The sun., 1894-10-31
IN BROCKwAYS DEFENCE.
Mr.. ITTNs SUMMING Up FOR the
ELMIR4 REFORMA TORY.

| or the witussses tailed to Its Aid-Ths
Indeterrirsts Sentence systsr, s-d Pc
role syste- Approved by Great Penoio-
| sIst. Everywhere-Em -Emcscy or Spanking.
Mr.. William NJ. WINS began his summing up
in the Elmira Reformatory investigation yester-
| day. Ex-Judge William l.. Learned and Assem-
! blymau Israel 7. Deyo. the two Commissioners
! from out Of town, came in on an early train.
| Dr. Austin Flint, the medical Commissioner.
| lad engaged the Mott Memorial Hall, In Madi-
| son avenue near Twenty seventh street, for the
use Of the Commission. Mr.. Wins alone repre-
| sented the Reformatory management, Mr.. John
| Is. Stanchheld, the other counsel, having n red
hot campaign for Member OF Assembly from
| Chemung county on his hands The prosecu-
tion was represented by Mr. Frederic X. Cou-
dert and ex-Judge Gilbert.
Mr.. WINS asked for an adjournment until after
election at the beginning OF the session. but ex-
Judge Learned, the Chairman Of the Commits
sion. was opposed to It, and he was compelled to
go on. lie spoke six and half hours. His
speech was mastery presentation Of the evil
dence that had been taken and discussion OF
the merits Of the Rcformatory, the laws under
which it IL operated, and the efficacy and hu-
manity Of corporal punishment as compared to
other forms Of punishment in use in prisons and
reformatory institutions. In opening his argu-
ment Mr.. WINS said!
This action had its origin in the attempt Of n
metropolitan newspaper TO destroy the foremost
institution Of its kind in the world, the one in
stitution which stands for what Is yet the last
word in the science of applied crlminUloHy. The
attack as originally male was an act OF wanton
vandalism In aid Of newspaper treasury, and
rests wholly upon the evidence OF those enemies
of the State and society who have been the most
dangerous and difficult subjects with whom the
In IN inn baa Ian TIA nn1 A.. bay has
fancy in saying that the evidence now before
you establishes two things conclusively: first,
the complete success and praiseworthiness of
the Elmira system. and. second tho crime OF
the New York World In its desperate effort to
ruin the system and its founder"
Mr.. Wins then nalyzed the character Of the
witnesses produced by the World. There
were 49," he said, of whom l OIL were convicts
who have throughout their prison career been
Systematically rebellious, the very type OF the
hardened and irredeemable criminal; who have
no idea, not even the most remote, as to what
constitutes character, or pity, or probity, or
humanity: men who have heen guilty Of
the most unspeakable licentiousness. attempts
to kill. assaults mutiny, drunkenness, and all
the crimes In the calendar within the very prison
walls-it is upon such testimony, and upon this
alone. on the principle c'rium est qt,id inDoSsi-
bile, that the best work yet done in the world in
this department OF science and Of statecraft, is
sought to be ruined. Such IL thing seems incon-
ccivable, except in the light OF the fact that for
certain modern newspapers nothing is sacred.
Claiming to be representative OF public opinion.
they are actuated only by greed for money at
any cost to society or the individuals. Nothing
neither the happiness of the home the pros
perity Of the state. the character OF the good
citizen either in public or private life, the sys-
TEN OF law or the greatest phianthropic insti-
tuton.-is sacred II, by attacking II, circulation
can be increased or income enlarged"
The first legal point the speaker made was that
the complaint in the was indefinite, and SO
drawn as most effectively to appeal to and ex-
cite misguided and erroneous public opinion.
The report OF Mr.. Ltchfield, the State Board
of Charity man who conducted the former
called investigation. was taken up next and dis
sected. CharacterjZing II. the speaker said:
" The report bears on Its face, to any trained
mind, the evidence OF its own falsity and par
and is one OF the most inconclusive
and illogical pieces OF pam phleteering ever done
by person seeking notoriety. and like which
nothing has ever before been done BY any one
cl aiming TO act in judicial capacity"
The findings OF Mr.. Litchfeld were sum
and the answers that the Board Of |
Managers had made 10 the present charges |
comes my duty TO coordinate the facts under |
each title and by way Of summary. 80 con- |
to eoM m ,hs The failure OF the
perjury which the New York World, the lead
Ing vehicle for the contaRion Of crime, has pub
lished Us a chronicle of truth, III furtheranCe Of
it's own despicable and unholy purpose"
First he said, the prosecution was an attack
overthrow IT, This would be denied, he said,
but nothing else could be made OF IL. He men
toned briefly the features Of the system that
placed IT in advance OF other institutions, and
then raped the state Board OF Charities. lie
:" How successful this institution has been and
the remarkable work which II has done cannot
be better proved than by reference 10 the official
documents OF this state, and particularly the
annual reports OF the state Board Of Charities
which tdown To the moment when, as a result OF
The investigation which resulted In the report
before YOU found no word Of praise too great,
state Board OF Charities has been most reckless
y faithless to its duties, that one Of Its mem
we'll Describes as an emssculated sentimental
sn, and the desire for nOtOriety fOstered by the
psTtis', to criminal ,h c0nspiraGGy brought in
criminals accepted Wholesale and without dis
He read extracts OF annual re-
Reformatorr unstintedly, and then said:
II cannot be possible that these reports were
body, which has accepted its mission serious
y and which has come 10 Its work with such
Ireatlunselishness, such sympathy, such Philan;
hropic purpose, should have deliberately and
Without any knowledge Of the facts thus, year
,roval TO the universal praise which the
ilmira Reforinatory has Invariably won from
very one who has examined its methods and
its aims. while. one OF |
Is members. deluded by the World news
'aper. now says, 1t was stigma upon our civili-
alton. No cOmmendattOn can be too high for
/ in the opinion 0f the State Hoard OF Charities
an it he possible that, while the Board was
living such praise IL was neglecting Its duties,
md had pursued its Investigations IN so careless
nd superficial manner that under its very eyes |
system of untold inhumanity and barbarism |
vas in practice the hoard OF Charities the while
eVer seeing IT, never knowing. never cTiticising,
ever condemning, always lending its approval, |
lways COmmending,"
Mr.. lvns took mp the career OF the World |
witnesses next. FOrty-One of them had been in |
risOn before they went tU the RefoTmHtOry and
we're old offenders, In the ReformatOry they lad
ommitted more than 10000 breaches OF disci-
line, ranging from attempted murder down To
ruIikenness.
" And the complaints OF these men," said the
lwyer, consist OF this: That corporal punish
lent is inflicted for the correction OF criminals
o whom the ordinary discipline of the jail had
% terrors; that corporal punishment had 10 be
afflicted In the form OF spankings by what is
known throughout the world the
lother plan, or By confinement from one day TO
week "a cell plaiual IN la nr Ia ha