ond degree could be returned for capital offence
would necessarily increase number of life
fenced prisoners. He had always found, he said,
that the life prisoners were better behaved and
more amenable to discipline than any other con-
victs He attributed this to the hOpelessness of
their condition Their attention. well as the at
tention OF all prisoners, is concentrated upon them
selves; but in the case of the life men their only
CLEAN Of hope comes through the door of good
behavior. They look forward to pardon after
serving certain number of years, and the grant
Ing OF that pardon is altogether dependent upon
fh.Aa yeaua nf hair prtsn n
now In the prison for life sentences were exem
plary in this respect, and they gave the author-
ties less trouble than any otner class OF criminals
As Tar as his observation extended the term OF
lie prisoners was about ten years. Those that
were In the prison now beyond that period were
there because they were without the friendly in.
nuence that is needlui to Be brought upon the
Executive clemency to bring about their liberia
tion. Those who have political or social influence
would certainly, he thought in about ten years
obtain their pardon. In a further conversation
with Warden Hubbcll to the necessity of re-
consideration, consequent upon the change OF pub
lie opinion and OF the law, as to murderers, he
said that the changes had certainly rendered it
necessary that life punishment should be regarded
as a specially, and dealt with in manner far dif
Ierent from the way Ia which ordinary convicts
are dealt with. Warden Hubbeu endorses very
strongly Miss Carpenters views on prison dsci-
pline, and this lady read paper at the National
Prison Reform Congress OF 1873 on ''The Treat
ment OF Long-Sentenced and Lile-Sentenced Pris-
oners" the following extract from that paper in
this connection may be useful
MISS CARPENTER ON LIFE SENTENCES.
where lie Sentenced Be placed to reeeiys
e nnre Of eon Or M entemced
selection should, in the rst place, be made
better su three islands, sufficiently near to
ould Ge abundance Of LAND Which the labor Of the con:
W. Net sona make tyhy gr9aasye such s,e should
d the he v OF whose nduense s @
arranged TO ADMIT OF three distinct stages on the
dn a Gr S %
ssnve n Asg ISsse seaS Be win 1.-THE the sHes
afn boaaaals ss Winch p''Ssn Sf''
sal,elsnty iaTse ssntenesd PrisonsT
PROVIDED BY which he might able to relieve society
ron the expense o his support and even to repay what
maks some prOyon for his & family and prepare them
ss o h e In ad "ter the only
piete illustration il existing, each stage At
nnily This attended with very beneficial effects
stimulus This even more desirable in the under
consideration where every available stimulus and ex,
dcSct desire-the anticipation of release which mas
the croon system should adopted these prisons
rae @ es f be as e
result OF good conduct such as with
eye the menotony the cell There should also be very
%nee aa b scemnG na ca n adS neh e do with
each other, and in such cases particularly.
THE LIFE SENTENCE PRISONERS AT SING SING.
In view oi the prospective discussion Of this
question OF liie-punishment, the question OF the
condition and the treatment OF this class OF prison
sideraton. The testimony OF the Warden is that
life conycts' give little trouble. and that the mo-
hope OF pardon. The warden's experience also is
that, as rule, life prisoners imprisonment is
lions to this rule Already in the prison. There IS
one man, for example, who has been there twenty
years, aud that Tor the lighter offence OF burglary
There are others who have been there seventeen
and eighteen years. The natural inquiry by the
thoughtful man. who goes TO the State Prison and
men done with so large a portion OF their life ~
Such inquiry suggested itself to reporter OF the
HERALD when IN the shoe shop OF the Sing Sing
Prison few days ago. He therefore had a talk
with some one ia authority there, and the following
WHAT THE coNviCrs Know ABOUT TRADE
REPORTER-Could any OF these men go out after
their term OF Imprisonment and make boots for
OFFrcrAI,-No; think not.
RrPoRTER--How is that
OFFICIAL>-You see this shop you see the ma
chnery. you see how It is divided into different de-
partments. Well we are Obliged TO divide the men
In the same Way Ga some me eenDes Ga oers mske
and Mt heels, others make soes Others make upper
feathers.
KEPORTER--Then even II you have very young
man. you don't let him begin at the beginning anu
SO pass on IRON department to department until
he can make pair OF boots and thus be a boot
OFFIcrAL,-No our system Of manufacture Is OPP
posed to tnat. IL would not pay TO DO tnat. our
labor must be sub-divided In that way ana man
must stay In that subdivision.
REPoRTER-What are the chances OF sucn men
getting employment when they leave your
torres in the speciality which they have acquired
here. ..,x
REpoRyEB--You don't make village cobblers here,
them -,
OFrIcrAI-No man don't learn enough here
even for that.