New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-02-12
THE DANNEMORA CRUELTIES
CHARGES OF TNHUMAN TREATMENT sUS-
TAINED.
THE MANAGEMENT SEVERELY CENsURLD By TIL
INVESTIGATING COMMISSIoN-CHANGES
RECOMMENDED.

w.
the State Prisons. to-day made public the report
6led with him by the commission, comprising
Oscar Craig. president OF the State Board of
Charities: William f. Round, of the State Prison
Association. and Secretary Lewis Bach. of the
State Board of Health, which has been invcStl2at-
inc pubshed charges of cruel and lnhumah
treatment of convicts and other mltters affecting
tho disciplinc administration and affairs OF Gin
+on Prison at Dannemora. The report covers the
work and dongs in the prison for the last t"eiN'
vcars The testimony was taken or 1ortNeA
nrisoners twenty-three keepers. thirty-hvc guards
thirtv-6ye outside citizens and several other per
sons in official capacity now or formrN cohhec'eu
with the prison The commission says IN part
rh co,noreal punishments Of prison have been I'd
rnis,o,cd in four NODES TO Wit By padding by rues
by process of stretching on one arm succcsNoH III
OF time, and BY dungeon or screen Ve'' - ,.h
the dungeons or screen cells has been cotcnhoH' WIN
tho succossve rrods Of the other three forms Il puhi>
ment Padding mostly, but not enufeN u.sco''' ~
after the order Of Superintendent EaAef' ua''U
1883 was issued forbidding it. The 'Nng-up pioNcs
has been by means OF cord secured WIN Or "l''"' "
bandcun TO one wrist Of subject and fastened 10
fixture overhead The tension has been "uch "S 10 '
the painfully when long continued a c,u and
the feet left to rest entirely on the erouho "'u
In many such as TO lhI "V
.nd I'm other cases as raise the balls Of tn iooV ~
the ground. The duration OF this 'tyms'up p'
under strong tension has been from lew hl'hu.''
hour or ,uore and under less painful tension mas p
from early evening prolonged Indefinitely sometime" '
nornng or for eighteen hours or more. This uhI'n"
usually has been continued in the presence =" o
warden or the principal keeper or tne prison phSS'
aud sometimes it has administered by inferior ocefS
at night 10 stop noise disturbance under seheI@'
,ovcr from the principal keeper. The punishment W
puleys was by Of cord about ohe-quMVef Z" "n
inch in diameter bound about both wIlSoN DrouH"'
,oce,her and drawn up an overhead system
h Ground with his whole weight suspended on the sn0
cord about his wrists The duration ot tms process o
punishment which in persons OF the same weight denotes
the degree Of its severity. was for two minutes or less "a
6reen and TWENTY-FIVE minutes and more one case snow"
reaching ffty-fve miouts IL i p'oN'u N' '
the cases in evidence tainted.
Punishment by padding was administered III ''r Su"'
room The paddles made OF two hcknesscs OIL soio
leather stitched the edges, "hch were "iIeo " ~
irrbe wide on the blade and with the twisted handles
,hc same material were twenty inches long n
blows by means such raddles were inhcteo On inc va
eesh Of the putocks Of the subject who wac IN poso
bnt across frame called chair or horse with MS i''o
downward his feet encased in fixed shoes aV 'hs o
on one side his aims secured by wristets atnchoo 70
bar about one foot from the ground on the other % M
his thighs and back fastened with leauler sl"pS'
or similar device, was formerly USED ID ohrI pii7'9
Tboprh the number OF blows kept unoer tMIVN pVi
ho, in the majority Of cases it not an extraordinary
occurrence in which prisoner received iorN VI nv
blows. These three modes of punshneh' "eie i'NN ~
being besides many lesser punlshinci's' y" '
several in one week, anu III Une S'N"' '
for failure in work. -. ill.,
The punishment by solitary confinement OIL noi 49,
ence has been applied not in ordinary eeLls' ou III M
coils or dungeons, and D screen Cells Inv 49, 80, aa
have sometimes been used for detention puo "he" ~
g., rupishnent have differed from the dungeons only "a
tfrissa IN Il few OF tight; anu zach e"rS VI p
ishmeot cell devoid OF all furniture oA0ep'
80. not oven a board having been provided Tor pro-
lection against the tagging The short rauonS III
,he cells are four ounces bread and one gill OF water
evev twentyfour hours. The ordinary periods of sueh
connncment have been from five or SIX days Inc
evidence shows neglect by late physician Dr. eHlu
in making official visits convicts 80 immured'
Tho hvgienic condition hospltal has been ere"'S
improved under the direction OF the present p' S.Vi
and the sanitary condition OF the entire prison Is ecce
rh food s Good and has good as the satuU'f!
