The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-05-22
ANOTHER VIEW OF ALBANY
PFNTTENTIAPY.
The Federal BaAtile for Southern
Political Prisoners.
4. $. MARINE COEPS.-EESULTS or
4 PERSONAL OBSERVATION
INfIG4IAE REGULATIONS
PRESCRIBED.
II.iSCRIBED.

May - lSt3.-@lA
years ago Colonel j.. L. Broomc, Of the
United States Marine Corps, well
known to New Workers IS the com
mandant of the barracks lit the Brook
lyn Navy Yard, was directed by the
then Secretary Of tile Navy, III. Robe
son, to examine the prisons and prison
systems at Albany, Auburn and Sing
Sing, ''lor the purpose, " as his i~nsLruc-
tons read, 20 collecting such infor-
nation as might be useful ii eularging
the means of security and humapely
combining the court martial prisoners
of the navy" Colonel Broome made a
lengthy and exhaustive report, which
was allowed to slumber in the pigeon
holes of the Navy Department until q
few days since, when 1t was dlslnterred
in obedience to a resolution Of the
House Of Representatives, and a copy
transmitted to Congress. Although
the report is several years old It is
more than likely as new as ever in eX-
posing many Of the evils Of our prison
systcm.-N. J.. UerdM.
The object Of the Investigation was
to discover means of securely and hu-
namely confining Navy Department
prisoners. Prisons il several States
were examined by Colonel Rroome,
but, soldier and disciplinarian though
he was, his general impression was
that the treatment Of prisoners was
unjust, severe and in many cases cruel.
In the Albany P~enitcntiary, even I'm
der that model Warden, Mr.. Pilsbury,
he was struck by the extremely de
iected appearance Of the prisoners and
the violence with which they were
compelled to work, and quotes, as his
general impression, from the report Of
the Prison Association for that yeer,
which said that the system was hard,
cold, unsympathctic and repressive.
working against nature instead Of
with il, and failing in the all-impor
tant feature Of reformation. Navy
pork is sometimes very ancient, but
this Colonel Of marines noted in oneI
Of our prisons that the pork was rusty
and unfit for use. There is something
touching in the remarks upon the
library OF i great New York prison,
where there were about a thousand
volumes, much Worl, and apparently
without an entire volume among them.
Punishment in the navy has been very
severe in Colonel BroomG's time, but
the visitor expresses himself very
warmly against some Of the punish
mcnts pcvu a to the prisons, a single
one OF which lie brayely endured 10y
way Of experiment. Many other crit
cisms appear. in the report, and We pub
lish the whole document to-day in the
earnest hope that a humane and just
public will read it and compel legi8la-
+:.,, .,...x,, 4I.+ LII n,1 IT, t,-L.I.
ties practised upon criminal humanity
with the prctenCc OF reformation.
TIE ALBAN PENITENTIARY.
Colonel Broomc first visited the Al
bany Penitentiayy and in his report
says:-
1 called on IL. Amos Pilsbury, the
Warden, and handed him Governor
Hofflman'o order. At the time Iarrived
ut the prison il wis half past eleven Il.
M, and | requested the Warden to let
me see the prisoners take their dinner.
At moor the Warden conducted me to
Il doorway leading to the prisoners
yard, where | saw the prisoners coming
IN squads from their workshops, form
eel III 5 ngle ranks marching to their
cells where they eat all their meals) in
the lock step, each man with one hand
on the shoulder Of the man preceding
HIM and his night bucket on the left
arm, with his head bent down and
turned to the right; as the prisoners
entered Il doorway leading to the pris
on they received, | was informed, their
dinners III a tin pan. As | was in a
position to see ali the prisoners. al
their heads were partly tuned {
me, 1 acds struck Uih their Wanchea |
and ettreme5Y dejected ap- |
o~etranco, aohich to ne acas q gery IN t
sight. I also MougAt ii mast
jo pajnyut to The prisoners 70 hoM their I
teads doscn rs they were coaapelled to,
ch5ch seemed 20 me q re1y unnecessary ne
yuiremeut. 5
After tie prisoners had eaten their
iinnels t~iliee-quartcrs Of an hour [ pro- Z
;eeded to the workshops, where | I
ound the prisoners &c work, princi- /
,ally at shoe-makinG. Each prisoner {
working So No.entiy, if | may 50 y
it, and "a rapidly as to excite i
ny surprise that human beings should a
&c compelled to work at 50 rapid and I
iresome Il rate. | say compelled, be II
auSc the evidence was before me in 9
he person Of an oveIscer, or disciple
Iary officer, paid by the contractor, a
whose duty was the Warden informed n
ne, to keep the prisoners at work at {
hat rate ten hours @n sn2nD3er and eight !.
osrs IN %pinter, heeping their heads dotcn "
I'D not looking ~ .trom their uorh, ghtch h
c0nstdered q most cFue5 requirement. G,
When a prisoner has finished 4 particu-
II part Of a shoe or boot he las been
on, and while waiting for "