White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-01
SOME PRISON HISTORY
AND THE GOOD RESULTS.
A Condition That Existed a Decade
Aga Different Program
From That of Today.

hCh AAih odlldiQ, blCi
superintendent of the Carson mint,
took possession af the state prison,
as the duly elected warden, in 1881,
succeeding General C. c.. Batterman
"a martinez and hero of a thousand
dress parades) he found over thirty
prisoners carrying balls and chains
about half of whom we're carrying
only chains, without balls attached.
A chain is made of heavy iron
links, about two feet long and rivet-
ed to the ankles, and a ball and
chain adds an iron ball of about 80
pounds weight, fastened to a chain
of about ten feet in length, which
chain is riyeted to the short chain.
Mr.. Garrard also found Stocks
hanging and ready for use in the big
cell room. Stocks are pulleys and
ropes, such as are used in raising the
big bales of hay into a barn, and were
attached to the ceiling. At the low
et end they had little steel wristlets,
which they fastened on the wrists
of the prisoner to be punished, and
raised him up until he would faint
from the effects of the torture, and
lower him to the floor and keep him
there until he recovered conscious
ness, and then raise him again, and
then put him in the dungeon and
feed him on eornbread and water.
A young man named Daniel Ma
theny, was thus fed for six months.
Mr.. Garrard also found big shoes"
A big shoe is a shoe loaded with
lead, weighing over 80 pounds, and
the suspected offender was made to
wear the big shoe and walk up and
down the hot sandstone floor of the
prison yard until he fell from ex-
the straight jacket" in m use
as a means of punishment, and this
was used for the lighter offenses and
infringement of rules. The straight
jacket" is made of strong leather
gloves. about as long as fashionable
ladies gloves, and when both hands
are fastened together, prevent the
victim from use of his hands, and
when long kept on create e%xeruciat-
ing pain.
Garrard also found other inn
plements and c%ontrivances of pun
ishment for slight o~ffenses. and
found the food provided wretchedly
cooked and served. but the place
kept se%rupulously clean.
The first thing that Mr.. Garrard
did was to take down the stocks.
and throw them into the blacksmith
shop where they would not be seen.
and a small ray of sunlight seemed
to pervade the big dining room,
where about lao prisoners had their
meals. and ii reached the cells and
dungeons. Then he had the big
shoes sent to the blacksmith shop
as junk, and more sunlight penetrat-
ed. Then he investigated the cases of
all prisoners wearing ball and chain;
had them taken off and sent to the
blacksmith shop, and then immedi-
ately followed Christian-like looking
eo%untenances in the place of MUIR
demonstrating frowns. and there
after the prisoners looked solely to
the board of pardons for their free
dom, and Mr.. Garrard had no trou-
BILE with his wards, and no coneen-
trated effort to escape was eve made
or attempted to be made during his
administration.
Truly, as well stated by Lord
Thomas Darlington Maeaulay:
Familiarity with CHASTITY spec
tacles creates hard-heartedness."
The reader will draw his or her
own conclusions and moral from the
foregoing statements of facts if
found to be true.-Carson Appeal.