Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-01-17
HORRIBLE BAREARETY.
The wrongs Suffered by Prisoners in
Sing-Sing Prison

Notwithstanding the exposures oil
prison barbarity at Sing-Sing, the
same brutal treatment is still prac
ticed there, with the exception that
the paddle is no longer used. Frank
Fulton, one of the witnesses who tes-
titled during the prison investigation,
and who told how George Woods and
John Anderson were compelled to
work until within an hour of their
deaths. was recently released, and re
lated the following story of brutality
to a reporter:
while working III the shOeshOp on
the 10Th of March, Keeper Roberts
took me to the office of Mr.. Dixon,
who was then head keeper, and left
me there. Dixon brought me to the
jail, and without any explanation,
locked me in. In the evening he had
me taken to my cell, and said be
would speak to me liz the morning.
The next day he told me he was going
to take me off the contract work. |
did not see him again, as he was taken
sick, but his substitute, Keeper Scrip
ture, formerly of Clinton prison,
came to me and said l was imprisoned
because [ refused to work. [ denied
this, but he laughed at me. [ was
kept III the cell for forty days, and
I vas allowed nothing to eat but
four ounces Of bread each day. To
add to my torture, they took the
lamp away, and would not allow me
water and soap with which to wash.
| was given no change of linen dur
ing the period of my incarceration. l
became sick, but DR.. Barber, against
whom [ testified In the investigation
refused to see me.
s'While in the cell managed to get
a letter sent to my friends, and they
made inquiries about my treatment.
st this point [ was put in a dark cell
without bedding, and the head keeper
came to me and told me I was locked
up because I still refused to work. [
replied | was always willing to work,
and I was then released. I continued
to work until the 18th Of November,
when my term rightfully expired. [
was then told that [ would not be re
leased for month. I could get no
explanation from the keepers, and,
although [ sent three letters to War
den Brush, he did not answer them.
| was discharged to-day, after being
compelled to work a month longer
than my sentence called for, and all
for the benefit Of the contractors"
why were you treated SO brutally,
Fult0n?n
Simply because [ testified to the
cruelties practiced at the prison. 9th
ers who gave similar testimony were
treated worse than me. VIM. Jones,
whose sentence expired last May, was
not discharged until August. There
were several instances of the same
kind, and in all cases the prisoners
felt the severity of the warden because
Of their testimony. Every oppOrtUn-
ity they had to punish me and the
other witnesses they awaited them
selves Of [ was hung up by the
wrists six times in Succession, clear of
the floor, and was kept two days with
handouts ON. Other times I and nay
were kept hanging
by the wrists, with our toes touching
the ground, for twenty minutes"
Fulton says it is a common practice
to keep men working for tho con
tractors after their term has expired.
The warden, he says, takes no notice
of complaints. He promises to ia
vestgate when a prisoner tells Of
brutal treatment, but that Is the last
heard from him.
If boys under Is years of age do
not perform a mans work every day,
they are punished. The head keeper
has them hung up by the wrists IN
til they promise to do better. One
boy was hung up four days IN success
sion. He tainted and when he re
viyed he begged the keeper to put
him Ia another shop. He was kicked
for making the request.
Prisoners, when discharged, look
like tramps. The state allows $12 for
a suit of clothes, but the convicts are
given secondhand stuff, worth about
50. The bedding is dirty and unsuf-
fcient, and in the winter the men
suffer greatly from cold. The men
have to turn out as much work in the
winter as in summer, although the
law takes two hours off each days
work IN winter. The contractors
pay the convicts about one-t third of
what they earn for extra work. This
is against the rules, but the prison
officials laugh at it. Men are hand
cuffed when thrown into their cells,
and kept in that position for days.
The new process Of hanging men up
by the wrists is more brutal than the
paddle ever was.