Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-02-23
MEN WERE BEATEN
Also Were Kept on Bread and
Water in the Dungeon
Startling Testimony Regarding House Of
correotion-Was There a Plot to Save
Mary Rogers7

Was there a pot to prolong the life Of
Mary Rogers through legal trickery e?
This Is the question which has been
asked since the hearing at Bellows Falls
on tuesday of the committee to investi-
gate state institutions. Supt. w. S. Low
ell OF the prison at Windsor testified that
after signing the returns in the Rogers
case, made by Atty.-Gen. Fits. he was
told by Mrs Rogers's counsel. Butler and
Maloney and Il. 3. Finn. that he might
get into trouble. He consulted Judge
Waterman of Brattleboro, who advised
him to the same effect. After this Mr..
Fits had the returns made over, chang
ing the phraseology to close confinement
instead of solitary confinement Mr. Low
ell said that Butler and Maloney offered
him service of citation which he ac-
cepted on their statement that II would
reduce expenses. He was not aware Of
the nature of the document. which stated
that the case of Mary Rogers should be
entered at the supreme court the first
day of the term Instead of 30 DAYS after
date. as is the usual form The result
would have been that when the necessary
time for the motion to be made had
elapsed II would have brought the hear
ing after the Thanksgiving recess and a
decision could not have been made before
Dec. s, the day of the execution. This
would have necessitated another reprieve.
Atty. Gen. Fits discovered what Mr.
Lowell had done in time and caused
another citation to be drawn
John Perkins of whitehall N Y, who
was discharged from prison a few DAYS
ago after serving a seven years sentence
for horse stealing, charged Supt. Cakes
and Warden Harpn with cruelty. He
claimed that he was struck with a heavy
brass cell key and knocked senseless and
told of other prisoners being beaten
Some startling testimony was given at
~ h. ~,
Wednesday by Philip f. Petrie. a former
prisoner, who told OF cruel punishment
administered to prisoners by the officials
for trivial causes. JohA f. MCGUIRE ..
Rutland. another prisoner. claimed thai
men were placed in the dungeon as long
as ten days at time to subslst on bread
and water and with only the bare floor
to sleep upon.
Petrie claimed that in 1904 when he was
detected in writing an anonymous letter
to Prison Director Woodin he was sent
TO the dungeon seven days with a thin
slice Of bread and a cup Of water as his
only nourishment for each a hours. Pc
tries letter accused John Holland and
VIM. Borden, keepers with sleeping on
duty and striking prisoners with clubs He
said that man named Burno. from Ben
nington, too weak to work, fell into the
sewer from sheer weakness and was COM
PEELED to clean his clothes and resume
work. He said that James Borden and
John Quirk, guards, were guilty of kick
ing and beating Burno and that two days
after Borden struck him several times
Burno died. Petrie testified that
Michael Carroll. who died IN 1902 had no
medical treatment. He told at some
length OF the beatings inflicted by Guards
Borden and Holland upon a Polander
Borden was alleged to have struck the
man over the head with a club drawing
blood and knocking him to the floor