Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-10-26

rIoN
Several of tie newspaper editors in the
north part of the State accompanied the Gov
ornor and other State officers upon their re-
cent tour Of inspection of the State Prison at
Windsor, and the reports which they give of
the present condition and general working of
the institution are Of the most favorable char
acter. The Burlington Free Press, in its
notes of this visit, begins by referring to the
abuses which existed under the old manage
ment of Che prison, and to the changes effect
ed by the last Legislature in the election of
new board of directors, and in giving the APP
pointment Of the Superintendent of the pris-
on to the Governor instead of the Joint As
sembly, as had previously been the case. The
person selected by the Governor for superin-
tondent was Mr.. II. P. Spencer of Chester.
The salary of the office is fixed by the legisla-
turc at $1,000. and the superintendent is re-
quired TO give his whole time to the prison.
The Free Press says:
The entire change in the management thus
effected has borne fruit in Il very marked inn
provcmont in the condition of the prison.
Taking the ground that the prisoners were
beings with human souls Nnd sensibilities,
shut up first for punishment, but also TO be
benefited and reformed AS far rs possible con
sistent with the thcruhiects of their incarcer-
ation the directors set themselves to improv
ing the treatment Of the convicts. They had
been too often fed on sour bread and tainted
meat ON the theory that anything was good
enough for States prison bird. The food
and clothing was made wholesome and good
without exception or fail. More attention
was paid TO order and cleanliness. The prs
oners had had simply straw bed, and blankets.
and had been in the habit of sleeping in their
clothes. Mattresses and sheets were supplied
to them and they were required TO undress at
night Care was taken that every prisoners
cell should he clean, warm and dry. 1t had
been deemed necessary for the keepers to per
form their duties armed with bludgeous and
loaded canes and to use them freely on the
convicts i'll the enforcement of their orders.
Following the rule adopted in the Albany, \.
y, and other well regulated modern prisons.
the keepers were required to lay aside their
clubs and solitary confinement on bread and
water was adopted as the sole punishment for
any infractiOn of order or discipline. The
drainage from the prison was improved the
| supply Of water TO the prison WIS increased.
the cooking apparatus refitted. and other i'm
proyements made.
The result of these changes has been APP
parent in marked improvement in the physi-
cal condition of the prisoners. There Is less
sickness now with about 100 prisoners than
there used to be with -. The order Of the
| prison has been vastly improved. Under bet
| ter treatment. the men are less sJillen and
more industrious. and the directors have been
| able to raise the price obtained for the labor
of the convicts ten cents a day per man. max
| i'm, difference Of some 1000 year, for the
benefit Of the State.
. Ii ts, g..
| count Of the visit says
The prison now contains ~ inmates, all
but one being males As there are but 10
/ cells, some of the cells have 10 be occupied
/ by two persons The cells are in four tiers
| one above another with q balcony running
| around on each floor These cells are in the
/ center of Tia, room. with a ten or twelve feet
/ hall between them and the walls Of the prison.
SO if "a prisoner escapes from his cell he Is still
/ within the prison. The cells are five feet
/ wide and eight feet long, and each one is pro-
/ yided with % clean bed, a table chair, lamp.
I Ct. Besides this furniture, many Of the
men have mad for themselves ornaments, or
/ had picur given to them. with which they
/ have adorned their cell walls.
The work Of the men is maxim. shoes, and
/ all hut Phair. and few old and disabled ones.
| work at this daily. Their labor is contracted
/ for 10y Nawhinney x Co., of Boston. the same
! firm who had the contract last year They
! pay 10 cents "A day for each man, which is an
advance of five cents over what they paid last
! year making "A difference of some S2OoO.
! The contractors furnish all the machinery.
! tools. the engine which drives the machinery.
overseers etc The State furnishes the men.
and two or three keepers to see that the State :
wards have even justice at the hands of the
! contractors. The visitors the men at
| their work. which, with the improved ma
! chincry and modern tools, was a very inter
| csting process. But what interested them
more was the neatness of every part of the
| prison the kindly feeling between the pris-
| ouprs and the superintendent and keepers
! tn. earnest ,.esre Of the directors and super
| uteudout for the best welfare of the unfortu-
| nate IN who were put in their charge.
by the present system each man earns n
dollar a month and five days time 10y good
| behavior. This makes years sentence on
| ~ ten months and We are assured it is great
incentive for the men TO do well. Bad con-
duct is punished by deducting both the mon
/ ey and the time earned by good behavior,
1 and also by solitary confinement This soli-
! tary confinement means something. There
are three or four cells with nothing hut bare
walls-with actually no furniture whatever
not bed to lie on or chair to sit on The
doors are solid iron. admitting no light. Into
| these n man Is placed. and the door is shut.
| Men have been kept in one Of these dungeons
as long as two weeks, hut ~ hours must be a
severe punishment, and n short time Is the
rule. Their rations in the dungeon are fouI
ounces Of bread and pint of water daily.
! Men are punished in this way for talking Il
| each other, insolence to keepers. and other
offences against prison discipline.
II has been the endeavor of the directors,
and the new superintendent, seconded most
heartily by the Governor, to inaugural in the
prison Il discipline which, while it is strict
Shall yet be kindly. They believe tiat the
prison should be reformatory and it is thciI
| wish and aim to send ont their discharged
prisoners so reformed that they will become
respected citizens.
The parti-colored dress is abolished in the
prison, and the men are not degraded in theil
own eyes by being marked with the old styl,
prison stripe When discharged, each man j,
provided with "a new suit of substantial grey
clothes paying for the cloth, the suit being
made in the tailor shop connected with tn,
institution.
The enlargement Of the prison has become
an immediate necessity. 1t is not desirable Il
put two men in a cell together even if the
rooms were sufficiently large. Some move
ment will have TO he made to secure largel
accommodations.
ANOTHER CALAMITY AT ST. JOIN, n. b
Rr,ycHri.ly ctIrrl of