New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-27
THE PUNISHMENT OF JAMS
IT IS PRONOUNCED TOO SEVERE.
soLp1Eps AND CIVILIANS STRONGLY oR1r1c1sr
COLONEL sTREAroR's ACTION.

The action Of Colonel Streator OF the National
Guard of Pennsylvania. in ordering Private Iams Of
company X. 10Th Pennsylvania. to be hung I'M nv
the thumbs IS severely condemned by many people
vbo say that to hang a man up bv the thumbs
and not 10 release him until he is limp and apparent
ly nfeess is treatment that is only relic OF the DAYS
Of the lnquistOn, and such barbarism they say
should not be resOrted TO- no matter how grave the
offence has been 1t is admitted by the persons who
condemn the punishment that the offence committed
was one that should have received the prompt atten.
ton Of the officers. and that Private Iams should
have been srv,ly punished, but not in a barbarous
manner
"we are not IN the midst OF a civil or international
VIII and there IS necessity for acting like a lot
Of savages at this time, when soldier commits an
offence" said John \. L. Campbell. lawyer at No.
Al Waist, yesterday. ~ know that Iams's offence
was grave one. His conduct was a disgrace 20 she
National Guard. For him to call for three cheers
Tor the man who shot Prick proclaimed HIM 10 be
q traitor 10 his CATH TO his uniform and ,he men
with whom ile WAS associated. D,loyalty is a mild
BARN for such conduct, and therefore grace and
dismissal hom the service not penal ics TOO
severe fol- his rash words. Bat torture as
dley DID tn those barharou> days OF the middle ages
Is suggestive Of brutality n her than of orderly and
dignifed discipline. 1t is inhuman torture TO string
n man up 10y the thumbs and keep him there until
he Is unconscious and Il am not in error. lams has
good grounds for criminal prosecution against Colonel
streator."
Colonel William Seward, Of the 9th Regiment, had
this to say about the Homestead affair: Hanging
man up by the thumbs is certainly unusual PUNISH
ment and l do not think should have ordered such
treatment. do not like to say too much about the
affair however, as there may be some circumstances
which we do not know about l never before heard
O, man In the National Guard being strung up by the
thumbs
ITO shave the hair of half mans head, to cut
hi. buttons from his uniform in the presence OF ms
business and army associates TO dismiss him from the
service In disgrace, and then drum him out Of camp
10 the tune of the ROgre's March, were certainly
sufficient punishment for the offence committed by
Private lams at Homestead" said Charles w Gonld,
when speaking about the affair. "lamss social anu
business associates ! understand IL, were pieSen'
TO sec all these indgnities heaped upon MIN such
treatment during these days of peace are sufh0ent
,nnishment for Ianss offence. The minuaman was
certainly disoyal to his oath. 1t was HE crying for
three cheers for the enemy, and II was wise lei
Colonel StrestOr TO get rid Of such lei
low His conduct disgracful, ana 10
one but fool would be so rash as 10 make use Oh
such language. The man showed himself to be a
bigger fool when be refused withdraw what he had
said This refusal made in the presence OF ms
comrades and to lave permitted the man at that time
10 escape punishment would have proved positive
menace TO the command in which lans enlisted But
imprisonment in the guard house. dismissal nom 'ile
srvlce in disgrace and be drmmed out Of camp II
the offence Tile hanging up by the thumbs certainly
recard as brutal, nhuman and unnecessary"
Hanging BY the thumbs has not been re'O-
nized method of punishment IN the regular Onll'O
States Army for years" said James Is. Nhitol' ue
drvgoods merchant at No. 20 Worthst. Mr.. Wilton
Wv thrrc wears of service during the wal Of the
robelIon and was Il major when he was honorabY
discharged.
In the army during the war. soldiers were IN eX-
herne cases Of insuborilnaiion suspended by Tie
wrists but seldom did The officials order man sFnhE
M by the thumbs" continued The major. occasion
Nv II was DONE Tut fl caused mudl harsh ieelinr
,,no,. the men tat TIC lu.tl ice was s'ld H.
resorted TO- And such methods, SAW by The rules
which read the other day, have entirely gone OUT
in the regular army l believe the navy also SayS
in It's rules that stringing man up by the thumbs
IS not countenanced. If such fool as lams ever
found his way into the regular army and was rash
enough to make Of the remark winch lie maze
the soldier certainly would have been severely pun
ished but sure colonel IN INC ieguiar army
woud not have handled the CASE as
C,o,on., e,reator did Instead Of himself cutting oil
the buttons OF one Of his In the presence OF the
entire command he would have left the matter TO the
captain OF the company 10 which the man Deihse"
and the whole affair would have been accomplished
without exciting half the comment 1t has dVhc' II
is admitted of course, that Iamss cOnudct wa dis
graceful and disloyal but In these dayo % pe"'e
rousr punsment can be inflicted for such conduct as
he wa. guilty Of, without making use Of torture
man suffers untold agony when he is strung up DS Ie
thumbs have talked TO men dnI1ns The "ar ""o
lad suffered In that way and when Inc man j. i''V
hanging by the thumbs until he is unconscious 1t re-
minds one o. the days when the ficA wa re7oi'o'
- -, =. a., mt nbvsical suffering. The
officers and men 81 the Pennsy lvana Guard have dis
PLAYED an admirable spirt and unwavei1ng hdcNN !"
soldierly civic obligations, since they nave D'e
compelled to duty at Homestead ana 1t Is 10 DC
regretted tina, the Iarns Incident should have come mp
to blot au otherwise bameless record Oh uisuhou'o
and valuable service 10 The pdbhc
General g. W NIu-atc was not inclined TO tai@
ahout the Homestead incident lie sad mat inc
isation In Penn va,ia sh uld be regarded ls' 'p'
81 war wege in prOgrc-s. In 1868 just ailcF lu'
LATHE of Gettysburg TROOPS were near freoe'lo
,sty, Nd" said the General yesterday ana a' u,'
t,rnc one of the men OF the 7lsl New YORK; hilh
II va WAS caught in the act ov robbng a coHlIdhe
who WAS Ia a IT. His snperiors hmmehA'eN OF
de~cd his uniform to be taken away from Man, ana le
WIS then dummed out Of camp. liaIi Ms he"o WIZ
also shaved About 100 men followed hun FOR
mile ar more and assisted his pNSress Wuh ANi'''
qrn, was the kind of punishment he GOT That
-. 7 +hiuk was more severe than what va
dealt ont 10 Iams whose onense was greater. ! 40
rot know the circumstances Of the Homestead case
and should not He 10 express an OPINION
Colonel Edward c. James WHO was subsequently
sae, d,d not agre@ with General Wingate' ne was o.
The opinion that t. rob a when he h%d iic III
9. fa.,.d %, ,s,nr every effort al hand - restore
Mu IN ooCscois,,ess was greater olfenSe thah uit
one committed by lams. lie was also OF INC op-io"
that stif1etng a ,lan up by the thumbs unni NC wa
,,,c.o>rions was more severe punishment thaA as
missing a man and then drumming and McK'hs nnl
cut Of camp .,..,
All Of the ipdirnities that soldier fears We'*
sso,ve,ed upon Iarns said the colonel. HIS he"'
WIS shaved, Ids buttons were cut OIL MS u""i' "
IN. n,,,sonre Of his comrades and probably, nhdO"o
edly some Of them III friends nc was oihn'''.
from the service In di grace, was drummed ""' W
CAMP and then, in addition 10 that he Wa IT,