The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-12

Some OF the very men who resisted the ton' pta-
LIONS . To escape offered by that occasion b We
nucflV, when all chances seemed against
u ,,,eil nu' wnen they mad the excnement oi
miirhing their cunning and courage against
tu,t keepers.
The prcsliyition Of trat hedous and depress.
ing silence which is 80 important element OF
the dtsciuline OF the Albany Penitenti ~ is not
even Httcmpted here. To enfo. ce " would he
almost, " not quite, Impossible. unless there
we're ~ many Keepers as there are convIcts
While the mem on " tours' OF labor In the mil |
ao iting for the smelling OF the ore, the serv-
ni tne hanncI or tne rn,i. @, IN we vaIh,,us
mining processes wherein arduous toll ~ broken |
bv moments Of neccss rv relaxation, there W. no |
restric ION UPON either conversation OF cmploy, |
mcnt b. the pri oners OF their leisure w small
quite slNlful IN the making OF horse.hair Jew
erv AND small cirvings, ny the sale OF whicl 10
visi ora they manage 10 save no sometimes con
sid ranic sums AGAINST the dav of their q scharrc
A. iira ~ IL tr ctCablc tue Keepers seek to re
press criminal or demnralihlns renln'scen,es
and communic t'ons but comparatively hIte
rear lint can be direct exercised In this way
under existing conditions.
MODES OF PUNISHMENT.
The lirhte-t punishment IN Use IN Clinton
Prison is the yoke "a collar Of iron with
three ouiNar,iv curved prOngs rcarhiug above
thu head, AID Weighing sou,e fourteen hounds
which ~ worn by the culpit ~ many hours or
DAYS as necessity seems To demand. The pad
die il some imcs employed upon pecuh rly
refractory fellows. aud " ~ the ex .crcnce OF
the kccrcrs aud guards here That, although this
punishment ~ lever severe enough To do tho
prisoner anv 3 rtons injury, thcv never h.vc TO
paddle the same man twice. Tho cat-o'-nine
I H." formerly used, "a siill kept uuon ex H.
hilton, hut Is said to he never en- plo, ed.
OF course the murdetous Hnd ali nminanle dark
eel. the " Bumdnit irians' " diauulical choice OF
tor urc, X the he West penaltv for serious m
fractions of discipline There are tix dark rella
| m this uri ON. two % which, At the time % the
| writers recent visit. were occupied b men VINO
| bad beeuiuc rcer.ted there for Htne days. These
| unfortunate Wrctcucs had been tOuuu In pOsses-
| sion nf skeleton kew hv which they would
! have boon enabled, opportunity occurring. u
10 ,sc,u. 6y So INN I 9 stocKadf. Ihrv would
! uNf 81 al a
were consequently doomed to confinement uere
! unul dizzy wohd confess. In shch caies u "
tie rule, when tin VI 'im ut the cell Is once
more ale TO walk and work he having sue
| cumbcd tO the fearful rcssurr upon both mind
aud bUdy. and been let ont Ia time To s.vo INN
fiOm actual death In the cell to irdmmel him
with a "a .avy bnli and cham, we!cning TWEEN y.or
| twenty live pounds. wnirh II tneneetorth his
coustan conpaui ~ uy both day aud NIGHT,
| som, times Tor many months.
not inireQuvnuy this added infection drives
/ prisoners 10 the most Ingenious devices lnr
! frccinr themselves from tie = Hing burden and
| To attempting tue most desperate measures Tor
csc uc. Heavy nveis iasien tue strong uandsoi
IRON about their ankles, out these th'\ are Gun
Ming enough To saw out ana replace ny othtrs OF
lc"d, whicu Ia y be puicNN cut through al u
| opportune moment, ana sometimes they even
saw the ami Il so deeply thlt thev may eashy
oe broken. the cat being u led up WIN bread
crumNs covered with ru {. Not little ingenuity
Is occ.l luallv di pla,ed by the conNicts IN
making fNr themselves, FROM their oi nkets,
coas. suits OF clotuin- resembling those oi mo
An such suspicious maiiite stations Of skin are
however, ptuisaed eNereiy
HORRORS or HE DARK CrLt-
Every Intelligent oficer IN the prison coin.
cid,S la tlr opinion tnat tue dUk cen Is, ~ ell
pDnt -umcute. tue most inuuutn aud pcrina-
nertly ini lrion-, whil, It - at the same time
tue one le ST conducive 20 mnrl refur.nation.
luey s. tnAt % ruins the physie ana o'lshts
! the mental c M ton OF tn lsc subjected To IL.
