The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-02-17

F. A. Gardner, engineer; Edw. Coyle,
assistant. The general direction of
affairs is vested in a board compos-
ed of John E. Weeks of Middlebury,
Il. w. Hulburd of Hyde Park and N.
K. Chaffee of Rutland. Mr.. Lowell
had been High Sheriff of Windsor
county previous to his appointment
in 1905, on the resignation of e. w.
Cakes. His staff has been selected
with care. The men are proud of the
Improvements and reforms that have
been effected in the institution and
enthusiastic over the ideas that now
prevail in the management.
Superintendent Lowell Is not a pc
nologist, he has had no theoretical
instruction in the care of prisoners
or the management of a penal insti-
tuition. He has had some acquaint-
once with offenders in his service as
Sheriff of Windsor county, has had ex-
perience with men, has a Knowledge
of human nature and has a belief
that kindness will effect more than a
club with unfortunates. The keynote
of the present management, therefore,
is kindness. This kindness does not
mean indulgence. The men are not
allowed to forget that they are Of
tenders against the laws and are sent
there to expiate their offenses, but
they are encouraged to believe that
they need not lose all hope because
they have been incarcerated, and
they are treated like human beings
who may be able to regain or acquire
a standing in society when they leave
the prison. So everything is done
that can be done to avoid any sense
of degradation, the men are encour-
aged to behave themselves like men,
and when a man has shown signs of
a proper spirit he is aided to employ
ment on the expiration of his term.
Punishment, as noted, has practically
been abolished Any prisoner has an
opportunity to see the prison author
tiles directly if he has complaints to
make or favors to ask. If one be-
comes sick in the night the superin-
tendent is called. If his case re-
quires it, he is sent to the hospital
If it is only a mild indisposition, un-
fitting him for work, he is allowed
to loaf in the tailor shop, as he is dur
ing convalescence.
On Christmas day the men were
given a dinner of fricaseed chicken,
with plenty of vegetables, half a
squash pie apiece and apples. That
evening the entire outfit of the Kic-
kapoo Indians, who were appearing
in the village, was engaged to give
an exhibition in the chapel and the
men were allowed to applaud and
commend as freely as they felt dis
posed On New Years day they we're
given a good oyster stew with pie and
apples.
A Policy OF AiDdness.
The instructions to the prisoner Of
ficers are based on the idea of hui
mainly and the officers themselves
are a fine set of men, fit to carry out
the ideas of the superintendent. The
result of this kind of treatment is
that the men, used as if they were
not always to be in confinement,
treated as if they were men, have
some hope of the future and therefore
carry themselves better in the pres
ent. There are few cases requiring
punishment, and not many calling for
reprimand or misconduct marks. IN
fact the conduct is surprisingly good
for set of men who have been plac-
ed in confinement for violation of the
criminal statutes. TIE personality Of
+ the superintendent has something to
do with this. On New Years day
for instance, giving the men assem-
bled in the dining room the greet
ings of the day, as he had done on
Christmas, he made them short,