limits OF prison dict admit and the complaints 10 inc con
trafy entirely dspfovtd. -, aoo,,
Tho nublisbd charges against the nnancla management
d .rar. Of the agent and warden are entirely di'pro'd
~ " 49, tnv...io.t,on OF tic said charges did not
disclose anv irregularities OF finances or accouh,''
The agent and warden has been ignorant VI '"''' '
abuses and evils under his administrations
Tho Commission comes TO these general cohcIu-
sions from the facts found:
.c, ocont and warden has violated TIC directions ana
nroyisions Of the Revised statutes IN he9iecun4 " " :
,o,d ,or entries OF complaints, or 10 poNlue "'""' ~
,o,s 20 mako comDaints % teach the p,IsoheH VI
direct the labor Of the prison, win so7 OF PioS t
eoee 10 fitting those OF The hist class 7" "' snch
dscha Or
.ersunnort OF prisoners Of the second oiaS' VI
80 -. quarterly reports OF the chaplain he "'
also violated express njuncuons anu ui'e -
tho Revised Statutes in permitting anu ~ -.
cases personeIy ordering punishHeh's oy s,,in, 70
r,lIevs and by stretching on one wiist' anu III , an
1,,. an unusual punshnicnts solitary cohhhe"enC "
short allowace subject TO the daily hspoc"o" ~ . ,ho
,,on q, the prison physician, ana III ooh9o"7 80,
direction or continuance Of any punsh"e"'' -
officers. , 49,. ,,.,r,c that the se
nunsh,nents have not teen in VIOLATION OIL 'n' NV -,
,nr,nc,nai keeper has violated the la" N sIN'"t ~
-, 20 keeners TO stretch and 70 "cun up pr'So"e
po",i ,s claim m the construction Of the law The
,uni.hmen,s have .ften been severe sometimes ooue'
On the line OF excessive severity, anu ~,
In eyid nee crossing such line INTO cruelty .
Most of the offences for which severe pun ', "
,,-o hoen inflicted have been directly or lhoiie0'H
caused by superior officers in falling TO employ co''1
and properly qualified keepers perhaps uhl'r u'
OF political conditions; and ID iaIhns u ,ya,,s
of the prisoners IN q variety oi sueh tr'uc7 III" :.
a. vould hos, fit them respectively accoiuh3 u
their several capacities, fV self-support OH .oii
and at the same time employ them io' u'o " '" 81, Il,
q, Tho nrt.on I'm industries which. account OF usi
former pursuits or present abilities wouid give 'hc nv
nroauet with the least friction. and la iahe u p'o
individual or personal government or treatment VI ~
convcts. Mos. the severe punshnchta ao'''' ~ ~
t.en retributIvc rather than remedial OhhOoh '''
10. nat been maintained on actual sysem. and Ia iacC
q. the statute directs the reformation o cohNc''
committed 10 H.
Tho commission makes these recommendations
The following Ciicers should DC dl'ch'fg,u' "u w ~
.dv Guard McGrew Keeper McGo"n ana hc'Pcr w"
o., ti, Iecn ,ntoxIcatcd and Guati Fee han Tor Not
,o, Of the lules prison and OF the provisions Vi W
Penal Cace Keeper Lewis should b. iepr'u 'e'u 'O -
.essive profanity and rough tondnt hscm '"'VS oo,
bv a discharge or otherwise should be iu'eu III" ~,
n 90 he anponted free from political influence anu IL
s,rIc. accordance with the Civil Service iule''
Certain proyislo6s for the security ana "eaic oi t
prisoners should be made Larger cells are h'"ed ~
.s,,,n. nhyslcian IS required 20 relieve The C'efou
don.a nr,so, physician. The shirt factory "hich loch
and excites the fears the conVcts cohhnd ths'c " III
u.e winds which the elevated site oi inc pil'o'
,,, ,,roo,es as well as for their saiety IN fact
MANN, nancr should furnishe1 for closets.
The three modes OF punishment should be aoosca pl
the warden and prohibited by the superintendent whh
there is difference OF opinion among 'he members y,
eor,,o,sson ON the merits OF the form OF luhishmeh
h adl,nc ~ administered under proper Icsulaons all