The Detroit times., 1909-04-21
IONA C0Nv|CTS
TORTURED, He SAYS
Discharged Prisoner Tells of Horrible
Cruelties Practiced BY Guards
In Reformatory.

. III the people OF the state really
knew OF the conditions existing In the
ionia reformatory. think there would
be a change In the management"
says NJ. Massey. of Alliance. O., for.
iner Inmate OF the prison. Who arrived
in Detroit. Tuesday night. on his way
home.
Il haven't any grudgs 20 satisfy.
epd haven't any special fault to md
with the way they treated me out
there. but | saw ano heard some
things during my stay that the public
ought TO know about Massey tola
The Times.
i wo:aed In the furniture factory,
which Ia under contract with Ypsil-
anti Reed Furniture Manufacture
Ing Co. A young fellow named Clark,
sent up from Ionia, was put TO work
doing reed work on chairs. He Wa
a frail chap and found the work more
than he could stand. He tried to tell
that To the authorities and this Is
what he got. AT night they put him ia
solitary confinement and during the
day they kept him handcuffed 10
post In the rotunda.
After five days and four nights In
this punishment. they puI him back
at the OLD Job. Then hey saw for
themselves that he couldn't do the
work and transferred him TO the paint
shop. The smell made aim sick ana
he was taken TO the hospital Right
after that the authorities heard that
the legislative committee was coming
10 inspect the prison and they trans
fArrpd IN hn vi N M ha
mittee wouldn't see him.
Another boy was set to work wind
Ing reeds on chairs. Ii wasn't long
before the skin was worn on his An
gers and they were sore and bleeding.
Then. because he couldn't keep up
with the others, he was punished.
One day | saw guard knock boy
named Pelter. sent up from Detroit. on
the bench on which he sat working.
Then the guard tried to square him
SELF by Offering To fix IL SO the boy
could draw tobacco which is usually
Withheld from prisoners under age.
-Four forms OF punishment are EN-
Iloyed In lonia One Is TO compel
prisoners TO stand In one spot with
arms folded for several hours Next
comes solitary confinement then the
shackles and post. ana lastly the lash.
Whipping is resorted To when a pris-
oner falls TO accomplish task as
signed to him, when he fights with an
other prisoner, when he attempts to
escape or when he escapes and is
Lrot ght back. and when otner punish
.,nent falls to bring hum TO time. They
take OF all his clothes, tie him. face
down, on a semi-circular affair, then
the deputy warden lays on from three
to 35 lashes according to the severity
OF the offense. He uses for this pur-
pose heavy perforated strap about
IS inches long and three or four inch
es wide. And for every perforation
there Is q corresponding blister on the
victims anatomy.
II have never been whipped. but
have heard other fellows getting 1t and
their screams were enough to make
ones blood run cold. | have been told
that prisoners have been whipped into
insensibility and believe II to be Il
fact
The foreman In the prison shops
are hard administers. They work
hand in hand with the guards and
when they think fellow isn't doing
mis- work as he ought to she matter is
reported to the deputy warden and the
urisoned is punished without being
given a chance to defend himself"
Massey says he has also seen eyi.
dences OF graft in Ionia. When first
received at the institution he worked
I'm the kitchen and says he saw the
kitchen foreman wrap up supplies on
one occasion and take them away
with him.
Massey was sent up from Adrian
on a statutory charge He was re-
leased after serving two years, bur
violated his parole by going out Of the
state and was sent back for nine
months.