New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-12
| SING SING TERMED
A TORTURE HOUSE
Continued from first page.

germs are cWept down from tier 10
tier so that at night when the men lie
down for rest their pillows are COW
cred with dirt. Even the lowest and
most Z, .raded man must undergo
cruel punishment when conhned III
these cells during the ordinary night
| But when Sunday comes or a ho1oay
the horror of the situation Is increased.
During these periods the men are con-
fined in their cells for eighteen ana
nineteen hours and 1T is no exaggera-
ton to say they go out pale and stag
! gering.
"A Sunday or holiday is dreadful
thing for these men. II is bad enough
wh.n one man IS alone in his cell, but
when the men are doubled up the
physical suffering is greatly increased.
There is only one other thing that
could add to the misery Of these mon,
and that ono thing was not overlooked
by Colonel Scott or Warden Kennedy.
This was the knowledge that certain
men, through political influence, or BY
| inc pdyTTcHt VI UiS'SJt W -
other reason, received favors.
Il shall also make n separate report
, along these lines which will require
special investigation In an effort to ex-
! pose men In this state, some of them
public officials, who banded themselves
| together to wiring money from these
prisoners. l have evidence showing
] that because of influence eXerted by
men well known in various walks of
| life money has been wrung from per-
sons seeking clemency for prisoners.
Would Break Prison Ring.
This frightful condition thrived dur
| ing the last two years. There are sew
eral important lines OF investigation
| that should he taken up and followed
| % the very end In order that men who
/ have lived on the sufferings OF others
should be exposed and the prison ring
| broken"
Mr. Blake cites numerous transac-
| tons in the industrial department
where he says the loose and unbusi-
ncssllke methods show the need OF
some man conscientious enough TO
forget occasionally his pleasures and
I profits"
BAD as the Industrial conditions Of
Sing Sing prison were prior to loll'
they grew steadily worse from that
time" says the report. THE beginning
4 Of this last era OF bad management
came with the appointment Of Patrick
J. Tracy as superintendent of indus
tries"
Waste in the eomn,isssry depart
r1ent is so excessive" says the com
missioner, that Il looks very much as
/ If food was thrown away TO create an
excuse for buying mere for the beneh'
Of somebody's pocket. Good beet comes
into the hands Of the storekeeper, bad
beef 10 served TO the inmates.
"Fiuures from the oomn,iwary de-
partrnent excited my admiration OF the
capacity Of tho warden to consume
beef. During March he was served
With 46e pounds, which seemed dea'
Of meat for one family.
| $4,000 Waste Yearly.
| Il thought there was a good deal OF
/ waste in other prisons, and there really
is. but It sang small in comparison with
the way food IL squnndered in sing
Sing. The waste is at least % per
cent. or. in round numbers. about Slo,-
900 a year.
"On Tuesday. April S, one thousand
pounds OF food were taken from the
tables and thrown into the swirl bar
rels. This food consisted of Hamburg
steak, vegetable soup, boiled potatoes,
bread and coffee. From Wednesdays
breakfast alone the waste weighed 90
pounds Then. suspecting that TINS
SUPERVISION OF the waste was to con-
tinue. some care was exercised so that
the waste from Thursdays breakfast
WAS only two hundred pounds. This
proved that the waste was wanton and
that even Indifferent care could have
reduced il at least one-third.
Graft and humanity at Auburn
prison were also alleged by George w.
Blake in a report submitted TO Gov
ernor sulzer on April y. Twenty
eight prisoners went insane during the
year and the investigator asserted
Trustworthy witnesses had assured him
that cruel punishment deprived some
of these prisoners of their reason.
DR.. John Guerin, the prison physl-
clan. was accused Of gross neglect
and brutality Every nook and Granny
of the prison reeks with tales OF the
cruelty OF this man." said Blake's re-
port. The Investigator was especially
Mortified at the treatment Of refractory
prisoners, who were kept on two gllls
of water a day, the amount that DR..
Guerin had found would just sustain
life. Iron rivet heads on the cell floors
practically prevented the refractory
subjects from sleeping.
Mr.. Blake also reported that IN
every branch of the commissary de-
partment there has been riot OF
wanton waste and extravaganza
! Three thousand hounds of food were
thrown away every week, he asserted.
The day after the report was filed
DR.. Guerin and Warden Benham fatty
denied there had been either cruelty or