Evening star., 1907-08-27
BOYS CHAINED AND BEATEN,
TESTIMONY OF CRUELTY IN
RAILWAY REFoRMAToRY.
One Prisoner Forced to Beat Another
With Big Whip-Dungeon
Victims Numerous.


inquiry as to the punishment of prisoners,
as well probing into the financial affairs
of the institution. the Hahn investigating
committee left the Railway Reformatory
for Boys and ordered the commissioners to
be on hand In Trenton Thursday, where
further evidence will be taken
John Gordon. an inmate. was first called
He was sent to the reformatory June g.
1904, from Paterson. He declared that on
one occasion he had a fight with another
inmate named Adams. Assistant Superin-
tendent Abbott. according to Gordon, or
dered both boys taken to the cellar and
Adams was compelled by Abbott's orders to
lash Gordon on the bare back twenty times
with blacksnake whip. Then Adams had
been strung up and the whip handed to Cor
don to punish him. Gordon did not do the
job with sufficient ardor to suit Abbott and
Abbott took the whip and finished the job
himself.
Adams was called to the stand, and he
sorroborated the testimony. He described
the whip as a big mule whip"
Mr.. Abbott was called and denied that he
had any such whip, or that there had been
at any time any whip in the institution
with which inmates were struck. He had
not participated in the whipping of either of
the boys. nor had he ordered it DONE
Thomas Dulong of Elizabeth, former in
mate. was put on the stand. He said that in
september. 1905. he had been placed In the
dungeon for six days on bread and water
fare. When released from the dungeon he
could not stand. He declared that this pun
ishment came because Of some tobacco be-
ing found on him. The tobacco was given
to him by an official of the institution The
name Of the official was not brought out
Chained in Cell for % Days.
Dulong testified to having been chained
to his cell door for twelve hours a day
for twenty-eight consecutive days, as fur
ther punishment for the tobacco incident
Mr.. Abbott was recalled. He had heard
the testimony of Dulong. and said he had
no knowledge of the incident. He would
not deny that 1t had taken place. Asked
if he considered that the right sort of
punishment to mete out to an offender
against the rules of the reformatory, Mr.
Abbott said 1t was correct If the offense
was serious. He had not visited the boy
during the twenty eight days Of his stay
in the cell tied to the bars, and could not
remember the incident.
Capt. Joseph w. Martin was interroga TED
at length by Counsel Backes as to the rec
ords of the solitary confinement book.
Capt. Martin swore that only in one case
had an inmate been confined in the soil
tary cell longer than the six days fixed
as minimum by law. The captain SAL
that he left the disciplinarian work of tho
institution to his assistant Abbott
Counsel said that the books showed tha
an inmate by the name of Brown had been
confined in solitary twelve days. Capt
Martin said that he belieyed that this was
two terms in the dungeon, but a day had
elapsed between the first and the second
terms.
Mr.. Abbott was called. to the stand and
admitted that the confinement of Brown
had been for a period of twelve consecutive
days.
':Why, 1 am surprised" broke in Capt
Martin.
Too Much SOLITARY"
Counsel Backes pointed out in rapid sue
cession names of inmates as confined in
solitary more than the statutory time of
six days. and Mr.. Abbott said that the
records must be in error. Both Capt. Mar
tin and Assistant Superintendent Abbott
declared that when the records showed that
an inmate was in solitary confinement long
er than six days the records must be wrong
The record Of an inmate named NARROW
showed that he had been kept in solitary
a month and three days. rs that wrong?"
asked counsel.
1T must be-" replied Mr.. Abbott The
record showed that an inmate named
a month. Mr Abbott acknowledged that
the record was correct in reference to
this man.
DR.. H. P. Hough, the prison physician.
was called to describe the injuries 10 an
inmate called Saltimonicio, who was shot
while attempting to escape July IL last
He said that the inmate had been shot
in the leg and in the shoulder The
wounds were not serious the inmate after
ward being put in solitary confinement in
the dungeon and put on bread and water by
the orders of Mr.. Abbott. Counsel asked
the physician IL this was proper treatment
for man convalescing from gunshot
wounds, and the doctor said that the in
mate had never complained about it 70
-: c.yt ,ia;0 t.
fnement.
Counsel Backes then called Abbott's at
tention to the fact that although Salti-
monicio had been shot and was at the
pre- sent time in solitary confinement, moth
ing appeared relative to these facts in the
punishment book. Asked why that was
so. Mr.. Abbott sat upright and positively
refused to explain.