The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1894-05-10
A BRUTAL OHIO WARDEN.
Victims Beg to Be Shot Rather Tha
Suffer In the Sweat Box.


Suffer In the Sweat Box.
There Is an organization composed of
men who have good deal to do with
criminals, says the Chicago Herald. The
principal object of the organization is
to reform the man who has been con-
vict, provided the man has any inclina-
tion In that direction, or If he has not
become so hardened to prison on ac-
count of repeated cruelty that he can
not reform.
In the Ohio penitentiary at Columbus
there Is large number of convicts,
some of whom are notorious In criminal
history. Extreme measures have been
resorted to in Furnishing offenders But
the org anization referred to in the open
Ing paragraph of this article might find
something to do If it investigated some
of the features of the Ohio penitentiary.
The institution has been very fortunate
under the present Ohio administration.
The legislature has been called to look
Into 1t, but as the present legislature is
part of the political machinery of the
present administration the investiga.
lions of the legislative committee have
fallen short.
A few weeks ago a committee went
to the pententiary warden, after GER
tain rumors had been abroad, and re-
quested to be shown his modes of pun
ishment for recalcitrant convicts. The
warden obliged the committee by show
ing the cellar" the straight Jack
et," the paddle" the 'ducking tub"
and the Cumming bird"
Any one of these punishments is tor
turous 1t is singular fact that the men
who are intrusted to infiict the punish
ment in state reformatories are usually
selected on account of their brutal in
stincts and their fondness for indulging
in the horrible. 1t would not be ex-
pected of a penitentiary management
that 1t would employ kind hearted,
sympathetic man for this sort of work.
But while conceding that some convicts
are so refractory as to warrant ex-
IRENE punishment inflicted Is, for the
most part, brutal and without excuse.
The warden of the Ohio state reform
atory was not satisfied with the "duck-
ing tub" the paddle" and the "hum-
ming bird" as means of punishment.
he has placed in the prison, in addi-
ton, what is known as the "sweat
box" That the punishment inflicted in
this box Is cruel and brutal no other
evidence is wanting than the fact that
the warden kept it concealed from the
legislative committee.
There are six small, rudely construct. |
ed huts within the prison Enclosure.
Each hut Is Just large enough to admit |
an ordinary sized human, and the height
is not sufficient to permit the prisoner
to stand erect. He is placed in one of
these huts facing a plank. In that
plank are two holes that barely admit
the hands of the convicts. The hands
are thrust through the holes and the
wrists are handcuffed. In that position,
In that box, in that agony, any convict
whose conduct may have displeased the
warden or any of his hirelings is placed
and kept until 1t suits the warden's
pleasure, or that of any of his men, to
order a release.
The severity of the punishment of
.hese sweat boxes is said 10 be such
hat convicts who are sentenced to en-
lure 1t beg to be shot rather than
uffer.