Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-02
PRISON 0IrRAGES.

"Thc darl, places of the earth are full of
the habitalions OF cruelty" This is as much
fact to day as it was when it was written,
centuries ago, and almost every day brings
fresh illustration of its truth. OF ''man's in
humanity to man there is no end and appar-
entity no limit. A perpetually recurring in
stance of it is the trcltmcn, of the inmates
As often as at least once in every year the
management of some prison is arraigncd and
as a general thing highly unsatisfactory
condition of affairs, To say the least, is
brought 10 light. Ii goes without saying
that the investigation OF such case is sur
rounded with difficulties, the first and most
important of which is the fact that the only
witnesses are men guilty of infamous crimes
whose word in even matters of minor i'm
pOrtauce would be taken with much more
than tlc traditional grain of salt, and as to
whose testimony in gravcr matters i. is very
difficult 10 say what degree of crcdence should
be attached to it. But after making all due al
lowancus. the combined testimony of large
good deal Of force with it, especially when
corrlb )latcd, rs it often ii, TO a certain ex-
tent, by that of disinterestcd persons like
prison physicians or chaplains. And Its
force under such circumstances is sufficient,
if not indeed to fully Prove all the charges,
to at least indicate that the prison officials
re unfit for their places for while prisoners
ought to he governed with severe and I'M
swcrying strictncss, abuse Of them ought
not for one moment to be tolerated.
The latest prison management to be hauled
over the Goals is that of New York State, 1t
is now being investigated by legislative
committee, and the testimony adduccd be-
fore that body is revolving to the last degree.
At recent hearing the principal witness was
an ex-kecper at Clinton prison, at Dame
mora, one Elihu l.. Campbell. During his
two years service at that institution he saw
n large number Of cOnvicts 81 added" (tied
up and Lcacn with large flat stick, he
testified, and others confined in dark dun
geons until they became raving maniacs. lie
had seen men thrus, into the dungeons after
being padded, and kept there as long as
eighteen days. Four men had been padded
in his presence. and one of them begged to
be shot, rather than suffer the torture OF pad.
ding. Confinement in the screened cells was
the most terrible punishment to the convict
Such cells had no furniture whatever, and til,
Some flooring was bat lightly covered witt
sawdust The only light that could enter
them came thou Ii small holes in the sheet
iron ou,ce dor. Mos Of those confined in
them were chained to n ring in the floor. NJ
covering wai allowed 10 tie inmates, ant
Mr.. Campbell never saw them given an OPP
portunty 10 wash Themselves lie told Of
twelve convicts who la been lodged in thes,
cells between August, 1873, and February
1880, for infraclion or attempts to escape
and came out of them raving maniacs
Michael Iawless, one Of thim, had beer
chained in such dungeon for over ter
months Thomas Hicks, another, suffered
like punishment for eight months, and viii
liam Creswcll, a third, for eleven months
Lawless and Hicks, when they became Graz