Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-06-13
TORTURE AND CRUELTY
IN TERRITORIAL PRISON
Cause Convict Meyers Strung
Up By Hand-C Cuffs in Dark Cell For
Seventeen Days on Bread and Water
Until Nearly Dead---O Other Instances
of Bloody Savagery.

A few days ago the New Mexican
published the news that charges had
been made to the effect that severe
cruelty and savage brutality had OBJ
tanned in the Territorial penitentiary
in the case of certain convlcts under
the administration of the present Su-
perintendent Arthur Trelford. The ar
ticle in question was based upon prop
er aftidavits the contents of which
had come to the knowledge of the
New Mexican. These papers were
presented to Acting Governor James
W. Reynolds who after due consider
alton deemed it just and proper to
order an investigation into the allesa-
tions contained in them. Attorney
General George w. Prichard was
named to conduct the investigation
as the duties of Acting Governor Ray
nolds at this time are too constant
as acting governor and as secretary
of the Territory to permit personal
conduct of the investigation.
| In strong contrast with the conduct
Of Ex-Governor Hagerman when he
ordered star chamber investigation
of the accounts Of Fl. O. Bursum as
superintendent Of the penitentiary
which was conducted absolutely ex-
parte and by his expert who had eyi'
IDENTIFY no other object in view, ex-
cept to make big fee and to bring
out ex-Superintendent H. o. Bursum
as an embezzler and as guilty of il.
legal and improper conduct in office,
Superintendent Trelford was duly ad.
vised by Attorney General Prichard
that this investigation would COM
mence today and he was called upon
to be present and to furnish counter
testimony or take such action as he
deemed best to protect his interests.
This Is the difference between the in
vestigaton undertaken to convict and
to ruin a mans official and private
character as under the Hagerman ad-
ministration and one that is made to
procure the facts, nothing but the
facts and to prove without bias and
without fear or favor the truth or
untruth Of the charges made
The original atfidavits upon which
this investigation is based are as fol
lows:
The Breen Affidavit.
Territory Of New Mexico,
County of Santa Fe.-ss
Timothy Breen being first duly
sworn deposes and says: I am resi-.
dent of the city of Santa Fe and was
assistant cell house captain at the
penitentiary of this Territory from
about May 2, 1906, until about the
first of November of the same year.
Afterwards l became cell house cap
tain and remained in that position
until some time in January, 1907.
Arthur Trelford was superintendent of
the penitentiary, and Samuel Sample
was assistant superintendent at that
institution when l went there and
when left. | knew convict in the
penitentiary while was connected
with it whom they called William
Meyers, Convict No. 2023), He was
sent there on conviction and SEN
tence for burglary as I was informed,
and was two or three years convict.
On the first severely cold day we had
in the latter part of December this
convict was working in the yard, eth
er wheeling wheelbarrow or filling
it with baked clay, when he left his
work and went about twenty-five feet
away and jumped down into an open
ing surrounding a window through
which the hot air came from bath
room He went there to warm him.
self on account of the bitter cold, and
while he was there he was discov
cred by Mr.. Nick Delaney, the yard
master Mr.. Delaney ordered the con.
vict to come out, and the convict
obeyed the order. l wasinformed that
there were some other convicts in
the same place and for the same pur-
pose. The convict, Meyers, was
brought to the cell house l was af-
forwards ordered by Mr.. Sample, the
assistant superintendent above named,
to tie him up in the dark cell. |
obeyed the order, and after I tied him
up l was given instructions by Mr.
Sample to give the convict bread and
water--just enough to keep him alive.
Mr.. Sample said to give him, at noon
time just enough bread to keep him
alive, but to give him all the water he
wanted. In carrying out my orders in
this respect, hand-cuffed the con-
vict's hands to a chain fastened in
the wall of the cell so that his hands
came just above his head. He was
kept tied here for seventeen days,
except one hour at noon time-a part
of the time he was tied up ten hours
at one stretch, at other times he came
down at p. M, and was strung up at
6 a. m.--during which time he was
fed just enough bread and water to