Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1904-10-15
THE COLD WATER CURE.
In the Oregon state = ':its ntiary 10
Has Proved Eacs tive.

In the Oregon state = nits ntiary 10
Has Proved Eacs tive.
The cold water cure has recently
been adopted ut tie Oregon state peni-
Tertiary. with: apparently satisfactory
results. TO, all practical purposes
logging has been abandoned. No rule
has been established prohibiting fog
ging. and if case should be- presented
I'm which all other punishment failed
the lash might be resorted to. but this
is n contingency not deemed probable.
The cold water cure has been found eff
fective in some very obstinate cases.
The cold water remedy consists OF
stripping the prisoner To the skin and
turning upon him stream OF cold wa
ter from an ordinary garden hose. The
infliction of the punishment is not as
brutal as fogging. II leaves no scars
or permanent injuries. and the punish
ment ends the moment the water Is
turned off. A prisoner who has been
subjected TO the punishment once
wants no more of 1t. though he may
be smiling within few moments after
the ordeal is over. Governor Chamber
lain and tie prison authorities are
highly pleased over the result Of the
experiments. for they have been de-
sirous of abolishing the whip.
Only one prisoner has been logged
during this administration. That man
was trllsty and had run away and
upon being captured was given the
penalty always imposed in such cases
up to that time. Since then two prison
ers have been punished with the cold
water remedy. One of them was
big. burly negro. Wien he came to
the prison he was assigned to work in
the shops. but refused to obey orders.
He asserted that he didn't have to
work and wouldn't work. He was
taken to the bathroom. stripped and
stood In n corner. The first squirt Of
water from the hose brought out n
Shrek that was evidence of the effec-
tiveness OF the remedy. After trying
for half a minute to dodge the stream
Of cold water the man gave up and
began to beg and make promises. The
punishment ended. he went to work
and has given no further trouble.
The other prisoner subjected TO the
water cure was white man. For sew
eral months he had been giving trouble
and seemed to find enjoyment in dis
obeying rules even when he gained
nothing by it. Small penalties did no
good. and he was finally warned that
another ofiense would bring severe
consequences. A few days later he
deliberately violated an important reg
ulatiOn and was sent to the bathroom.
He began to beg before the water
struck him. and before a pailful of
water had been used he was complete
ly subdued. Before he had dressed
again he was laughing over the punish
ment but his subsequent conduct has
proved that he doesn't intend receiving
second dose of water cure.
There are men In the Oregon peni-
Tertiary who bear logging scars that
they will carry to their graves. 1t Is
but fair to say that the scars were not
received during this administration.
Some of the men thus punished are
still unconquered and are perhaps
more vicious and more desperate be-
cause OF the method of lnilicting pain.
Many prisoner has sworn that If he
ever gets an opportunity he will take
the life of the officer who laid the lash
across his back. Flogging was de-
grading to both the prisoner and the
man who imposed the punishment.
The prisoner was stripped and bound
and flogged until in many instances
the blood flowed down his back. Not
so with the water cure. The prisoners
are not bound nor cut and bruised.
The cold water cure leaves the offend
ing prisoner with a cleaner body and
apparently more peaceful mind
POrtl nd Ore.yOnian