The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-02-07
and dangerous.

National Banks, which is even now colossal
and dangerous.
PRISONS AND PRISON DISCIPLINE
A very animated discussion is going on in
various States relating to the management
of Prisons. Investigations, when faithfully
conducted, develop deplorsble condition
of things, and Legislatures are coming TO
the conclusion that. after ALL the supreme
question is not, do State Prisons pay?'
Take prison with one thousand convicts,
and it is fair to say that the average time OF
Incarceration is five years. II this be ap-
proximately correct, then every five
years the State that has such penal in
stitution turns loose upon the community
1000 felons Does the discipline of the Prison
reform them, and are they sent forth from
''durance vile" to be law abiding citizens,
or have they been so treated as TO make
them seven-fold more the children Of the
devil than when they entered the Prison?
The investigation now going toward in New
York is producing a sensstiOn-one witness
appeared before the Legislative Committee
matters He described the paddle" as an
instrument of torture, made of leather with
blade six inches wide. 1t must be an in
strument of terrible cruelty, as some con-
victs deliberately commit suicide rather
than endure the torture. The witness said :
On convict named Lewis Sis blows
were inflicted at short intervals. during two and
one-Aalf hours. The witness had known fifteen
or twenty blows to be inflicted, and then ere
cess was taken to allow the flesh to swell. In
the padding room the clothes of the convict we're
removed, his wrists joined together and fastened
over his head to the wall, his feet being held by
staples The witness had known four officers to
do the work, and one man and an officer would
inilct thirty or forty blows before getting tired
Keeper Dickson, the witness said, determined
to break down a prisoner named William Launey,
alias TEDDY" Hess. He kept him in a dark cell
for five or six weeks, and the witness took him
out cold, stiff and helpless. he revived him and
put him in another cell. giving him a mattress
and blankets Hess attempted to end his life by
strangulation; when revived he said he would be
all right IL not pushed around, but spoken kindly
to. The witness interceded with Dickson, say
ing: "Give the man a show" but Dickson re-
piled: NO. I'm going TO break him" The wit
ness reminded him that it was Hess fourth
attempt at suicide but Dickson said, 81 don't
give d.; / am going to break him." Hess was
atterward sent to the Clinton Prison. his health
being very bad. Large doses of opium were given
TO Hess TO quiet him when noisy. A convict
named Miller, when ordered to report for pad
ding, protested. When he arrived at the keepers
room two officers were behind the door. and he
was knocked senseless with a bludgeon, the
wound on the head being six inches long and one
inch in diameter. young convict threatened
with padding jumped from the fourth tier and
broke his thigh aud gashed his head. Another
named Hughes jumped from a second-story
laundry to escape padding. James Young re-
ceived fifty blows and was seised with violent
vomiting.
In Sing Sing he had seen prisoners showered in
their cells with a fire hose until they became In
sensible. He never saw any padding. but under
the contract system 1t was done before the keeper
of gang would know It. The keeper at night
would be ordered to leave certain convict In his
cell in the morning. He would be padded and
sent back TO work to catch up on the work he had
failed on. He would also miss his breakfast.
Charles Boylan and Michael Mccormick mad been
so padded The men dreaded IL, and having
and jumped from the tiers. Such cases were
frequent and common subject OF talk among the
keepers. He had known prisoners to be without
a clean shirt for SIX weeks.
The question arises, Is such treatment
reformatory in its influence? Is it good for
the convict? Is it good for the State? Does
it insure safety to society when the convict
is released from Pr1son2 Certainly such
queries are in order. Is it necessary that
such denominations should be practiced? Is
there anywhere within the entire range of
philosophy, Christian, PhiianthroPic. men
tai or any other philosophy that iustities
such physical torture as is known to be
pracHced in the penal institutions of the
United States? II So it ought to be brought
forward. Are officers of Prisons amenable
to no asthorityf Are Prisons places where
passions and brutality may reign with I'M
disputed sway? May cat, paddle, hose and
dungeon be employed as malice or caprice
may dictate, without accountability? Ifso re-
form isout of the question, and society should
understand that when conyicts, thus treated,
are let loose, they are more dangerous than
ever DoiOre. lnef 81 ioh'h ZIG e"oAnt IN
placable enemies of all things of good re-
port. defying the law and treating its re-
straints with contempt, and thus the work
Of crime goes forward. 1t is not well to be
sentimental nor to indulge in gush about
criminals, but Il is eminently in order 10
study the subject of Prison discipline and
introduce such reforms as will best subserve
the great purpose for which Prisons are
established, the reform Of convicts and the
safety of society.
THE coming Of the new nickel began in