Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-07-31
A FAMOUS PRISON.
Glimpses of Life Among the Con-
victs at Sing Sing.
An Officer WHO Recognizes Every Prison
Bird-A Novel Instrument of Pun
islmcnt-Sketches of Peni-
Tertiary Life.

Bird-A Novel instrument of Pun
ishmcnt-sketches of Peni-
Tertiary Life.
Sing Sing Prison has a convict pop
ulation of 1850, and there is at least
one man in authority who knows
every prisoner by sight and is able to
tell at a glance whether or not a new
arrival hes been in the prison before.
This is Chief Keeper James Connaugh-
ton. Whom ex-Police-Seargeat Crow
Sey was admitted to the institution he
was accompanied bv six other convicts.
One of these was named William Hall,
according to the papers in his case.
Before Hall was questioned in the reg
ular way Keeper C~onnaughton sad the
man had been i'll Sing Sing before, but
not as Hall. The latter was asked if
he had ever been in prison before. Yes,
he had been in Sing Sing. Under the
name of Hall? No. his name had been
William Smith. Had he any other
name? Yes. William Dwycr. Not
once in q hundred cases. the prison Of
1icials say, are any of the routine ques-
ons answered untruthfully. The men
have y wholesome fear Of being discoy-
cred in 4 lie and of being made to sui
fer for it.
AS there are in Sing Sing only 1924
cells a number OF them have two occu-
pants. much to the delight OF those who
are paired. Life in Sing Sing is not
what it was, and for this keepers and
convicts arc devcutly thankful. Pris-
oners are no longer treated as if they
were brutcs, and they have shown that
kindness is not thrown away on them.
There are ten dark cells in the prison.
Under the old regime these cells were
seldom empty, and the sound of the
paddle and the curses of the Door
wretches On whom it was being laid
could be heard at all hours. The pad
die has gone out Of fashion. 1t has
been superseded by a punishment as
~'eilicac.ous as it is simple. Men who
were padded seldom improved under
the punishment. Some the punishment
made irredeemably bad. 1t destroyed
.he last vestlgeo OF self-respect and filled
the victim with q longing for revenge
at any cost. Since its abolishment the
dark cells seldom have an occupant,
and the average this year has been one
.contumac;ous prisoner per month.
The punishment most in vogue for
prisoners who refuse to obey orders is
AN invention Of Chief Keeper Con-
n%aughtona Two uprights. with slots in
them. arefastened agalnstthewall abou.
threeFeta apart. Fitting neatly into the
space between them is a broad board,
which can be moved up or down on the
principle of an elevator. In the center
rf fLn ,oo,J Il. 4, c%o,l loo1, m.
"didatc Tor punishment is hand-cutled.
He is stood up in front of the board.
The chain VIII ch fastens the handouts
is thrown over the iron HOOK in the
board. Then the latter is gradually
raised until the victim is standing on
tip toes, with his whole weight depend
ing on his wrists. Around the latter
are the thin steel cuffs. which cut INTO
the flesh without drawing blood. The
pain is eNcruc at'ng and is increased,
if that were possible, by the efforts Of
the victim to change his position in a
vain attempt to lessen the agony. The
toughest criminal i'll the prison has
never taken a second dose of this pun
ishmcnt. The first trial is always suf-
iicient. The victim is lowered upon
crying Enough" Few have been able
w 1loul IN pain lOt 1lOlC Guan LuIICV
seconds, but one mar stood it for q
minute and twenty-five seconds. When
he was lowered it was found that he
had bitten his lower lip through in his
efforts to withstand the punishment
without giving tongue to his agony.
knowing that nothing is TO be gained
by dlsobed ence to orders. few of the
prisoners rebel against the strict, but
not at all harsh, discipline enforced.
There are eighty-five officers of all
grades in the prison. F~orty-tive of
these are keepers. These are answer
able to the Chief Keeper for the proper
performance of the r duties, as he is in
turn to Warden Brush.
During the day the difference be-
tween the lot of a keeper and that of
a prisoner is very slight, and is. if any
thing, in favor of the prisoner. The
latter is employed, while the keeper
stands on a raised platform in the cen
ter Of a huge apartment in which hun
,dreds of desperate men are at work,
and upon these men the keeper is
compelled to keep his eyes at all
times. During the day tLnre is no rest
for him. He stands With his hand
revolver, with every sense alert, Not
Il motion of the throng under his eyes
escapes his attention. Conversation
between the men is forbidden. and the
sound of Il human voice is seldom
heard f ON morning until Il ght in the
busy workshops or the great prison.
Comparatively few of the prisoners are
unemployed. Nine hundred and