The Osceola times., 1883-01-27

This cost SlS,Uoo more.
These expenses were all for Sing Sing;
but didn't Mr.. Pillsbury extend his flcil-
ity operations further, and on a larger
scale?"
"Yes, as soon as he got Perry q Co.
fairly started at Sing Sing he saw there
was a big job in connection with the
Clinton prison. He represented TO his
friends in the Legislature that il he had
railroad from the prison to Flin,sburg,
for the purpose of greater facilities in the
transportation Of products hither and
thiihcr, he could make profitable con-
tracts for Clinton prison also"
"How did this scheme work ?"
swell, he got an appropriation of near
~ 100000, had the railroad built, and
let the contract for the manufacture of
hats at forty cents day. Previous to
this the contract at Clinton was worth
only twenty-five cents"
Didn't this contract, then, show the
necessity for further facilities and more
appropriations?
"Of course; that's how the thing works
right straight along. Clinton prison then
had TO be enlarged in the interest of the
contract system. This was done in 1879
and 1880, at cost of $250,000."
WAS this paying investment ?"
"Yes, it paid the man who had the
contract for enlarging the prison, but it
has not paid the State"
"What is the labor that Perry & Co.
have at Sing Sing WORTH"
From 50 to So man, out of which
they give fifty-six cents to the State, and
Sing Sing is kept crowded to increase the
profits of this company, with two in a
small cell"
at would appear from what you sav
that everything is done there t. suit Per-
ry & Co., Just as if they owned the place,
convicts and ALL
"That's Just it. The contractors run the
institution; didn't you know that? 1t is
easy enough to show it, and they do So
without regard to the rights of any one
but themselves. Everythingis is sacrificed
to the one idea of making money for the
contractors"
as il true that in furtherance of this
scheme of the rule of the contractors that
cruel and inhumon means of punish
ment are resorted to for the purpose of
getting the most possible work out of the
convicts |"
at is true in the broadcst sense you
can state it. | have witnessed scenes of
the most barbaric cruelty, and men actu-
ally beaten to the point of death or in
sanity, when they were actually sick, on
the presumption that they were lazy, all
in the interest of the avaricious con-
tractors, who are becoming wealthy on
the labor of the convicts. There are
many intelligent and truthful convicts
that you can interview on the details of
this part of the subject, whose statements
are almost too much for human credulity
except by those who, like myself, have
been eve witnesses of the siakening
scenes which they depict"
"Are the cases Of the other contractors
as bad as the one you have descri bed?"
an some respects worse. Take the
laundry, for instance. II is run nomin-
ally by an ex-keeper, but in reality with
part Of the money which Beckwith
stole from Babbitt, the soap man, and
u
"And do you mean to say that forger
is n sleeping partner, reaping Il portion
of the profits derived from the slave Ia
Dor of his fellow criminals"
That's what everybody believes there.
The cx-keeper had no money Of his own.
and Beckwith has very easy position
in the laundry, and does about as he
pleases, just as Joe Coburn did. It's an
open secret that the man who robbed
Babbitt furnishes the capital to run the
laundry, and that he is becoming veal
thy and will have enough to retire and
lead a respectable life at the end of his
term"
Are the instances you have given fair
specimens of the contract system and its
workings generally"
They are. and YOU can easily satisfy
yourself of the truth Of them. | can in
troduce YOU to cx-keepers who will cor
roborate what l tell you, so far as they
have had any opportunity ofjudging."
The methods resortcd to by inside Of
iicials TO extract money from the friends
and relatives in good circumstances. are
illustrated in the case of ex-keeper Pat
rick Henry Bowe. A quarrel arose, the
parties to il being Bowe, the keeper, and
Mr.. Burdick, superintendent of Perry &
Co., on one hand, and the physician and
chaplain on the other, in relation to $500
which had been obtained by Bowe and
Burdick from the friends of prisoner
named Lloyd Hay, who had been re-
spectacle and wealthy merchant, but be-
came embarrassed, failed in half a mill
lion, and on account of forged documents
found among his papers, for which the
law held him responsible, he was sent 10
Sing Sing.
An ex-convict, a fellow full of tact and
shrewdness, and who, by his good con-
duct and superior ability had worked
himself into a position where he had
every opportunity of exercising his quick
powers Of observation relates the story
from his point of view:
Il know all about that scheme to get
money from Hays friends. Bowe was
at that time acting as principal keeper.
He was well known for his brutality; he
drove two or three men crazy within n
few weeks after he took charge"
'IIow were the men punished?'
Chiefly with the paddle; but l will
tell YOU about that again. You want
now TO hear about that $500, but it is orly
one case out of MANY of the same kind
"Does it illustrate fairly how things are
managed in that way inside the prison ?''
1T does, and l can bring you dozen
others who know all about it,
well, go on"
We'll. Bowe and Burdiek were pulling
together
''For what purpose ?"
ITO make all the money they could.
The ono had tho m n uaoemept of tho com
tract and the other had the management