The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-22
CoNYICTS GOING INSANE.
ILhRMING INCRBAsE OF CASES At
GROW HILL.

wear NchEly - many hhhNO eOne mn0-Ih0 |
Result Duo TO Compulsory Idiencss A
Decision That Will Mako Matters Worse.
Five OF tho seven convicts in tho Kings
County Penitcntiary who were declared insane
by . special commission in lunacy appointed to
examine into tho mental condition OF tho
prisoners were taken to tho Matteawan State
Asylum for Insane Criminals yesterday. The
Eve. all Of whom are serving sentences for
crimes against tho laws Of the State Of New
York, are:
oARnoII, JonS. sentenced from westchestorc county
for assault April 81, 1897.
CLARK. PATRICK. sentenced from Richmond county
for one year for robbery.
LOOMS, GEoRaE, sentenced from Brooklyn In Feb
ruary, 1899. to one years imprisonment and to pay q
nne OF 5000, for manufacturing burglars tools.
Loomis was TO stand ommitted until his nno was
paid. He 10. therefore. doing time in payment OF the
nne.
TAYLOR, HENRY, sentenced from Brooklyn in May
for vagrancy for three months.
zELuTT. MINOR. sentenced Feb. "a. 1897. from Rich
mond county.
Besides these John w. East, sentenced from
Virginia to four years for robbing the mails, and
John Hall, sentenced from the southern district
Of Florida TO three years for a similar offence,
are United States prisoners who have been also
declared insane, and are still hold in the peni-
Tertiary pending orders from Washington as to
where they shall DO transferred.
This Is the record of the development Of in
sanity In the Kings County Penitentiary in q
little less than two months. and tho wrecking of
minds is still going on. Tho day before yester-
day Alfred Smith, sentenced from Fort Smith.
Ark, Nov. -, 1898, to twenty-four years for
train robbery, went stark mad, and yesterday
morning John Keenan,, another United States
prisoner, lost his mind. Tho latter two have yet
to be officially declared insane.
It 10 not an unusual thing for ~convicts in
State prisons and penitentiaries to become in
sane. 1t Is for the purpose Of properly caring
for the criminal insane Of this State that tho
asylum at Matteawan was established. 1t Is un-
usual, however. for SO large a number Of con-
victs In any prison 20 lose their reason within so
short n time. Those not acquainted with tho
facts might conclude that there must be some
thing radically wrong with the management of
tho Kings County Penitentiary. But the
official who inBpects State prisons whero Fed
eral prisoners arc confined stated in his last re-
port that the Kings County Penitentiary was
tho best conducted and best appointed prison Of
any In this country where Federal prisoners are
incarcerated. Tho New York State Superin-
terdent of State Prisons In his annual report
had nothing but praise for the management of
the Crow Hill institution.
The reason that conviots there arc almost
daily going mad is tho Same reason that convicts
In frightfully largo numbers are losing their
reason in other prisons Of the State. Since Jan.
/, when tho law prohibiting convict labor by
contract went into effect, tho ~convicts in tho
State prisons have had little or nothing to do
but sit In their cells. The result Ia that the men
become craZed.
In the Kings County Penitentiary. yesterday
there were 76R convicts. OF these about sixty
were women. Since Jan. l the majority Of these
c%onvicts have been compelled to spend twenty
or the mhl0 DriaOQerA about Eeyenty-Hye have
boon provided with work in those OF the ~peniten-
thy Cyy, se 99o that that The so law per- permits hts to 20 be m operated nnaI
the grounds and roads about the institution. As
to the remainder OF th I, male conyicts, the two
take exercise by walking is the only time of ao-
tyttL they have known since Jan: l.
shops 8 to- to a pissr' work. * ' IN o tdeT' that amP't tks une snc
plloyed ~convicts may find employment. The only
great extent, skilled labor. Every man in the
prison. who, BY trade, Is a carpenter. tinsmith.
shops. as well as some who can run machines
IG1 order @sa'1 g s SHIT thssss sn msn snd put MiEe in n1 @en whc
know nothing about the trades II would require
9 corps Of Instructors which the prison law
As bad Is ali this is. a worse state of things
few ~oonvicts employed in the shops is the peni:
Dor law. requires that ' the State. or the polit
tared In the State sgd county penal institution
whenever II is certified TO the proper officers
e ssors sss . sss'e such Or so sas are PSlls5 sias @ aiSaslG%,
tSredt The only ,EP o KiHd. d Hiydsntr ps Of the
tiary is % the city Of Broo HEya' o In coSmpliane e
with the Law. the Commissioners OF Charities
and I Gorree cti Of Of K sbn &c. county IN recently on sent y, !, q
city departments of Brooklyn. which begins al
HTThi; department wishes to inform you tina,
wo are prepared to furnish the following line OF
articles In any quantities. made, we believe, al
and hope for orders from your departmsnt. in
compliance with the laws of the State of New
may b obtained from the ,peniteptiary., III.
%eSsn's tn snd Sh nsH,si OS SElosthiGn Satbs ooits m shoes
and stockings; broSms Of all kinds id and In a,
q Brushes. bedstesds. IRON and Wood. and woVsI
wire and all other kinds OF mattresses. tip anc
sssd prepared s tc Do all fh finas t q p GG % m saa t
furnish collins for the pauper and criminal dead
Since his circular was sent out, the only ordS'I
one %ysf from the h Police DsR art hem ,o Other he o order
expressed by Corporation Counsel Burr that tn,
the Commissioners Of Charities and Correction
ri oi ehs goods st ordered ths sim? Mr. an BURR SIae has S Hsw st son
opinion was a bad one. and he has made a ney
ruling. Now he holds that a city is not a "po
utlcQl division or a stale, ana, therefore,, In
city of Brooklyn may buy for its various dc
partments no goods whatever manufactured ii
the penitentiary.
The result OF this ruling will compel the Com
missioners OF Charities ana Correction to shu
down all work in the shops within IA week or tel
days. or course. work will continue in tn
bakery. The only pretext upon which the fey
shop workers can be kept at work now Is +
Hse up tho stock on hand. When thi
Q done there will be goods on ham
tiary, tho almshouse, and the hospita
for . long time to come. Therefore. within tw
weeks, at the most, the only employment for al
the male conyicts in the institution will be wha
pottering jobs can be found for them on III
roads adjacent to and on the grounds about tn
prison and about tho building itself.
From Jan. /. 1896. TO July 81. 1896. the aver
ago number OF prisoners, male and female. i
the penitentiary was 1000. During that tim
there were nineteen insane prisoners in tn
institution. some OF whom were really insan
when they were taken there. From Jan.
1897. to July 81, 1897, the average humble
Of prisoners. male and female, has been az
During this time eighteen have gone insane an