The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-10-05
PRISON REFORM EXPERTS.
Remarkable Exhibition interesting 10 All
Students Of PenOlOSy 10 be Given.
uOVEL SCHEMES 10 Be DISCU SED.
Uniaue Rotary Prison, Driven py ~"
tic Motor and Hated by SohNios'
Wonderful Change in Jspan'
csc Methods.

This Is to be a great month TINS year
for ali students of the science oil pil'on-
keeping. on the three days peslh"'s
October Z and ending OCTOBER =, al -
hibition Of an sorts OF tnihss ll' 80
To the penolOe =, accothpdliie,vt of New,
ferences il to be held IN the cry VI xyorr
York under the direction OF the Rev I'm
pennlogical Societ Beginning on OcloDe,
IL and concluding October 80. the ahhud'
congress OF the National Prison Assetia
ton of the United States was 10 "aa ~
been held at Austin, Tex put 'nls 80
Considered inexpedient in view Oh INC
o,,fbroak Of yellow fever in the South'
and the congress has been aDdhuoheu.
Judging from what | have seen III a.
,,anca Of the New York exhibition, IL VIII
no decidedly interesting, even 10 .n ''i,,
not specially interested in prlsohhs' ~ VIZ
,rclrde n great variety OF implements U
,,,,ssh,rsnf old and modern; relics OF
potahle crimes curious contributors IIol. a
foreign climes and models OF lno ltloo'
recent improvements In prison apPl,,all1sraa,
besides a great collection OF p' en-
hooks and photographs OF hol t llouS ira
mails and eminent prison retorhSls' 10
,,'ranarstion has been progressing LOT sew
erai weeks under the direction Oh '" 81,
y Round secretary of the New ioaHH
Prison Association. Both IN nl9 NH ~ me
method OF arrangem'h' - 49, WI -
of the best eAnlDlAlDho VI
shown in America. ,,,,e, r,rr
CAN'T GET OUT OF THIS JAIL.
NSanv ~ the things 10 be shown ana
many of the subjects 10 pe ulseua ..' W
he OF entirely local interest 10 NeW ioin
as a matter of course. Dut the ,li' '',
non-escaDable prison model iuduc -,
H. ssne Man as the famous boiler IRON
nrison al OsnegN. cannot Wen IAN W a.
ierest any one. II appears 20 DC a Iga rc
efficient device, and, acco,ul.s ~. nr,,,
ports. il is more cordially hateu ~ ,oa,
mails than any other sort Oh pi''o'
I'm use on this green earth. 80,
tn annearance IL Is much Hike a sreae
r,t iran having also some chaiaclella
,ica suggestive OF the ordinary squi' 80
cage In is like a trap IN that onIo ~
Won cant possibly get out Dy any
iIlar way, but must be released ~ az -, H.
bv the man in charge. IL IS ike w ~
ri cage i'm that II Is rotary. unllke .ns
sopirreI cage, however, It's axis - ~.
bari1ontal hut vertical. and IL docs Hos
roceive its motions from the eNertloilS %
its inmates. but from some GUS, outS.r' -'N'
such as a water or electric nolol' -,
a nrison OF this sort IS composed vi
,bren principal parts the building, con-
sistiug of four walls and rool' III VIZ
is contained, the cage and us eh'IdhSes,
and the central revolving cylinlu.r -
cells Every part Of this cylinder Is n.aIe
80 he hest iron obtainable. and the whole
a. mounted on ball bearings IN sucn VIZ
that n NAV be revolved AT the WIN Oh w
ofiiciaI in charge. SO accurately - ~
cylinder balanced and so Wen ar w
hynrings adjusted that IL is quite easy 10
,,'o,e II nv means Of hand crank and rack
,Lough in actual practice, as above 80
"a The mower OF a motor, either water
ar electric. Is generally used. 90,
VI INGENUITY OF A HIGH CLASS.
In shape each cell Is eNaS.g m e.
hollow wedge, whereof the big end -
Torned bv a segment of the cShhdet
n,,tsidh circular shell. while the smaller
end touches the cylinder core. Inc Iooi,
door and sides OF each cell are nauc
of chilled boiler iron. so haTu tua. Wv, s,,o
o. - temnered chisel or the keenest tle
made would hardly make an impression
,,non II None OF these cells has a door,
,bouqh each has an opening Tor golhs III
and out This opening. however c"n ~ ~
be used for this purpose eXceptlhs VIII
it il exactly opposite CORRESPONDENCE
opcning in the entrance cage, and no Two
cells on the same tier or story may DC
entered at the same time. a. -.
Outside the cylinder of cells, but en-
tirely disconnected with IL, Is the wire
cage. and this looks almost eAaclly ilhe
a gigantic stationary squirrel cage wheel
ct an end. n is made OF thick steel bars,
chilled 10 a hardness fully equal TO tna'
OF the cylinder, but separated from IT.
cylinder and cells just enough 10 De our
OF reach even should prisoner get pos
session Of tools for cutting ms way out
Connecting with IL are the case-llke en-
trance galleries one for each tier, each
containing a double set OF doors. Whet
the prisoners are 10 be taken ou- Tor ex
ercise, or 10 enter upon their dlues II
the shops. they must pass out slngly. tn'
cage being revolved just far enough as
each leaves his cell 10 bring the openlnt
OF the next cell into line with the entrance
cage. and they must enter in similar
fashion. When the last prisoner has gone
in the doors Of the entrance cage arr
locked by one movement OF the hand;
second movement fastens the cage II
place. so that 1t cannot be moved.
The building inclosing such prison
need be no more than a mere she'll o.
brick and stone. and the prisoners may
be watched In their cells al all times from
galleries or balconies on the inside oil
the shells walls.
While this form OF Jail may not hs
adapted TO great penal establishments
n possesses undoubted advantages foi
fails in which only few prisoners gre
10 be confined.
JAPANESE PRISON WORK.
The Japanese exhibit will be OF great
interest also, since IL will depict the ad-
vance i'm prison methods since the rev.
olution OF 1861 In the Empire of the
Chrysanthemums. AT the present time
the prison system OF japan Is second 10
none In the world ana the buildings
and appliances OF the great penal instltu-
ton at Hakkaido are models OF their
kind. Before the revolution, however,
Japan's prisons were naturally built on
barbarian lines. as the accompanying
fac-simile OF native drawings depicting
prison life in the old DAYS. TO be shown
AZ the exhibition. will sufficiently indi-
cate. IL will be observed from the draw
inQs that the prisoners were All hud-
died together on the floor under olahk-
cts AT night, and that the most oarbar-
ous fortunes were sometimes resorted 10.
The tortures shown In this picture, now
eyer. are az nothing compared win pun
ishments that were often inflicted upon
a.,rninaIs i'm feudal days. such as burn
ing ar the stake. crucihxion. implement,
etc. n,,