The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1913-07-13
"NO Mercy for COnvicts" lie
Finds to BE Rule of
Jailers.
PREDICTS BIG EXPOSURE
Lawyer Promises TO Uncover
"Impudent, Colossal Loot
Conspiracy"

tion into Sing Sing prison and one of
the noted lawyers OF New York, is SO
Mortified by conditions he uncovered in
the State prison that he is going to
devote his time, money and energy for
an indefinite period TO improving
prisons in this State He will resume
work with the Westchester Grand Jury
In October and declared yesterday that
he would disclose the most impudent
and colossal conspiracy to loot the
State that ever existed. Telling OF the
conditions he has investigated. Mr.. O..
borne said:
We have only scratched the surface
OF this business. The Grand Jury indic,.
ments Just secured were the result OF
study Of only one phase Of the prison
aHa aHairs-maintenance. We found men
forced to live in filth and forced so TO
i've by torture. Don't tell me about the
Blake report being exaggeration. The
Grand Jury did not find II an exaggera.
tion.
"1 have sometimes been called Zero.
cious because In the conduct OF many
actions against rich and influential men
did not let up for an instant. But II is
not 80. IL l am ferocious 1t Is always
against system. not a man.
Will Fi9ht Conspiracy.
1T Is so here. do not know this ex-
warden. this man Kennedy. know some
things about him. know that he ,s an
OLD time policeman and that he can hardly
read or write ! know to the quivering of
my sensibilities the things he allowed in
the prison under his charge. But I am
not ferocious' against him. lie has been
indicted for mlsdcmeanor-cruelty to
prisoners-and II ne Is convicted and
sentenced to year in the penitentiary
and $500 fine shall be satisfied with
his punishment. After all. lie did no more
than his predecessors for many years. !
would like TO indct and will indict the
men behind the horrible conspiracy that
has made slaves OF prisoners
II want the people Of New York to
give their attention to Sing Sing prison.
I want them to become inte rested In con-
ditions there. But as sure as I am alive
II once the people Of New York knew
what had been going on there they would
20 up there and tear the building down
There would be no holding them back
II has been barbarous and Incredible
Il have never been so shocked, so out
RACED In all my life. What has been
exposed moves me far more than my
professional interest in the matter. II Is
aS a citizen that I cry out To the people
Of New York to end forever such atroci-
ties.
Exposures Threatened.
'The Grand Jury has quit for the
summer and am going to Europe to try
TO rest little. but I shan't be able TO
forget this work, and II will command
every resource have for a long time to
come. When the Grand Jury resumes In
October we will take up other aspects OF
prison mismanagement. There Is the In
dustrial side Of the prison, for instance
Such a fOunt OF graft and corruption as
this will prove TO he has never been heard
Of In this State. We will show that men
who have thought themselves safe for
years are tainted by II. There will he
indictments then and plenty OF them
But II isn't the horror Of II that I wish
to dwell on. II Is the miserable business
Of making men worse than they were
when they were sent to prison. ! want
to stop that. ] want the twenty-five men
on the Grand Jury to be constructive. as
I know they can be- ! shall be happier
than ever before In my life II We can do
something to shake the present penal
system in this State from its rotten
foundations.
Sing Sing might be place to make
crimlnals---eleven and half years In the
District Attorneys Office. for one thing
teaches me that most crimes are the re-
suit OF an Overpowering temptation In a
moment OF weakness For yielding this
once we have been taking five years OF
n mans life-the greatest thing he has
And In that ive years we have refraincd
from teaching him anything to help him.
we have forced him into the company Of
perverts and unclean men. We have shut
out the light Of day and starved him. We
have imperilled his life by compelling him
TO live In three foot cell. n prey to
disease.
Revoltins Conditions.
The cases referred to by William r.
MONTGOMERY In THE SUN were duly typi-
cal. The insane fellow who was chained
to q floor. naked. with the April wind
blowing on him, unfed and grovelling In
filth. came before the Grand Jury. Cases
OF men put In solitary confinement on
bread and water for thirty Ave days and
then In the dark cell for eight days more
were heard. The Grand Jury went itself
to Sing Sing and saw two men In cell
three feet wide seven feet long and
seven feet high. A white man and a
negro. one diseased and the other sound.
a man and q boy. one decent. the other
o pervert, we're forced to share one cell.
In the corner OF the cell was bucket.
The stencil was awful. Each morning
the prisoners had to carry out these
buckets and empty them.
There In nothing that a convict 90
fears as a holiday Sunday II the same.
On holidays and Sundays he IL locked up
all day. When q holiday and a Sunday
come In succession II In enough to crase
men. How those poor fellows dreaded
the thought Of Fourth OF July. The
prospect was all the worse because of the
hot weather. suggestion was made to
tho Superintendent Of Prisons recently
that the men might be allowed to 20 out
to dinner on Sundays instead of having
TO eat In their foul cells. The idea was
rejected because the guards would have
to be on duty an extra couple OF hours
This was deemed hardship. Fifteen
hundred men must foreso sunlight and q
breath OF liberty lest few hundred have
10 stand around couple Of hours extra
"Jim Connaughton. Of whom Mont
somery spoke 10. ~ Montgomery says, q
first rate prison manager. He improved
thingu immensely The new warden,
Clancy. seems to be q man OF education
and human feeling. So things should
be not 20 bad. But the building must 70.
puilt eighty f1ye wears back with no celia