The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1884-01-26
PRISON LIFE.
.RFVIEW AND EXPLANATION OF
THEN. G.. PENITENTIARY
ur Cabie,~ Horrible Showing no Long
or True--Need of Prison Reform in
Worth Carolina.

nr
or True--Need of Prison Reform in |
North Carolina.
last year Mr.. George w. Gable read be-
ire the Convention at Louisville for prison !
pform an interesting and strongly forti-
fed paper against the lease system of con-
yict labor To show it's evils he quoted
rom the reports of Col. w. j. Hicks, arch
Penitentary, a very sad picture Of our
State Penitentiary. The picture is publish
ed in the Century Magazine for February
Following is condensation of it:
Hr. GRO. ". cable in Century Magazine for Feb.
The warden reports these temporary
buildings az devoid Of all means for warm
ing them. badly ventilated, and entirely
untitled for use. The prison physician
pronounced these temporary quarters ''the
fruitful, canse of many deaths.' The
population aoithim this penitentiary was
Generally about 300. Abont 500 therefore
were scattered about in companies under
lessees, aud in the two years, 1879-'80,
were at different times at work on six diff
ferent railways and one wagon road.
There is no hospital record given concern
ing them, nor any physician's account OF
their sickness. When they drop off, they
are simply scored as dead. The warden
saws Of them that many had ''taken their
regular shifts for several years in the
Swannanoa and other tunnels on the
Western North Carolina Railroad, and
were finally returned to the prison with
shattered constitutions, and their physical
strength entirely gone, that with the
most skilfull medical treatment, and the
best nursing, it was impossible for them
to recuperate.
The number of deaths inside the wall
not attributable to outside hardships,
amounted in 1888 to just the number of
those i'm the prisons of Auburn and
SinO-Sinr
as large. Ten eleventh Of the deaths for
1879 and 1880 were from lingering dis
eases, principally consumption. Yet year
in and year out the good citizens OF Raj
eoh were visiting the place weekly. teach
ing Sunday School, preaching the Gospel,
aud staring the facts in the face.
Now weat was the death-rate among
the convicts working at railroad construc-
ton? The average number of prisoners
so engaged in 1879 and 1880 was 776. The
deaths, including the twenty-One sent
back to the prison were 17S, an annual
death rate Of nearly III per cent, and
therefore greater than the years death
rate IN New Orleans in 1858, the year Of
the great epidemic. But the dark fact that
eclipses everything else is that not a word
is given to account for the deaths OF 15S of
these men, except that eleven were shot
down in trying to escape from this heart
less butchery. In 1880 alone the
the people of North Carolina, from its
railroad gangs, 123 escaped criminals.
The prison added twelve more The re-
captures numbered 42. Ninety three re-
manned at large-iust five more than the
total escapes for an equal period in every
State prison in every State in this country,
except the other eleven managed in whole
or in part upon the lease system. The
moral effect Of such prison life on men
herded in stockadeS may be left to the i'm
agination, but one other fact must be
noted. Ia the two years, 1S!9-'SO, there
turned into this penitentiary at
least 234 youths under twenty years OF
age not one of whom was under a SEN
tence for less than twelve mOnths.'
A member Of the staff of TIE CHRON-
ICLE examined the warden's reports for
1879 and 1880 and found that Mr.. Cables
figures and statements and quotations are
correct. And a horrible showing it is
But it is only proper to say that the Pc
riod covered by these reports was the pc
rod when the convicts were confined IN
the temporary quarters which have nov
been abandoned. There is,' says Mr.
Cable. mo hospital record given concern
ing them Those at work outside the Eenl
tentiaryl nor any physicians account o
their sickness" No such record or ac
count was published in the Warden's re
port-which neglect the warden viii
himself agree was mistake-but such re
cord and reports were made and Kept reg
uarly. And no convict has ever died o.
ever been sick but the disease and the caus
of death are on record.
Mr. Cable, therefore, has made only
Just and accurate description from the fact
that he had. Unluckly all the facts wer
not published. But during the years Whel
the convicts occupied the old quarters, tn
prison was inhuman-no doubt about 1T.
Now, however, there is not more hu
name or more nearly scientifically perfec
prison in the Union than the North Caro-
lima Penitentary. A member OF III
CHRONICLES staff visited it on Tuesday
and. as everybody knows, who knows any
thing about it, the North Carolina PEN
tentiary marks an entirely new era in pr
son construction and management in Mort
Carolina. The death rate IN the Peniter
tiary has decreased steadily since the OccL
patton Of the present building. In 1881
was less than per cent, and in 1882 les
than 3. This is not bad showing Whe
it is remembered that the Penitentiary
not simply a Penitentiary, but Tor lack {
better division Of such work in North Ca
olina. and for lack of reformitories an
special prisons for the decrepit and d
eased convicts, it is all these things con
bined. A much larger proportion OF fe'
BILE conyicts are sent here than to Norther
penitentiarleS.
Mr.. Gable will be glad to be informe
that in the matter OF prison reform tt
North Carolina Penitentiary has with
three years stepped forward at least 2(
wears in improvements.
Mr.. Cables discussion-to prove tn
the lease system is wrong-that is anoth'
question, and one that is not now pert
nent.
But Mr.. Gable and all other humane pc
sons who think Of prison in any 9th
way than as place of torture, may we
feel heartily ashamed of most of the cou
" iails in North Carolina.
Make an Exposition Movement, To
From the Dun6uyy Reporter.
There will be meeting of the farm
of Stokes county held at the court hOu
in Danbury, on the first Monday in Re
mo ru for the nurnQSe OF organizing