Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-08
PRISON PUNISHMEN T.
or nL-TRkAT-
MKNT AT MoUNDsvuLK.

II A1M "a AVO&1 40 v AAAxSx3s
Complaint has been made to the Depart
| ored. against the management OF the West
Virginia penitentiary at Moundsville. John
son has just finished serving q ten-year
sentence for mansiaughter. he having been
sent from this. city to MoundsviIle, Febru-
| AIRY IL. 1900. He alleges that the prisoners
from the District OF Columbia are partfcu-
larry singled out by some Of the prison ON
Gals for severe punishment because. ~ tho
guards ailege, they try to run the institu-
don.
Johnson told OF the aevertty OF the sew
eral forms Of prison punishment. Of alleged
Ill treatment Of the sick. and said the food
| furnished the prisoners us not At for hog
feed" He added that all the food lie cooked
by q steam process. and that while cabbage
and other vegetables are boiling the cooks
| stand over the pots with large dippers and
removing with 1t nearly all the substance
| from the vegetables. and leaving to be
served to The cOnvicts but q PUPPY and
fasteiess mass. He added that meats are
| never cooked with tho vegetables to give
them favor. and that the meat served to
the convicts Is almost always fat and sristiy
and Is issued In small quantities and only
| three times q week johnson also CHARGED
| that the meat Is frequently tainted and
unfit for food.
Food Unit for Use.
| In general. johnson stated that the food
Is not fit for human use, and declared that
\ he has knowledge of a sick COW and hog
being slaughtered and the meat fed to the
prisoners. He also alleged that vegetables
are brought from the gardens surrounding
| the penltentiary and dumped into the cooking
pots without removing the stalks from the
neads OF cabbage or the earth that c,ings to
them The beans are never washed, he
added. and the convicts frequently picked
from them pebbles and other foreign SUBJ
Stances. Should a convict leave any of the
tnha liable 1000 on his plate he is pun
| isned Tor wasting part Of the food supply.
The convicts are engaged In tho man,Ifac.
ture OF many articles that are sold on the
general gen market by the contractors. who pay
the state Tor the services of the prisoners.
IN the enamel shop. Johnson stated. the
oaily task was formerly fifteen dozen arti
cies, but some OF the men commenced to
than an att ne. extra money by dipping more
twenty-nve dozens. and later to thirty-two
oozen9 similar increases Of the ta ais wero
M a1aoe IN otner departments. he said In cases
OF rush orders from the contractors IohrA
son said. the men who are onIv s,,rno.a,
70 work nine hours are compelled to toll
from ITO o'clock in the morning to o:c,ocs
ne,iad ~ In .ne tailor shop a man is COM
peneo 20 press pair Of pants in three min
fshed. severely pun
Divided Into Three Grades,
me convicts are divided into three grades.
The first grade are required to wear hin.
| prison clothes and are allowed IN wit.
70 their relatives twice each month n thew
are not on the black list" and are allowad
10 see their friends once month for TWEEN
" minutes. The second grade wear a
checkered uniform and are allowed to write
70 their relatives once a month and to Goo
their friends once In two months for twenty
minutes The third. or worst grade wear
sme CONVEX stripes and are deprived Of all
such privileges. third-grade convict is
not allowed to take book from the Hbrarv
One on the black list is not allowed to a..
reha tne religious services Sundays in the
prison chapel. nor Is any third-grade prfs-
oner allowed to write to relatives or tn 70.
ceive mail Of any kind
Ine most serious offenses according tn
Johnson. are taking in line or in the dining
in the manufacture of the convict goods A
man who accidentally spilled oil ON the
Unread he was using was sentenced to three
noars- at the gate" That is. he was hand
cdned to the door Of his cell for the period
named at the close of the working day
Major and Minor offense.
Breaches of discipline are classed as mai.
or and minor offenses. the determination
being left to the captain of the guard.
a dislike to a prisoner he can make Nfe I'M
bearable for him. He also asserted that
the prisoners from the District Of Columbia
are given more severe punishment than
! those from the state of West Virginia.
The punishments inflicted on the conyicts
| dark dungeon in the cellar on bread and
water. 1t was declared. The bath" or
cold wa4er cure. Is another form of severe
punishment. AS described by Johnson, the
r1rfc nrn tn txa t-l< l.
on a raised platform after being stripped of
all his clothing. Then strong stream Of
water Is played upon him from hose as
large as used by the fire department. john
son says men who have been subjected to
the cold water cure have been taken from
the cross bleeding from their noses, ears
and mouths. besides being chilled to the
marrow.
The leg iron is said to be another means
of punishment inflicted upon convicts at
Moundsvilie. These irons are said to weigh
about twenty pounds. and with them the
prisoner Is shackled at the ankles and is
compelled to sleep with the irons on.
Paddle Treatment.
The paddle was described as pieces of
sole leather riveted togethed and having a
stout handle. The culprt is given from ten
to forty strokes with the paddle as decreed
by the officers.
Complaint was also made by Johnson as
to the treatment of the sick at the Mounds
vile pen and of Determinations that are
made in favor of convicts who have money
or a political pull. He added that confirmed
criminals who have served time in other
prisons declare that the Moundsville insti-
tuition IL far worse than the penitentiaries
at Columbus. Ohio; Sing Sing. Trenton and
other places. He also complained that while
the District government Is compelled to pay
for the keep Of the prisoners sent from
here the penitentiary authorities require
them to work long and hard, producing
penitentiary made goods for contractors.
The Horse as an Assistant Fisherman.