New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-05
STANDING UPFOR BROCKWAY
THE ELMIRA REFORMATORY INVEsTIGA-
TIoN STARTED AGAIN.
WITNESSES DENY THE CHARGES OF CkCELii
THE STORY OF AN EX-KEEPER.


THE STORY OF AN EX-KEEPER
SUPERINTENDENT Brockway OF the Emira Re-
formatory and his Board of Managers began yes
terday morning at the Fifth Avenue Hotel their de-
fence I'm the second investigation OF the IN
s,ituton and of the alleged brutal treatment
Of the inmates. Judge w. H. Learheu' Vi
Albany; T. Deyo, of Blnghamton. and DR..
Austin Flint. of this city. VINO were ap
pointed by Governor Flower to conduct the inVes-
tlgation. began promptly at 1870 O'CLOCK "essis
StanchAeld and WINS the lawyers for 'he
defence.
Jesse S. McNsh ex-guard nghtwatchman ana
keeper at the reformatory, was the hrst "i'"e''
for the defence Some seventy-two inmates or eN-
Inmates had testified variously that BrocK"aE ma,
struck them on the head with paddle puhcnea
them strung them up from the floor. or khocheu
them senseless McNish said that he had never
seen Superintendent Brockway strike the inmate
Meyers on the head and denied that any one
had drawn knife against Meyers !" '
bathroom He testified further that he mao
seen blood In the bathroom but never Sd" II
aow from anywhere but the nose; that ne had never
heard Superintendent Brockway use PROFANITY anu
that he had him hit inmates on the heau ""e"
they were insuoordinate under punishment. NC
Nish also testified that he had seen an i'o" hoo"
used to haul the prisoners from their cells
Samuel d. Sample, the third and last witness eA-
amIned Yesterday for the defence. fatty denied the
had testified TO brutal treatment Sample mas helo
successfully the positions Of centre-gate Keeper
hall keeper and storekeeper, and head Keeper. ms
testimony was mostly denial Oh tia' Vi '''e "
mates vino had been examined for the prosecutor
nv o'clock Sample had heard and denied every
statement made by thrty-two different Witnesses
AZ nrevous hearings. ana everybody in the room
began TO feel the effects Of this somewhat soporihc
method of procedure. Mr. WINS, the lawyer kept
on as IL ne never intended to stop
%, Won remember the inmate Charles Jonn-
SON a colored man! Ayes.
Odd you see MIN strike Colonel Bryan! A.
Yes
The witness. who gave his testimony coolly and
sometimes humorously. here told OF his encounter
with Johnson After Johnson had hit Colonel Bryan
Sample interfered. and a general hght eisue''
Johnson hit Sample several times and sample re-
taliated with what he admitted were no light
taps"
O Were any wounds inflicted on Johnson? A.
don't remember. . . - =, an ro,,
sons back? Al don't know. It's nara 10 ten
marks on d colored man you know
Judge Gilbert questioned the witness closely
about the story brought out in the previous in
vcs,igatlon that Sample and Whine themselves had
tried the stringing-up process and had hung FOR
several seconds with their feet off the floor He
was going on to ask II curiosity was their only
native in this experiment. and whether II had
proved painful. but Judge Learned objected 10 'he
Tidge Gilbert and the witness here had a rather
amusing discussion on anatomy IN whch me VII
ness bec,mc badly mixed up. and showed that he
was possessed OF some remarkable ideas about the
structure of the human BODY lie mace on, on an,
the Judge. and afforded much mir,h for the
listeners 500. ooro-a,,v
., a rather tedious character and developed little
Of Importance At $50 y. m adjournment was
taken till 10 o'clock this morning.