The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-10-22
SURGEON
ON PEA|TEHTIARY
Dr. Darlington Makes Final
Statement OF His Work in
State Prison. =
DEATH RATE DECREASED
Describes Former Horrible Con
di,ions and Brutal
Punishments.

ana last annual report" Or. Charles
'. Darlington surgeon at the state
Penitentiary. reviews tho reform
measures adopted in that institution
during his incumbencr. DR.. Caring
ton will retire on December 81 of this
year.
He refers TO the brutality formerly
practiccd. the ovcrcrowding at the
time he went into office and the prev
alence Of punishment by whipping
He shows marked decrease in the
death rate, reduction in drug bills and
the coming of more humane methods
in dealing with the couvicts. The
figures arc presented.
Report in Futl.
Richmond, Va, Sept 80. 1911.
To the Board of Directors
of the Virginia Pcnitcntiary:
Gentlemen:
I hand you herewith my twelfth and
last annual report. .Asno one of the present
board of directors was connected with
the institution when Governor Tyler
appointed ME surgeon in 1900, and as
a majority of this board have only been
in office Il comparatively short time,
think IL is proper in this my last report
to you to give an account of my steward
ship since 1900.
The daily average number OF men in
the penitcntiary in 1900 was l.2l7--
these were crowded into 1872 cells.
They were badly fed, improperly clothed.
and the barrel and the LASH 1.-THE
club and the cross" held high carnival
Brutality reigncd supreme. Anything
is good enough for a convict" was the
motto of the place.
The board of directors in 1900 and
early in 1901 supplied flannel shirts to
every convict-this was an expensive
innovation and was bitterly fought by
the then authorities Previous TO this
time flannels had only been issued to a
very limited favored few. Pneumonia
and lung complications were the order
of the day.
In early 1901 the board permitted
brutal guard Ito resign" and go home
This man had so brutally beaten poor
negro that for time lie was necessarily
confined to the hospital until the cuts
from the lash on his bare back had heal
ed-these cuts being two and half
inches by two inches wide in some
places. The authorities supported this
guard TO the last ditch. and it was neces-
sary for the board to take action before
he concluded to resign" Every cause
has to have its martyr, aud the brutal
beating this poor negro got demonstrated
the fact beyond the pcradventure of a
doubt that the surgeon would never
tolerate puniShmentS that became brutal
or were injurious 10 health
Should Prevent Brutality.
1t would never do for the surgeon to
undertake 10 manage the discipline of a
priSon--thaI is the peculiar province of
the uperintendent-buJ the surgeon
should interfere with an iron hand
whenever discipline becomes brutal and
hurtful to health. / have. without ex-
ception, while surgeon of the pentcn-
tiary, brought every instance of brutality
coming under my observation TO the at
tention of the then superintendent either
In writing. or verbally and have followed
case to termination
In 1900, ! am informed, the convicts
were fed three meals t. day, for five cents
or a little less, each. per day. The quality
varietyadn mode of preparation of their
food has steadily improved from that
time, and now. in 1911. we are feeding
three meals day at about 10 cents each
per day, and In my hospital men are
feeding at about l6 cents each per day.
The most horrible thing about the
penitentiary in 900 was the overcrOwded
condition of the cells-over 200 men
in 1872 cells, majority of the cells not as
/ large as an ordinary hall bedroom
Good men and better women had been
praying and working over some scheme
| TO relieve these fearful, ovcrcrowded con
ditions for some time. In February. 1901
! the penitentiary commission. CONSISTING of
DR.. George NJ. LeCato. ID. Q. Eggleston.
| s. NJ. Newhouse, and a. s. Priddy we're
appointed by the legislature to 'inyesti-
gate the overcrowdcd condition at the
penitentiary;to suggest the best and most
BILE means for remedying the same,
and report To the next general assembly. :"
This commission, after due elaboration
| and exhaustive investigation reported
As to the overcrowded condition of
| the Virginia State Penitentiary there
can be but one verdict The condition
is almost inconceivable to the human
mind, and II would be difficult indeed to
conceive of any penal institution being
permitted TO continue under such in
tolerable conditions. Visitors from all
parts of the coun try--from Florida TO
Alaine-have turned away from the
contemplation of it's sickening horrors
III wonder and amaZement that the state
of Virginia would countenancc the con-
tinuance of such dreadful conditions
We can no better describe part of
It's horrors than in quoting from the
penitentiary surgeon, DIR. Charles V.
1 Darlington. who, in an address made
! last year before the Richmond Academy
of Medicine and Surgery. on the un-