4 term IN the dark cell, long or $40. according
20 tne inuvl iual str ugtn OF The victil, iueyita-
bis reduces nim e. sucn a weak and aojec, con
dti TIA from sheer hack OF strong h or will to
/ combat he nn.lly succunO-. but his submission
/ Ia be nluu tNlu OF moral CONVICTION. IL
4 | has come upon hin ike a disease. M wnen he
r,rain nus norm vispr. II he ever does, he will
!, Ue least - bad as ne ever was before. Micn
h'1 a i al ,',t,.r ana, ~ "unc, ~ rrrad uri
diem, nothing else. That i no; in itself u lite
n 81 severe a punt.hment AZ u would seem. For
T. the first two days nc viii suner VITA HUNGER and
- thir.t Then his bowels cease tn act lie be-
: comes alan ST torpid, physically. AMI is In a great
y degree unconscious nf tue process OF starvation
thirst, for mental conditions my supervene u
d brinS ON an intense FEVER, but he Is no Longer
9 hungry. The damn, penetrating col OF h.s
stone coffn chils tue very marrow In his bones
= His whole frame acnes from contact with the
S | seat Ia the floor. HIS lungs re poisoned and
= ms stomach sickened by the foul air. Worst OF
D all To endure are the desthy silence and op
{ pressiSe dsrkness. 10 him It seems as II he
. were alone ia world Immersed in etetna
y night. and Of en- SUI sutton or "A too VIVID i'm
y aginaton peol les thick.y Win phantom terror
= the imp-netraolc gloom. Acaiu anu again pria
D oners in these hdeOus dungeons, Upon beins
- allowed once more to come iorth, nave beef
seen t. fall ON their knees. weeping with 1oy q
e signt Of the lisht. Aud yet THIS IL tie ltierna
e torture which ignorant "hum inIIarianls u" 90
j. siinateiy orders u ne substituted Tor corporea
punisnment. "Drve the wretch to madness
+ or vi ut IN hun the seeds OF incur1Dle diseAse
y hui do not dare 10 ru1le his delicate akin viii
L the LASH" That Is, in effect, what the prisoi
I philanthropists say such tnhuman humDug
: enough 10 make a mans blood boil.
! CAPACITY or THE PRISON.
> The ordinary prison arrangements here are al
e rood enough. here are 1is cells Of TAR size
q III: enough To hold Two men IN each II necess' ~
. There a chapel capeAie Of acconmOda ing ~
2 parsons, where once month priest conduct
i Roman Catholic services, and twiro month
~ Protestant chaplain, whose me nave ms
d laid. holds fortl. Tue con'icts have fair ehoi
I, The prison library should be larger and bette
in Neither this prison n that oi sang sung - SUI
/, cicntly well provided IN this respect Intel
= eeucc. librr hty, ana good juog nent character
~ Urn nii-oi, IN rary. and should he emuluved
k a greater degree IN Dutn the others. The me
a | should have books which " Ill stimulate them
f!ndness for readinl aud aNakeh their yer
erillN dormant intellectual iacult.es.
Tue auchen is good and the PRISONERS are We
NJ fed. n- prison Is estimated as giNing, direct
IA and Indirectly, employment and maintenant
ga To- not less than one Thousand persons uutsil
r. the wallis ana 1t Il very DOUBTFUL II one-tenth
ng tuem 1--we half so we'll by Their honest labor
ID the cOnvicts do inside. One fact indicative
Is the good fare and hea,thful surroundings OF Il
n cunylcts here Is that the average number
u hospital is only ten out Of population OF fro
ce bSs to 90. and uf those ten, Large pioporti,
ne are merely temporarily disabled by accidents
.e, steph Nonitt is Agent and Warden herr
~, A. McDOnnei Clerk John I. Thompson, Pm
Az cinal Keeper; Capt. ". l.. lIerwerth, Selgea
M OF the Gu ri and there are twenty keepers al
no wenty cight qua rds.
ne Summing up the results Of our observations
OF tins prison, IL appears that the ConNtlt VINO no
estly endeaVors To conform to the req ,lremeD
mt Of a very lenieut discipline, and ~ not Lno /
Iet cursed with inherent lazness TO do m nlN wor
ne may live here at lie st well AS a. either I'll
ire 81 Y or Auburn, aud Is likely To derive mu'
cn greater ben &c than at either Of those pla"es
'us perm nent pny slch @nd moral Improvement,
mt r IA that may he affected by MS avochtiuT
, IL lIy comparison with the Albany Penitenu
cd TINS Is a continual Cnristm IS for the Trison'
IN he one grand defect remains, howe ever, ina
nj system ~ rds almost unlini ell facilities
zen the criminal education Of tue young by old
re- and hardened cOnvicts, who choose 60 av
red themselves Of the opportunities Afforded
mes spread their own utter generalization aino
on those surrounding them. This evil seems lnst
per able from the unclassined congregate syste
'et, except where the meTciless risOr Of the Alba
tins PenitenttLry discipline Is m vogue, and a1OT
zen The most powerful argument in thVor Of the
lch PRODUCTION here Of the CrOlton system. Shol
RE- an experiment IN this direction he deemed
in yisahe. u h easy 10 see m what way our TN
no great ST to Prisons might readily be made Nv
son able, with little other cnange than IN their
I'M spectiva Organila Ions OF discipline, and al
this or something nearly akin to II, IL done
lst- Is useless 10 talk OF or hope lor the reiornlt