St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-05-03
A CHICAGO TEWKSBURY
Terrible Treatment to Which the Prisoners
in the Garden City Bridewell Are
Subjected.
Strung Up by the Thumbs as Discipline
and Kept on Miserably INSULT
cient Fare.
A Strike Among the Convicts Which
Comes Near Being Very
Disastrous.
A Fiendish Superintendent and the
Indignities He Heaped Upon
Unfortunate Inmates.
Correspondence of the Globe.

Correspondence of the Globe.
CHICAGO, May 1.-''Has Chicago a
Tewksbury?" is question frequently
asked of late, and if reports are correct the
reply should undoubtedly be in the atfirma-
tive. A local paper has been attacking the
management of the Chicago bridewell, and
that institution, which contains upwards of
one thousand prisoners, has been brought
into unpleasant nOtoriety much to the dis
gust of the superintendent and the officials
who are supposed to look after the proper
conduct of the prison. If half the stories
now in circulation be true, the prison board
has been wofully deficient in the discharge
of its duty, and the superintendent is a
fiend that should be given dose of the
same punishment that is melted out to pris-
oners. The superintendent of the bride
we'll receives handsome salary, house
rent food, fuel and ''extras" from the city.
Connected with the bridewell is hosiery
manufacturing company which is ownedsby
the superintendent and his sons and pris-
oners are compelled to work therein, the
city receiving 35 cents per day for each
prisoners services, Against the employ
ment no complaints were made; but when
placed on an
INSUFFICIENT ALLOWANCE OF BAD FOOD
and forced to do so much work per day or
be strung up by the thumbs and placed on
one-half allowance of the scanty food sup
ply, complaints were loud and many, but
never so loud that they were heard outside
prison walls until the prisoner got his dis
charge, and then naturally the complaints
were pigeon-holed by officials, and listened
to with unconcern by others who had never
been so unfortunate as to grace the inside Of
the city's reformatory.
This discomfort, which has been rapidly
growing of late, eliminated yesterday i'll an
outbreak which at one time threatened to
OverpOWer the authorities and result in a
general delivery. Late Wednesday evening
$50 of the loom men and knitters in the fac
tory left their machines at a precOncerted
signal and sWore they would not return to
work until their termS-better fOod-Were
agreed to. This action caused great con-
Germ to the management, as it was apprecl-
ated that it would require but little effort
on the part of the belligerents to enlist the
remaining 700 prisoners, in which case the
guards would be poWerless to prevent seri-
Gus trouble But the strikers were over
awed for the time by the sight of half a
hundred rifles in the hands of as many
guards foremen and others. Yesterday the
trouble was renewed, nearly 200 Of the
most
TURBULENT SPIRITS REFUSING TO WORK
until given decent food in sufficient quanti-
ties. Again the rifles were called
into requisition, and ninety were
persuaded to return to the
workshops. The remainder were forcibly
seized and placed in separate cells with no
beds and ''strung up" to their cell doors by
means of handouts. The unfortunates so
suspended must have suffered terribly, for
their cries and curses and entreatieS to be
released could be heard blocks away from
the bridewell, while the guards paced the
corridors paying no heed to the cries for
mercy The superintendent was in a ter
rible rage and had ordered no leniency
shown the strikers declaring with an oath
that he'd elk 'em." In an interview he &C
knowledged that the prisoners had demanded
better food and more of it, but also added
that he'd ''feed em as he BANKED please -
Numerous instances Of the cruelty practiced
have been cited. One prisoner, who had
been so unfortunate as to get on spree, was
sent to the prison before he was. SOBER and
not allowed to communicate with friends
who would have paid his fine and removed
him from the brideWell had they known his
whereabouts. He was compelled to disrobe
and enter bath tub with two others-one
negro-after which a suit of stripes was
given him. His first
SUPPER WAS A FILTHY MESS.
by courtesy called mush. He did not eat it
then, but would have been glad
later to have added it to the
scanty fare served. He added
that he got accustomed to the filth and YER
min in the cells and beds, but required sew
eral days to become familiar with such bed
fellows. The morning additions are per-
formed at large trough, at which the early
prisoner gets the cleanest water, and
neither towel nor comb is provided. A
rusty pan half filled with mixture called
coffee and two ounces of bread is the break
fast allowance, after which the prisoners
are marched to the workshops. Twenty
minutes for dinner" served in the same tin
pan, consisting of a potato, carrot and
greasy water, and then to the shops again.
This is the liberal food allowance which a
man doing full days work is expected to
enjoy and grow fat upon. But those whose
fines are small and time of confinement too
short to be of use in the shops, are unem-
ployed and receive exactly one-half the
amount given the laborer. The punish
ment for trifing offense, such as not be-
ing able to complete a task in given time
is terrible. The prisoner is deprived of
food,
STRUNG UP BY THE WRISTS
till he faints, and not only to block and
tackle but also to the door of his cell dur
ing the hours for slumber. The prisoner
on being first taken into the hose factory is
given knitting machine and compelled to
make twelve stockings the first day. Each
day after one stocking is added to his
''stint," until he can make thirty-six
stockings in a Gay, which is
considered good work. If by
reason of extra skill another pair can be
added to his daily three dozen the prisoner
is allowed cents; but as all broken needles