The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-12-01

they left, however when echoes of
their denunciation were heard. From
Representative Howard came the state
ment that he believed most of the
charges against the prison and would
see that an investigation was ordered. /
A former guard at the penitentlary de |
clared that conditions We're just as |
Hawthorne and Morton had described !
them.
on the other hand, there was de |
Tense Of Warden Meyer The warden
himself Immediately requested an in
vestigation Mrs \. Springer, a prs-
on worker said Hawthorne was an
odd crouch" and not to be taken Sc
riously J. l.. Mathiessen. a We'll
known Atlanta musician, for several
years director of the prison orchestra,
said he knew Warden Meyers admin
| istration to be above reproach. \. {.
| Bran. for seventeen years n federal
| prisoner. came to the warden's sup
/ port, branding the charges as false.
Prisoners Must Work.
| To outward appearances the prison
is thus: Every prisoner has work to do,
and most of the work is some form of
manual labor. There is the stonecut-
| ter's shop. the tailors shop. the laun-
dry the storeroom. the farm. the car
penters shop. the bakery. in all Of
which there are prisoners at work. Be
hind the group Of buildings. bordering
on the recreation grounds. is q model
camp for tuberculosis prisoners. Near
by is a plant in which soap Is manu-
featured from the waste products of
the shops and kitchen.
Everything is operated on a basis Of
strict economy. \ line Of railroad
tracks runs into the grounds. and a
, string Of freight ears is always there.
The plant ut which electricity is gen
Grated for light and power is always
running. The entire plant appears to
visitors to be we'll ordered enterprise.
They are starving men in the name
Of economy said Hawthorne and
Morton nodded his head in corrobora
ton.
prisoners are subjected TO treat
: ment that is nothing less than slow
murder" said Dr. Morton, who is n
, practicing physician. There is never
2 enough to cat Tho warden attempts
u. to feed strong men on . cents a day,
i and when lie succeeds he brags about
: it. There has never n man gone into
e that prison but who undereocs a steady
+ Observation-Disclosures slow, but always
h sure
/ 'You hear Of the clean cells in which
z the prisoners sleep" said Hawthorne
It but You never hear Of the hole dc
e YOU? For the slightest fault. some
times for breaking 4 plate sometimes
= for a little more or less, a prisoner is
y sent to the hole place under the
> main building for solitary confinement
There the heat is terrific mt times anC
?, the stencil is bad. There the prisoner,
p are chained by their wrists and hel,
J. thus with arms outStretched for hours
: And sometimes confinement in til,
n hole is for days.
= Apparently a Model.
n "And the most miserable part Of i
all is that to outward appearances tn
prison is model There is always TIL
clean grounds to exhibit and the base
&c BAN games to talk Of. the music 4
It. meals and the outward semblance o
II HOod cure anu tOHSlueIdtloH- hclc
rs always a smoothness and graciousneS
" to the public. You are never told O
If the hole Nobody ever sees that
at Probably nobody knows Of the solitar
is confinement cells and the uses to whic
n they are put"
rs Senator Holle Smith of Georgia. VIII
on has made Il tour of inspection of tn
lis prison since Hawthorne preferred hi
he charges, has refused to make a STATE
ment He states that he has as ye
TIA formed no opinion that he cares
Sc make public on the sensational alleg;
al tons made.