The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-16
Voice Of the People
What DR.. CnrrinEton Hns Done,

10 the Edltor or me TlmeS-DiSpatCh:
Sir.-The position of to the
Virginia State Penitentiary will be-
come vacant or January /, 1912. and
the place is filed by the Penitentiary
Board. The aspirants for this place
are its incumbent. DIR. Charles ". Car
rington, and DR.. Herbent Mann, a
nephew of Governor William Hodges
Mann. both of this city.
The claims Of DR.. Darlington to this
office cover n service OF a period of
twelve years that have wrought tre-
mendous changes IN his penal institu-
ton. DIR. Darlington was appointed
to the position of & to the PEN
itentiary by Governor Tyler in 1900.
and was appalled, at the state OF af-
fairs then existing. He Immediately
set to work. In the face OF violent OPP
position. to start q campaign of en-
ltShtenmen, ind the first shot fired was
his paper, read before the Richmond
Academy of Medicine on March &c. 1901,
entitled "The U%nsanitary Condition of
the Virginia Penitentiary." This was
printed in the Virginia Medical Semi
Monthly the following April. and was
soon spread broadcast over the State.
1t is q point of honor among physi-
clans In writing q medical paper that
personal bias shall be rigidly excluded.
for such contributions are regarded
as permanent literature and used in
the compilation of statistics. II this
had not been so, n layman might have
imagined that an Edgar Allan Poe was
drawing On his imagination for q de-
scription of the under world. but the
facts noted in the paper were only too
easily verified. Approximately 1900
human beings were locked UP in 1875
cells. which is equivalent to seven
prisoners to a cell. Horrible enough
this sounds, but, in fact, one cell. witch
was twenty-five feet long by twenty
five feet wide, housed thirty-two men,
and another cell. eight feet three inches
long by six and n half feet wide. held
four. This means that instead of get
ting 1000 cubic feet of air an hour, de-
handed by medical science. these men
got less thai 200. and they slept In n
foul atmosphere inimical to human
lie. In the coolest winter men were
turned out of their cells without O.
vestige of tiannel TO cover them. They
were formed in a long line that went
by an open shed. where they were
handed Il connection of rye. called cor-
fee, and a soggy piece of bread. going
back to their cells to eat It. This took
some time. and before the nrst twenty
had received their food. the last OF the
line were so chilled that many cases OF
pneumonia resulted. AS DIR. Carrlngton
stated, the bread march too often be-
came the funeral march.
The crowding of ali conditions and
ages Of men into one cell resulted only
In the '~2orrupting of the more youth
iut prisoners by their elders in crime.
the death rate 81 the peniteutlary Mt
that time was very high. being thirty
seven deaths out of the 1,l30 prison
ers.
such a paper could not be ignored.
and at the next session OF the Leg,s-
lature an Investigation was ordered.
the head of this being DR.. LeCato. now
dead. DR.. LeCato became very much
interested and heartily championed tho
cause espoused by DR., Darlington. The
results OF the investigation make a
bright picture as compared 10 ,hn
dreary past. y new cell building was
erected. and 1t gives accommodation
and proper bathing facilities for over
go men, thereby relieving the terrible
congestion. Every convict. black or
white. is clothed in flannel in winter
weather. and the food can now h.
called food, both in quality and GUAM
t!tS. twelve cents a day for the
FEEDING of Il human being is n low
enough rate. but it was boosted at one
time that the rate had been reduced
to 4 cents a day.
N"S Hp'S SeIleEt ana nl-
name spirit of the present superintend-
emit Major ]. B. Wood, a moral sense
mas been born In the p~enitentiary.
PRISONERS are now allowed books from
n library; good conduct men VICAR
badges receiving privileges therefrom.
ana when a holiday rolls around 2
crowd of excited prisoners can be seen
cheering on the contestants in n base
pail game within the walls. Virginia
10 now trying TO reform her criminals
as we'll as mete out to them the nun
ishment of the law.
The position of surgeon at the mem
itentiary was a political Office. and
rotation here had been common: but
when Governor Montague came into
ONCE he realized that there are some
Things greater than politics. and he
retained DR.. Darlington in Office Soon
after this the Constitutional Convention
convened. and In s~ubstantiation of
'h's truth decided to take the appoint
.neht oo"n from the political plum
Tree, and went about 1t in this wav.
The appointment Of the s]uperintend-
ent. which had been in the hands ot
ihe Legislature. and of the surgeon. nv
the Governor. were placed In the he nds
OF a governing board. This board is
appointed by the Governor Of tbn
state. 1t consists OF five men ono re-
tirlng each year, so that the Governor
appoints tour men during his tenure
OF office. The election of the surgeon
was designed to fail at the middle Of
MS term. so that he would not have
appointed a majority by that time.
mat things do not always turn out as
Planned is shown in the fact that. due
10 deaths and forced designations Gov
ernor Mann has already appointed four
members to the board in two wears.
The vilest deeds, like poisoned weeds.
Bloom well in prison air:
II Is only what is good in man
That wastes and withers there:
rae Anguish keeps the heavy gate,
And the warder is Despair.
For they starve the little. frightened
child