Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1907-07-11
CONV|CTS TELL
Of BARBAR|SM
Prevailing at Terri
torial Prison Ul-
der Trelford
TREATED LIKE BEASTS
High Time That Brutality
Was Stopped Instances
of Torture.

or Orturc.
During the progress of the investi-
cation into charges of cruel treat.
ment and inhuman barbarity on the
part of former Superintendent Arthur
Trelford on convicts last month, a
highly interesting letter signed by
five inmates of the penitentiary was
received by Acting Governor James
w. Reynolds in which it was charged
that TrelfOrd and some subordinates
were habitually cruel and unjustly
barbarous In the administration of the
prison,
How the letter was smuggled out of
the prison has not been ascertained.
Acting Governor Reynolds did not re-
fer the epistle for investigation as at
that time there were no means of find
ing out whether or not it had been
actually written and signed by the
cOnvicts. Since then verification has
been obtained that it was. so written
and signed by the convicts whose
names are attached.
Although the Trelford incident is
closed it is well for future record and
to throw more light upon the admins
tration of the penitentiary under the
fake reform management that it
should be given publicity. The letter
reads
Letter Of Convicts.
"Santa Fe, N. M, June Is, 1907.
"Hon. J. w. Reynolds, Governor of
New Mexico.
"Hon. Sir:-We, the undersigned
prisoners confined in the penitentiary
accuse Mr.. Arthur Trelford. superin.
tendent of the prison, of extreme bru'
tality and injustice
eve know tina; cruelty is extremely
detrimental to the prisoners, morally
mentally and every other way. The
inevitable consequences of living any
length of time under vehemently
brutal environment is decentralization
mental perversion and Righteousness
'Mr. Trelford evidently thinks that
inhuman punishment for petty of.
fenses and collosal brutality for or.
dinary ones are essential to discipline
Such views are not in consistency
with the enlightenment of the TWEEN
tieth century, but more in harmony
with the barbarism of the Dark Ages
1--WE were here under Mr.. Bursum
and order was kept without resorting
to cruelty Indeed, there was but
very little punishment under Mr.. Bur
sum and the discipline was every bit
as good as it is now.
"The present administration here
at the prison claim to be reformers
What have they reformed? Nothing
They have done an infinite amount Of
harm to the inmates by their brutal
ity. They think nothing of hanging
man up by the hands in the hole
(dungeon) for from fifteen to twenty
days for some slight infringement Of
the rules; give him just barely enough
to eat and drink to sustain life--a
piece of bread and cup of water once
day, and then knock your head
Off when the unfortunate one is about
exhausted, and still chained by the
hands to the wall. We know that
such brutality puts murder in the
hearts of the victims.
Allege Deputy Was Pug Ugly.
IF the citizens of New Mexico toll
crate a ferocious pen warden and q
pugilistic deputy whose New York
Bowery pugnacity is so great and un
controllable that he is perpetually
itching to knock your head off why
they are really responsible for the
great injury done the inmates men
tally and morally; and such injury
will eventually reach home to the peo
pie when they are held up and theil
houses burglarized.
"The greatest crimologists of the
world claim that the more inhumar
and cruel the treatment of people
confined in penal institutions the
more hardened, vicious and perverted
the offenders become.
"Anrico Ferri, the famous author O.
Criminal Sociology and considered
the foremost crimologist Of Europe
points out the ineficiency Of severity
and brutality as means of reforma
tion.
Humane treatment has a wonder
full inufence even upon the minds o.
those initiated into all the phases o1
crime But it is the first offenders
who are not yet hardened and there
fore are very susceptible to good Of
bad treatment that just and humane
treatment has a great effect upon
Brutality will only sour the minds d
these men and prepare them to con
tinue career of crime alread,
started. There are great many step