Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-02-15
Electricity,

l The penitentiary MANAGEMENT, deter
mined not be outdone by Edison, have
introduced electricity as mode OF pun
ishment.
The statement having been made that
prisoners exposed to this punishment
suffered more than they did by the use
of the ducking tub. a reporter called at
the prison and was shown the method
of punishment by Deputy Warden
Quinn and DR.. Drury, the prison ply
sician.
The electric apparatus is in box ten
inches in length, three inches high, and
three inches wide. It contains an cleo
tro magnet. The prisoner is taken to
the ducking-box formerly in use in the
insane department. He is stripped and
blindfolled before coming in sight of
the water box, and is then led around
a corner of the interior cell building,
and placed in the box, handcuffed, but
not shackled at the feet. The room is
warm, having fire in it night and day.
He sits down in water three inches in
depth. One pole of the battery is
placed in the water. A sponge is at.
tached to the end of the other pole.
Deputy Warden Quinn superintends
the punishment. which consists of
touching the bare skin of the convict
in various places, rapidly, with sponge.
A prisoner turns small crank attached
to the electric apparatus. The conc n
is SO small that it looks like toy, but
it makes the subject of punishment yell
"bloody murder" sometimes, as though
he was badly hurt or badly frightened.
The reporter did not witness punish
ment, but is giving what he was told at
the prison. The force of the electric
current is regulated by small keys in
the end Of the box. To strengthen the
current the keys are drawn out. Any
body can buy machine and try it..
DIR. Drury says this mode of punish
ment does no harm. In some cases, he
says, it is physical benefit. The pun
ishment is said to be etlectual, on &C.
count of the man being blindfolded.
He has no idea where or when he is
going to be touched, and is not nerved
against it as one would be who takes
hold of the poles of a battery with his
eyes open and his thoughts concen-
trated for the expected shock.
1t is said by those who are familiar
with the working of these small batter
les that they can be made sufficiently
powerful to knock man down. Then,
again, the current can be made so gen.
tie that q child or invalid can receive
the charge and scarcely feel it. The
question that will excite discussion is
whether punishment of this kind ought
to be administered without the pres
ence of physician, or an expert in the
use of electricity in connection with its
effects upon the human sytem.
To vary the monotony of the punish
ment the sponge is sometimes applied
to parts of the body that are extremely
sensitive to the touch of q strange hand.
1t is said that this mode of punishment
has reduced the visits to the room forty
five per cent. The dungeons have been
dispensed with except five. About one
man per week is sent there. The water.
box, known as the ducking tub, is ten
feet long, four feet high and three feet
wide. 1t is painted red and has lid.
When the lid is lifted up and turned
back against the wall, the visitor reads
on the under side of it: "Long Branch. y
-Colum6ss (Ohio) Dispatch.