The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-04-11

for a period Of Is days. only getting
relief at night when allowed TO lie
on their cots. The handcuffs are new
er removed, and the convict Is com
( PEELED TO wait on himself While en-
during this punishment, the convict
| is fed on bread and water. and only
twice a day two sloces OF bread III
I the morning and two at night.
The punishment known as tiog.
ging is the most severe punishment
resorted TO at the prison and has
I been inflicted on crazy and epileptic
men, and TO such an extent that IL
! does not seem as il a person could
/ be brutal enough TO witness IL.
The paraphernalia used consists
OF ladder. barrel. chains, handcuffs.
ropes and paddle. The ladder is
about ninefeet long and has a set
of brackets in the center SO that 1t
will firmly hold barrel. The pad
| die Is made OF the heaviest kind OF
sole leather, is about two feet. three
inches long and oval In shape. Its
greatest width is six inches, taper.
! ing TO two inches, where ii is fas-
tened TO a wooden handle, about nine
inches long Ii is rivetted TO the ham
die with one and one-quarter inch cap
per rivets and weighs one and one
quarter pounds when dry, and nearly
two pounds when IL is soaked. The
barrel Is placed within the brackets
on the ladder and the convict. 5 feet
are chained to the rungs at one end
OF the ladder. His hands are bound
together with steel cuffs and a half
inch rope is tied to the chain OF the
handouts. The rope is then drawn
down under the rungs OF the other
end OF the ladder.
Two strong men then draw the
convict down over the barrel and
stretch the body as tight as II can
be drawn so that II is impossible for
the convict to move In an attempt
to resist the force Of the paddle. The
wider part OF the paddle Is perforated
with many one-quarter-inch holes,
which allow the air to pass through
as the paddle descends thereby Of
the blow more severe. The clothing
of the convict Is removed from the
buttocks and sheet wet in brine
Is thrown Ger the exposed part OF
the body and second sheet Is
thrown over his head SO that 1t is
impossible for him to see those in
fiicting the punishment.
The body of the convict is in just
the right position and elevation to
give the man who does the fiogging
such an advantage that he can make
his blows most effective. In this po-
sition the convict Is fiogged to the
satisfaction or the warden or until
further punishment would jeoparidze
the prisoners life. He is given five
or six blows and then raised to his
feet In order that the doctor may
examine the heart and pulse and so
that the blood can regain circulation
throughout the body. The convict is
again drawn down over the barrel
and given as many more blows. This
method has been kept up until the
prisoner has received as high as sew
enty-five blows at one punishment.
The convict is then thrown back
into the "bullpen" with the handouts
on Nothing is done to relieve the
pain upon the part of the body which
has received such terrible punish
ment With his hands firmly bound,
the convict is compelled to lie in his
cell until the next day-without water
with which to relieve the fever the
whipping has thrown him into-when
he Is again subjected to the same
subjected to the same punishment the
next day.
The prison doctor testified that five
blows OF the paddle would discolor
the body, yet men are many times
logged until they cannot bear to
touch that part of the body upon
which punishment has ben inflicted
However they are many times sub.
jected to the same punishment on the
following day. Warden Russell ex.
plains that this is done because the
soreness from the previous whipping
makes the second flogging more effec-
! tive
| The warden claims that he does
not resort to prolonged punishment.
| but says that as soon as the convict
begs. he ceases the fiogging. Nothing
is farther from the truth, as most of
the convicts beg for mercy from him
and yet he will whip them just as long
as he sees fit.
Warden Russell told the commit.
! tee that one man offered TO get down
on his knes and kiss his feet II he
would not fog him, for which the
warden called him coward and said
he was only trying to avoid punish
ment"
Here a number OF individual cases
are given.
One was convict named Hampton.
who was sent from Jackson and Lad
been in Ionia asylum. lie was fog.
ged three times. receiving 45 blows
one day 65 the second day after, and
five the next day. Shortly afterward
he was returned to Ionia. Once an
officer hit him on the head with n
pair OF handouts, infiicting n scaip
wound which required sewing up.
Another convict named Walsh com
mitted suicide to escape further fog.
ging, having received 40 blows one
day and 30 the next. Between times.