The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1894-04-20
CRUEL PUNISHMENT
scrNfs M cHABtes ButDcs NOVEL
wfpr srRlCrly TRUE


bee MOI been touched Wy the intensely thrill
ing stories IT prison life contained in it and
felt deep sympathy with the poor sufferers
whose terrible experiences are so wildly
toldi No one, we would assert The story
reads like highly colorcd fiction yet ov.
cry word of 10 Is absolutely true
Very few people may be- aware that this
celebrated book was founded ON the cruel
ties prncticcd in the birmingham Jail IN
the years 1852 and 1853 Indeed. the orig
inal Of the character Of Evans, the human
tarian, still lives, aud In fact is even now
/ In the service of the prison authorities. lie
I Is Mr.. William Brown, the chief warden Of
/ wnson Green Jail, Birmingham. and
| may times he has been offered large re-
muneratton 20 appear on the stage e. play
| the part OK himself in an adaptation Of
/ Rcade's brilliant novel
Ills story g. indeed a sensational one and
/ forms r. wonderful chapter OF prison life in
/ the fiftios, aud also contrasts in a striking
manner the treatment Of prisoners now
adopted.
In 1852 Lieutenant Austin was appointed
| governor OF Wuson Green prison. n had
formerly been in the navy, and in that -erv-
ice had forcod himself TO the conclusion
that discipline was everything. lie TOOK a
delight in severe punishment and ccnsll-
cred that breach of prison discipline WIS
a crime almost greater than that for which
a prisoner entered jail. He pinned dis
faith to constant threats of punishment
and an almost perpetual use of thosa bar
barOus tortures, the collar, strait Jacket,
dark cells and crank labor
1t was in 1853 that the public first had
their suspicious aroused that cruelties Of a
gross character were being practiced in the
Birmingham Jail In that year 15-year
old boy committed suicide in order TO e,-
cape tortuous punishment. The facts that
came out at the inquest highly incensed
the inhabitants.
1t was proved beyond doubt that strait
Jackets were constantly used as punish
ment for the smallest ofTense, such a. the
inability of prisoner to fulfill the amount
of crank labor set him, or for talking to
another prisoner, or for using bad language.
These jackets were provided with per
fectly rigid collars 10 inches long, - inches
deep and one-quarter inch thick. The pris
oner was first mufiled in the jacket, with
his arms tied together on his breast, and
then strapped so tightly at the back that
it was impossible to insert finger between
the strap and the flesh. The leather collar
was then fastened on in such manner that
1t cut the chin and neck and prevented any
movement of the head. Then the prisoner
was fastened up to the wall of his cell in O
standing position. This punishment was
terribly painful and yet it frequently last.
ed for hours, and on occasions boys Of u
were kept in such positions from o O'Clock
in the morning until 10 at night
Very often they tainted and were ther
brought round by liberal application Of
water, which was thrown on them from
buckets.
The prisoners in this position were fed by
warden, who broke up the bread anC
placed IL in the prisoners mouth. Some
times, however, the collar was SO tight thai
prisoner could not swallow bread or water
Among the labor boys had to perform
was the turning of crank handle with
10 pound pressure upon it for 10000 revo
lutions between sunrise and night. ST
many revolutions had to be made before
breakfast, so many before dinner, so many
before supper. If the required number wa.
> not completed before breakfast, no break
fast; if not completed before dinner, II,
dinner; If not before supper, no supper, ~
that n weakly man or boy would go
= whole day without food, and would thinl
himself lucky if Mt 10 o'clock at night h
J lOU eight ounces OF brown bread and pin
of water.
y During the whole of the time these abom
Unable cruelties were being practiced, tn
chaplain and Mr.. Brown were doing thei
utmost to relax the terrible prison disci
+ pline adopted by the harsh governor. The
worked together with will, and many
many times have prisoners fallen on thei
!, knees in thankfulness for timely succo
y which had been rendered them.
At length, at the demand of the inhab
tants of birmingham, a royal commissio
of inquiry was held to inquire into the trut
of the allegations The whole of them ver
found to be true.
One particularly pitiable case was tina
of boy named Edward Andrews, abou
whom, in the name of Josephus, Read
gives true and heartrending account. Nj
Brown has vived recollection of this poo
boy. He was sent to Jail for three month
for stealing four pounds of beef He wa
very weak, but was Notwithstanding pu
to the crank.
One day the chaplain, Mr. Sherwin, wa
attracted to the boys cell by cries of "Mul
derl" He found the boy crying piteouslN
and he said he was being starved. He wa
in the strait jacket at the time, and tn
chaplain tried to insert one of his finger
between the collar and the boys neck, bu
failed. Mr.. Brown happened to be pas,
g ing at the time, and he slackened the strap
on his own responsibility and greatly n
lieved the little sufferer.
Several times after this the boy was pur
ished by order of Austin, and on many o.
casions buckets Of water were thrown owe
him. Once Brown found the boy strappe
,, to the wall, and on being released he fe
- to the ground insensible. On April 27 b
put an end to his sufferings by committin
suicide in his cell.
Austin was afterward tried at Warwic
assizes for his diabolicall i'll treatment an
was sent to Jail for three months.
He is now, like the ajority of the actor
in this dreadful drama, dead, but NJ
Brown still ofiiciates as the chief warde
in the prison and takes a most kindly il
terest in any prisoners who are DESTROYS {
reforming hemselyes-I ,ondon Tit Rita