The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1879-10-07
Padding In Prisons.

The man who yields the paddle ut
Clinton prison, New York, is Hugh l'itz
Patrick. lie is about thirty-fvc years of
age, and Of immense size and strength lie
looks like prize OK, and certainly he
seems to enjoy his work. In the summer
Of 1877 some Of tho men, having been given
bad meat at dinner, carried parts of it out
in their hands, to throw it away. As they
we're going along the gallery one OF them
threw piece down into the hall, and John
Clabby, hoy, who was walking behind
him, followed his example, and flung down
the piece lie was carrying. AT that moment
the kitchen Keeper stepped out Of his room,
and the piece OF meat struck him. lie saw
Clnbby throw it, and ut once reported him.
| think Ciabby was the youngest and small
est boy who was ever sent to a State prison
lie was only fifteen years of age, and his
weight was about | 10 pounds, but he was
dragged into the guard room, lasllcd like Il
full-grown man over the block, and that
giant, Fitzpatrick, pmddlcd the little fellow
nearly to death | don't know how many
blows he got, but he was laid up for several
days after the tlogging. When he was able
to come out Of his cell | asked him about
the padding, and he told ne that when he
felt the first blow he thought 1t was not the
paddle. 1t was SO heavy, and gave him
such shock, that he thought il was {.
raftcr that had tumblcd down upon him
from the ceiling. He was greatly fright
cned, and cried out that the building was
falling; but Fitzpatrick only laughed. and
piled his paddle more vigorously than be-
fore. ''Thc warden of Clinton Paison had
one theory, nad that was that convict was
only good to be tloggcd or knocked down.
Under his management .hc punishment OF
padding became shamcfully common.
Sometimes il was administered 10 a prisoner
because he was caugth. talking in work
hours, but usually the first offence of this
kind was punished by putting the mans
head into al iron cage, which he was COM
PEELED to wear at all tmcs-evcn i'm bed.
you may suppose that 1t was not possible
to obtain much sleep with the head con-
fined in such an apparatus, and have often
seen men wearing them whose faces plainly
showed that they were utterly exhausted
for want of rest. If this treatment was
found not to have the desired effect, and
the men were again caught talking, the
paddle was brought into play, and this pun.
ishmcnt, need hardly say, was generally
successful. 81 remember that in the
winter of 1876 two men working in the
mines were caught talking Their heads
were put into the iron cages, and they wore
them for short time, but one of them in
some way obtained key which opened
both the cages, and they took them off.
They were wild, harum- -scarum fellows,
and they thought it good joke to put the
two cages on the head of Dcacy, the kccpcr
of the mine, and make him walk across tho
yard IN view of tho prisoners. They waited
until he came near them; theft they rushed
at him and endeavorcd to force the two
cages on his head, but he struggled vigor-
ously and shouted for assistance. Another
keeper went to the rescue with a drawn re-
vC'vcr, and tho two oconvlctsrcleased Deacy.
whose head was slightly cut In the scufIlc.
The two men were taken into tho guard
room at once, lashed t. the block, and
given fifty blows each with tho paddle
They were then taken to their cells, and
Fchaincd by the feet to tho floor. The next
day they were again taken into the guard
room and given forty strokes each. After
that they were again chained to tho floors
Of their cells and were absolutely kept in
that position for several months, having
nothing to lie on except straw mattresses.