New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-23
THE REVOLT OF CONNECTS.
QUIET RESTORED AT SING SING PRISON.

BAKER-EvIL INFLUENCES FROM OUTSIDE.
tppov SPECIAL. CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEl
SING SING. Feb. 22.-Paddy Wynn, the long-term
desperado who has boon the ringleader in several
riots at the State prison in past years. and who was
TO have been the leader in a general strike OF tine
400 convicts in the shoe-shops to-day received
early in the day telegram from MS iriehds IN
Ulster County who expressed their confidence that
a pardon would shortly be obtained for MN.
Paddy at once refused to have anything 10 90
with the strikers, who, being deprived OF ther
leader, doggpdy went to their work as usual
The anticipated outbreak did not occur. The
men went to their shops in the morning ana worNeu
steadily all day no fights of any consequence being
reported.
Warden Brush thinks the troubles are almost
over though he says he cannot tell yet, as the men
may break out at any moment. Last night when ne
made the rounds at $50 o'clock one prisoner cried
ont LET us all quit" but the others made no
response.
sTbe men, said the warden, are beginning 10
weaken. MANY sending me word that they areready
to perform their tasks As they went to their cells
for pleasure they will have to remain as PUNISH
ment. do not for the present intend to transfer
them to the old female prison, as 1t would require
almost new set Of books to keep track OF then in-
dvidually. Many OF the leaders have lost comihu-
tstions varying from six months to two years and
half Murphy, who led the disturbance In the
moulding department, would have been released on
Monday but now he will have six months more TO
serve. The same is the case Of HallOck who led in
the laundry.
81 suppose by the strike they hoped to aid in the
adjustment of the convict labor system
If that were DONE don't think
the State could take the departments
and run them except at a loss. During the hve
years before Mr. PllIsbury took charse 1t cost the
taxpayers $500 152 IL, and the last five years me
earnings over the expenses have been $205. 500 o.
difference of 81 ,100,S45 in favor OF the present
system The mems complaint OF Overwork and poor
food is not true. Tho food is improving from year
10 wear. costing Sl20 600 more this year than 1t did
last WHY. the vito Of n convict came 10 me and
complained that her husband had too much to 40 In
the laundry | told her his task was 10 IRON
tweDty-slx shirts a day, aud she Iau5hngy s ,
she worked in laundry and lroned tblrtV-u'e
shirts dav. There never n strike IN the prison
before lasting over two hours; and, II padding Tor
the offence were permitted, TINS Wouid not nave
las ed 50 long
To-day the warden intercepted letter from q
convict named james j. Connolly. 1t was ad-
dressed outsider and after pralslng the prison
foot and treatment ended as follows:
There is one thing e. ut discourages here and that
Is NOT having Privilege of making little money for
to beuei the c5nvics, that the Point for com
at in al other respects YOU WI ma tnat men
never had Height or Better Food than they
have AT present. All he wants now Ia To
feel that be has enough T. pay months board on eay
ing here and 90 Of the Hundred men that leaves
this Place VIII never return where man gong Oul
from these walls with 50 has no chance OF bndng Work
bef Pennyess then he must steal or beg. and no
is going Beg on "a community that 80 tar lOrgets
Themselves IA to turn men ont OF their s9easd reform
Ins.itutiOns as they would their marked mules GU OF
stable, and now sr, by opening way II tbc convict
either by doing work over tue Required Iask or oy 81
lowing him much day for MS tlme you VIII DC dog
him IA service-on the other hand. by following up
Imaginary Crueltics you are injunng them In every
Superintendent of Prisons |. V. Baker, ir., Wis
tied the prison to-day remaining all the morning.
zone can hardly form reasonable theory for the
outbreak" said the superintendent to a TRIBUNE
correspondents at would be reasonable TO sup
pose that the men were influenced by the Gov
emors letter and by the investigation
being conducted by the Prison Commit
tee IL may be also that they
imagine that ~ revolving ut present they will m
Gucnce the committees report to tho Assembly,
bouina 10 have the contract system abolished. do
moi think the cOnvIcts know that the Reyes Hat
bill ha. passed the Assembly. IL might excite
them though hats are not manufactured here"
" 10 you propose 10 draft any OF tho convictsf"
a0h. yesp replied Mr. Baker; but not on ac
count OF this revolt. There are .55s men IN the
prison now, and we always have a draft
after the number exceeds loo Next
week we will send to Other prisons
new keepers they will work more readily, not hav-
ing the feeling that they were conquered by those
ncaiust whom they rcbclled. Had whipping not
been forbidden this insurrec' on would never have
assumed the serious aspect II did on Wednesday
A dozen of the leaders would have been whipped,
and that would have ended IL. As II Is, tho Keepers
have acted very jadicously Probably two-thlrds
of the strikers are led by The other
third who are desperate New York conNicts.
One effect of the strike has been to
reduce the value OF convict labor As contracts ran
out ncrrn sed bids made for the labor III some
instances bids having risen from 30 70 02 cents per
day for each man. Carroll 81 Co, who have Tho
hat contract Mt DaunemOra prison, pay 40 cents
per man a day, and Mr. Carroll told mo that he
wonh not renew the contract for 80 cents. The
business is too uncertain"
Late in the afternoon Of the keepers found
the following letter IN one OF the cells OF the
strikers
Brush's "patent revolt" thoroughly exposed and dc.
nounced in Senate and Assembly Attempts I'm both
Houses 10 sustain the warden voted down. Contract
labor strongly condemned FRIEND.
How can | maintain discipline" angrily
claimed the warden, ." when such letters as these
are smugg ed in to the convicts By outsiders One
of the men who has been conspicuous at the inyes-
tigaton bias been around Sing Sing this morn
ing, but whether this emanated from him or not
can't say
and quiet prevailed.