Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-11-09
Treatment of Prisoners.

The story of Captain Maconochie's
work "On Narfolk Island is very sug-
gcstivc The population consisted of
/ 400 prisoners and their iailars' The
prisoners were the desperate criminals
selected from the penitentiaries of New
South Wales and Van Dieman's Land.
They were beaten, and starved and chain
ed. Their self-respect was completely
broken An intelligent victim said
"Whon man is sent here he loses the
heart of man and gets that of beast. "
Captain Maconochie declared "a more
demoniacal asscmblagc could not be i'm
agined. The most formidable scene | ever
behcld was the sea Of faces upturned to
me when | first addressed them" The
captain held out brothers hand to them,
and they soon were induced TO join in
many practical efforts to better their con-
dition. Captain Maconochie's cxperien-
ces on Norfolk IsIand would fill Volumes
He says 81 found the Island brutal
hell, and leave it PEACEFUL, wcll-order-
ed community Officers, women and
children traverse the island everywhere
without fear and huts, gardens, stock
yards and growing crops are ccattered
| in every corner without molestation."
As an illustration of Captain Macono-
chic's management, it may be well to give
a single case. 4 man by the name of An
dcrson appeared to have run the whole
gamut OF crime, between the ages OF Is
and o. Flogging only rendered him
more violent and hardened. So despcr-
ate and dangerous had he finally become
| that he was sentenced to be chained to n
rock for two years. lie was fastened by n
heavy chain, his bed wasa hollow scoop
ed in the rock his food was passed to him
by long pole. His feet was devourcd
by vcrmin, but he was not allowed water
to bathe his sores. All this did not sub
due him. Captain Mnconochi found,
unclaimed and treated him like n hum
IN being. The sequel is thus tald:
"Sir George Gibbs visited the island
three years after Captain Maconochic'A
arrival, and while driving through its
beautiful scenery Anderson was seen
tripping along in his trim sailor dress
full of Importance, with his telescope un.
der his arm. "What smart little fellow
may that be 2 asked Sir George. Whom
do yod suppose? That is the man who
was chained to the rock in Sidney Hurbor
Sir George was greatly surprised and af
! fectcd."
| Inc prisons OF Munlcn huuru II NcrN
suggestive illustration. The prisoners
} were celebrated as the most brutal of tn,
: brutal classes. They were guarded by
! ferocious dogs, heavily chained, and hog
ged far the slightest otfense They becam,
| treacherous cruel and dangerous. AT
/ length the prisons passed into the hand
of Mr.. Obermair, man who "founde,
' his system on tue conviction that the
worst criminal preserves the germ o
. some good quality, and that discipline
| based rather on mercy than severity, b,
: appealing to the noblcr, instead of th'
: brutal Instincts Of humanity, will awakel
s new feeling in the mind of the conylc
n that of self-respect-and thus develol
!, those moral qualities which thougI
n dormant, ARE never completely extint
= As result of this system, we fluid tina
: of 29S prisoners discharged within tn
G two years Of his administration, DAG al
c terwards led honest and industrious lives
II although more than half Of them ha
It been convicted for felony or murder.
= is quite safe to claim that nine III ten {
h them would, except for Mr.. Obermair
s. help, have fallen back into crime.