The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-10-10
THE ELMIRA INQUIRY.
EVIDENCE BAD AGAINST WARDEN
BE0CxWAK
Pris Said ia Have Been shsmsfuiiy
Pounded and bruised With the PsddIs.
Other Cases Of Alleged Brutality.

ELxrRA, N. Y, Oct. i0.--Ths Elmira
rsformatory Investigation com mittoe con-
tinued its inquiry at the rsformatory at 0
=. m. The committee deems the most I'M
portant testimony yet adducsd to be the
statement Of Superintendent Brockaway
under oath on Saturday that the board OF
managers did not designate the punish
ment In vogue ~ they are required by law
TO do. Mr.. Richard j. Murray, who was
employed n overseer In the printing de-
partment from March until June this year,
testified:
my attention was nrst called to the
disciplinary measures used Ia the prison
one day in May when q young man named
Murray was padded. Later ! took him
into the printing department. Soon after
he was reported for talking and taken to
the bathroom, and when he returned ] did
not know him. His left eye was swollen
and black and blue. There was a spot
under his arm the size OF an orang
There was a lump ON his forehead, and the
skin was cut. The cut was about three
inches on the cheek. Then / was away for
three weeks and when l came back / in
quired for Murray. He was then In the
hospital, but the next day was taken out
and buried. Murray was about IS years
old, and his home was In Boston"
Here Judge Gilbert asked the witness
what Murray said when he came back
from the bathroom. Mr.. Stanchfeld OBJ
jected. After discussion between counsel
the witness continued:
"When he returned ! asked him where
he had been. He said every time be re-
ceived a talking report he was sent to the
bath room. He said he received the ridge
on his face during a spanking. When he
turned mis- head be was strack In the face.
81 saw a young fellow named O'Laugh-
lin in the yard doiES military duty who l
thought should have been In the hospital.
A month interviewed between the time
Murray was taken to the bath room and
the time he died"
On cross examination to questions pro.
posed by Mr.. Stanchfield witness testified.
1T was not my duty to notify any one
of Murray's condition and / did not do so.
There is q rule forbidding overseers or
monitors from conversing with prisoners,
but J broke this rule several times.
81 was discharged for giving tobacco to
inmates in violation of the rules. The
man to whom / gave the tobacco was taken
to a solitary cell when it was found on
him. II was a monitors duty to notify
the superior officer OF the illness of convicts.
] saw hurry talking with DR.. Wey, the
-...,Ioot - 49,. H1u~I - ~ano~. vvo~L
before he was taken to the bath room.
Murray had a cut on the cheek about three
quarters of an inch long.
81 have seen other prisoners on the way
from the bath room after treatment with
their faces cut and bruised 10 return TO
work. / remember a man who was taken
from n cell next to mine one night about
0 o'clock by the night Waterman to the
guard house.
1.-THE next day he was given q course of
padding treatment In the bathroom.
which confined him to bis cell bed two or
three weeks, and then came to be photo
graphed, in which department ! worked.
He was bruised In the small Of the back,
and his back was broken out. / received
four blows with the paddle on my naked
back and two over the head as l turned
during the punishment. My back was
black and blue for a week or ten days.
The back of a man named O'Brien came
up to be photographed. ! noticed hat his
back was very much broken up from pad.
ding. ] was reduced to the convict grade
twice for fighting."
Chief Clerk Hoppe then produced the
record regarding the punishment sdminis-
tered to young Murray, showing be had
been to the bathroom four times; was ad-
United 70 the hospital March 80, and died
there on June 10 last. The cause of death
was given as influenza pneumonia. At
this point Commissioner Craig said that
officers of the institution would he ex-
cluded during the testimony of inmates.
Judge Giltert said the prosecution
wished to show by the witness that Mr..
Brockway had performed punishments
which he denied. The witness then con-
tinued:
"When / was working about the soil
tary | noticed a man chained to his cell
door for over ten days. These cells were
in a filthy condition. / saw Mr.. Brock
way fell a prisoner in the yard and fall on
him. He struck this prisoner with a cane
which / think he obtained from Mr.. Nc
Keloy. saw the latter strike a prisoner
on the head with a cane in the presence OF
Mr.. Brockway. The latter told McKeloy
to shoot the prisoner, when he gave up a
clay pipe which was the cause of the
trouble. / put on a dozen dark doors on
cells. They were portable aud could be
moved to any cell.