Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-07-02
PROBE CHARGES
OF CRUELTY At
REF0RMAT0RY
DEATH OF MILWAUKEE, MANS son
TO BE INVESTIGATED BY
CORONER'S JURY.
8CWRON WANTS FACTS KNOWN
Green Bay Superintendent Says Johr
Smith Died from Heart Failure,
Not Blows from Guards.
DOCTORS DIFFER IN REPORTS.

GREEN BAY, Wis, June 26.-iSpe
cial. THE inquest over the body Of
John Smith. prisoner at the state re
formatory, whose body was found in his
cell a few days ago, will be held by Dis
trict Attorney Reynolds before justice
J. P. Macy next Tuesday. The father
of the dead young man, John Oster
schmidt. an employe of the Haley Lum
| Der company IN Milwaukee, makes the
| charge that in his belief the son came
| TO his death by having been cruelty
reated by guards at the institution.
The body was found in the morning
| The regular prison physician, Dr. Len
festy of Depere, not beng ape TO can
| Supt. Bowron requested DR.. Gregory OF
Jepere and DR.. Olmstead of this city tc
.lvestigate the death. They gave, it as
heir opinion that heart failure had beer
the cause The body was then taken
TO the home of the boys mother Whc
is divorced from the Milwaukee mar
and married again in this city. There
the body, mainly on the back, he came
! to the conclusion that everything had moi
| been right He called on the district at
1orney and demanded that the case be
probed. Drs. Kelly and Nicholson were
next ordered to make a post norton ex'
The physicians gave it as their, opinion
that Smith. or rather Osterschmidt. died
| from acute Bright's disease. This they
state, might have been induced and
Drought about by the water hose having
been played on the prisoner. They tound
| bruises and marks on the back but these,
they state, may have been caused after
| the mans death.
Reynolds Makes Statement.
SC Mo sod
at the report of the physicians because,
| in a measure, it serves to refute the
truth of the allegations SO far as the
case Of Smith is concerned. Mr.. Reyn.
olds said last night: 1T has been com,
mon rumor for a long time-l myself
there were subjected to cruel treatment
| Former guards have stated to me that
fists and clubs have been used to strike
men in their faces. Frequent recourse is
alleged to be had to what they call the
hooks That is, where prisoners are
compelled to stand for hours with their
arms extended above them. Smith is
been made very i'll by the use of the wa.
ter hose on him. Then there are
number of former inmates, under
stand, that their charges must be taken
cum grano salto. One of them, Bow
man, insists that the guards frequently
|
water on their naked bodies. There are
other statements made to me which will
be brought out next Tuesday. Ihe
guards say that they are willing to
swear to what they have told me, pro-
vided a proper investigation is mad,
| Some of all this testimony given before
me may have absolutely nothing to do
with the case of Smith. But then it be-
longs before the state board of control.
4 am not aware that Mr.. Bowron
| has cognizance of any such state OF ar
fairs. He told me that he wanted the
truth to come out and has promised me
| his assistance. So many charges have
| been made, so many rumors are Hoatlne
in the air, as to prisoners suffering abuse
at the hands of subordinates at the re.
formatory, that take it to be my duty
to make such investigation as may
properly fall within the province of my
| office. The people OF the state are en-
| titled to know the facts"
Bowron Wants Investigation.
Mr.. Bowron when interviewed re.
piled: II have promised Mr.. Reynolds all
the assistance that it is possible for
me to give. l want the truth brought
| out, no matter where it strikes or whom
it may hit. But l am satisfied and con-
WINGED that there is absolutely no foun.
dation to any Of these charges. / have
made a full and complete investigation
|
Quently is the case in institutions OF
this kind, just and necessary punishment
is taken for and decried as abuse. NAL
contents and discharged prisoners whom
it was necessary to punish are as rule
responsible for these charges which gen
orally fall to pieces when properly i'll
vestigated.
80 far as this man Smith is con-
| cerned, he always has been a sick man
and had frequent attacks and fits. He
suffered from collapses day after day
and came to see the doctor every time
the latter called. He remained in bed
| whenever he wanted. AS l say l have
made thorough inquiries regarding him.
On May %, he appeared before the
board and asked for a parole but his
request was denied. If any investigation
! is to be had it will be before the board
of control and not before a coroner's
| jury.
Il court the very fullest investigation
and on my part am going to help and
assist the district attorney in every pos
sible way to get at this matter right. II
there should be anything wrong, if re-
formatory employees have been guilty
of an infraction of the prison rules, if
prisoners have been abused, the state
| board of control wants to know it."
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