The daily gazette., 1879-01-21

DELAWARE has been sOuSeu WITHOUT
stint for her adherence to the whipping
post. But In fact there Is mercy and
kindness in this punishment, when 1t is
compared with the terrible torInents ,
heaped upon the inmates of the Peniten-
tiaries and even some of the Houses of
Correction and so-called "Asylum for the
Insane" in most Of the States whence
emanate the abuse that is lavished upon
Delaware. The whipping post is only
more public and severe mode OF the
chastisement which every parent is in
duty bound to apply to the reckless and
disobedient child. If it has been held
up to the evil doer as horrld thing to
be dreaded and feared, that is only for
the good of those whose incllnations are
TO do wrong, and to make them avoid the
way of the transgressor. That the in
mates of the Northern Penitentiaries are
il-treated aud tortured we are assured by
the public press. Last week it was New
Jersey. where the exposure was made
few weeks agoit was in Pennsylvania
then there were exposures i'll some OF the
prisons of Mar, land; and pow 1t Is In
New York, and we quote from the Herald
what follows:
THE BLACK HOLE OF oNoNDAGA.
A short time ago the exposure of the
1 in.
the Onondaga County Poofhouse, star led
the community and excited general III
dignation An unexpected visit OF
committee to the insane asylum disclosed
the fact that some of the afflicted in
mates were confined in wooden cages i'll
dark, damp cellar, where they had no
more accommodations than are afforded
to wild beasts, and where the poisoned
atmosphe c, which brought speedy re-
lief to their sutieriI IS, was their best
friend. An investigation by the State
Board OF Charities, demanded by the
Herald, is said o have worked All i'm
lprovemeht in the management Of the
Poorhouse but now comes another re-
voting revelation from the same unfur-
Itunate county. This time it is the Peni-
tentiary which is found to be 50 shame
fully mismal aged aud made sucu den
of degradation and indecrncy that
b shop Huntington, i'll denouncing It,,
appropriately styl it the "Black Hole Of
Onondaga."
The disgraceful condition Of The Unon-
daga county il stitutions can be attIibut-
able ouly to criminal neglect of duty on
the part Of the officers in charge, or TO
parsimony and inhumanity on the part OF
the Supervisors. The vile treatment of
+ the insane paupers was said to be occas-
ioned by the want of space for their
proper accommodation. But the incur
abe cases could have been sent to the
E appropriate State asylum if the Super
S visors had not begrudged the amount re-
, CURED ior their support and taken ad'
vantage OF privilege extended to them
under the law to kill oil the unhappy
burdens in short space at home. The
K scandalous condition OF the Penitentisry
ri is also attribu ed 10 the meanuess of til,
Supervisors, and unquesllonably the!
must have been familiar with the wan
Is OF room, air, light and accommodation
e demanded 10y decency, and with I'll
* abuses alluded to by Bishop HuntlEgto
in our special syracuse correspondence
u published in another column. Men VIII
1t would allow such evils to exist unrem,
of died are not fit to hold public Office
i Certainly they cannot be relied upon I
make reforms, and the case is "A propt
- one for the interference of the Leglsli
Il tIre. Onondaga county is the home
a. Speaker Afford, and he viii be censur
+ bic If he does not promptly propose a
investigation INTO the facts and SUI
y legislation as will prevent similar di
IN grace falling upon his county III the f
c-t ture.