Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1905-08-25
lnbuman Treatment of Prisoners
Charged by the Shoe Work
ers' Journal.
ARE CHAINED TO HARD FLOOR
Also Claimed That Men Are Thrown
Over Barrel and Cruelty Flogged
With Strapped on Bread and
Water For Days at Time When Ire
of Officials is Aroused.


RICHMOND. VA. Aug. Virginia
people will be Interested in an article
which appears III the last number Of
the Shoe Workers Journal regarding
alleged abuses of convict labor in the
Virginia pcnitentiary. The Shue
Workers Journal is Il monthly publ
cation and describes itself as the Off.
eiai publication Of the Boot and Shoe
Workers Union. Tho article referred
To is written by Coils Lovely and IS
devoted to descriptions OF tho lCgiSa-
tive methods of treating prisoners
employed in the various penitcntiarips
OF the country. 1t says of the Vir-
Sinia pcnitrntiary:
Describes The Cross"
Because intend To describe the
methods Of employing prisoners and
the varieties of torture used I'M New
England in a later article | shall de-
Ter specific description of some Of
the atrocities peculiar to that section
uf the country ut this time and take
up The Cross, Il particularly cruel
system of punishment that the con-
tract system is responsible for in tile
Virginia penitentinry at Richmond, Va.
The Cross is so named because the
convict is pni0ncd to the floor in
much the same manner that he might
batfas tenear til s,iiiS n,iTf & tScross r.. Iia1
rs laid fiat on his back on the hnrd
floor in II cell absolutely hare and dark
with his arms outStrctched and his
wrists and ankles fastened In n rigid
position. There he is confined from
one to six days, lie is released for Il
luncheon OF bread and water at meal
times and is taken out at night SO
that he may sleep enough to bear the
tedious tortures OF the following day.
fIogged Over Barrel.
The prison authorities ut this same
institution have, too, Il convenient but
meme the less cruel custom of throw
ing convict over n barrel. stripping
off his clothes and laying the flesh
on his back and legs open with n long,
thick strap. AS will be seen from
the Illustration. the victims feet are
Shackled and one guard holds him by
the wrists while the other applies the
lash"
The article Is illustrated with two
very crude pictures. One of them
represents an elderly man In convict
earb, stretched on floor with his
arms outstrctched and bound down by
manaclcs anu his feet chained 10
ring III the Noor. Ondernealh 1t Is the
legend: THE Cross harbarous
system Of punishment that is In use
in the Virginia pcnitcntiary, Rich
mond, Va
The Flogeinq Process.
Another picture represents n half
naked white man stretched face down
over what appears to be a fruit basket
He is kicking up his heels with some
appearance of endowment while n
white hoy is holding his wrists and q
man with horrible countenance wear
ing what looks like a fireman's uni
form is swinging strap The opera
ton is being conducted in yard with
a wall about six feet high and wood,
en- gate and n background of distant
nils. According To the caption. this
is said to be "Flogging convict over
barrel; Il convenient and popular
method of punishment. also employed
III the Virginia penitentary,"