Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-21
.DROCKNAY'S PADDLE
The Whipping System at
Elmira Reformatory.
HABIT REV FAST
PUNISHMENT OF PRISONERS DE-
MoRALIzED THE OFFICIALS.
Constant Increase in Number Of Cases
Report of the In
vestigators.
HABIT GREW FAST

The widespread general discussion at the
present time Of the whipping post as a
possible corrective and reformatory pun
ishment for wife heaters makes of consid-
cradle current interest and Importance the
report of the investigation Of the Elmira
IN 70 refomnatory by the New York state
board Of charities In 1895. The opponents
OF the whipping post have devoted consid-
cradle effort toward demonstrating that
the punishment of whipping has just the
opposite Of the good moral effect intended.
The conclusions and findings of fact Of the
board go to show, perhaps better than any
thing else, the degenerating moral effect
Of the punishment upon the whipper as
well as the whipped. The conclusions of
the board follow in part:
A Cruel Punishment.
THAT the form of corporal punishment
known as spanking or padding adopted by
the general superintendent, and tacitly re-
cognized by the managers, is very severe
and cruel punishment, capable Of doing Sc
rious injury physically and morally to the
convict punished thereby. and which, If
used at all, should never be applied except
in extreme cases.
'"That spanking or padding as applied by
the general superintendent under the fanci-
full title of physical treatment, is frequently
AiildCtCu ny III d very brutal anu III
human manner. The instrument or paddle
used is a heavy leather strap one foot ten
inches long, three inches wide and nearly
quarter Of an inch thick, affixed to a
in length; the paddle weighs one pound
when dry, and three ounces more when
soaked in water.
That during the spanking the patient is
required to stand with his fingers on the
sill of the window above him and keep his
head turned to the right away from the
paddler, and that If for asking mercy or
from the anguish Of the spanking or from
any other cause he turns his head he is
Immediately struck blow over the head
or directly on the face by the general SUI
perintendent, who Is invariably the paddler,
with the heavy paddle frequently causing
what Is called a black eye, or cutting the
skin Of the face or the head, SO as to cause
bruises, and at times causing blood to flow
from the convfcts nose, so as to daub the
wall In front Of him and the marble floor
sometimes struck with the wooden handle
of the paddle with like effect
Brutality.
THAT very brutal treatment is inflicted
upon any convict who resists the spank
ing or who is slow in disrobing for it. In
such cases two or more powerful assistants
seize the man and usually throw him to
the marble floor, where he is kicked and
pummeled into subsection, the blows being
given on the face, on the head, or in the
stomach. or anywhere that can be reached
This Is done in the general superintendent's
presence and with his taeit approval and
is a regular practice and constitutes a
part of the punishment
1.-THE evidence of other officers and con-
victs satisfies your committee that the pun
ishment inflicted wars of brutal and most
vicious nature. Furthermore, with the
force of robust officers present, such bru-
tally was absolutely unnecessary, for the
testimony shows that many of the con-
victs who suffered It were lads of slight
physique, often weighing less than 100
pounds, while the officers present were al
ways strong, athletic and heavy men,
weighing each from $50 to 225 pounds.
THE evfdencefarther shows that kicks and
blows were frequently administered by the
keepers upon inmates outside of the bath
room, and when the general superinten-
dent was not present That another mode
Of discipline or corporal punishment con-
sists in blows With the open hand or closed
fist given by the superintendent upon the
head or face of convicts brought before
him. t - 80
1.-THE evidence shows that these blows are
often times given with great severity and
that the convict is greeted with them be-
fore word has been spoken to him by the
general superintendent.
How the Padding Habit Grew.
''That the number of spankings or pad
dlings given yearly, as taken from the rec
Ords of the reformatory, is increasing very
much more rapidly than the actual number
of convicts confined in the institution The
general superintendent testifies that he pad
died ten convicts during the first five years
of the early history of the institution. Dur
ing the last five years the number of differ
ent individuals padded or spanked was
1,146, and many of the men were padded
more than once, some of them as many as
ten times, and therefore the total number
of paddlngs is as follows:
For the year ending September 80, 1889,
261 1890, 4SO; 1891. 535: 1892, 621: 1893, 6s1. a
total of 257S.
'Thus the spankings were very few,
amounting only to ten in all the first five
years, during which the number of prison.
ers was 500 or under, or an average of only
two per year. But when, in 1889, the prison
population had increased to 944 the spank
ings had reached PSI, and when, in 1893, the
population had reached 1,409 the spankings
had grown to 6S1. 1t is also to be noticed
that while the population for the year end
ing September 80 1889, was 044. and during
five years only increased about one-half to
/ 400 in 1898, yet the spankings in the same
time had nearly trebled.
'It Is an extraordinary fact, and a PAIN
full one to consider, that this enormous
amount of padding. averaging the last year
in