The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-10-07
STATE PRISON
SLAVERY, SAYS
OSBORN, FREE
Head of New York Commission
Liberates Self After Night
in Dungeon
SAYS SYSTEM Is WRONG
Dark Cell Gave Him "Innermost
Glimpse of the Internal
Regions"
Dark Cell Gave Him "Innermost
HIip,neo of kbo lcxn,n,l
PRISONERS FOOD IS GOOD

Auburn, y. Y" oct Thomas Mott
Osborne, who under the name OF "'rom
Brown has been spending - Nccl m
! Auburn prison to study the systcm
from the inside, completed his bit" af-
| tor undergoing the limit Of punishment
| inflicted ON q convict in state mstitu-
tionS. MIR Osborne spent an the time
ri"m = o'clock i'm the afternoon uuI g
in th" morning i'm the dungeon. for
refusing To work and pale aud nag
gard with several pounds of his normal
weight missing. he declared the night
N the dungeon to have been a glimpse
into the innermost circle OF the infer
no" The voluntary convict parduneI
himself this afternoon and is now rest
ing his studies into shape for his re-
port To the state commission Of prison
reform, OF which he is chairman. lie
said of his experience:
Il am more than ever convinced
that the prison system is singularly
unintclligcnt, in effective and cruel. In
many respects the material welfare of
the convicts is we'll looked after |
found the food uneXpcctedly good. the
cells, while 1ntiquatcd. are clean and
satisfactorily lighted at night, ana the
clothing is comfortable.
Form Of Slavery
First the prison system is abso-
lutcly "A form of slavery and all the
truths that Lincoln cnunciatcd apply
equally to prison slavery. 1t takes
from the convict his own Initiative
and freedom of action and he becomes
an irresponsible automaton who re-
turns To the outside world To find that
he is unable To resume his own i'm
dividuality and guide his own destiny
ono instance of the uuintelligcncc
of the sSCtcm is the attempt 10 pre-
vent the cOnvicts from normal eXer-
else of tn" senses of sight and speech.
How unnatural this is and how it tends
to rcprcss every human instinct is uu
necessary to say.
Another most unintelligcnt aspect
is the way the system inevitably tends !
toward making punishment for small |
Ofieuscs the same as for great ufrcusCs. !
There Is no difference, Tor instance. |
between the orrcnsc Of a man lalkiug !
in the shop aud ur man who takes |
up q crowbar aud attempts to kill the |
officer in charge Both are treated !
To the dungeon
There is a frightful waste of hu- I
man life and ingenuity because the /
system is SO bad that. while there Is .
some slight reform. the principle # |
reformation is not used to anywhere
near it's measure of possibilities. Real
izing perfectly the considerable uum
bCr Of dcgcncrateS and other indcs-
citizens included In the ranks
of the prisoners. | was amazed at the
amount Of splendid courage, fine feel
ing aud ncighburly interest displayed
10y the inmates toward each other.
Called Him Brown
"'rhc convicts called me Brown and
did their best To think of me as one
Ut themselves. They took my expert
mont in the way | hoped they would
hut feared they couldn't AS | march,
I'd to and fro with my company.
caught every once in II while a smile
pr a wink or a whispered How goes
Il, Tom from some passing gray ng-
urc.
80 FAR as am concerned. the thing
has been "A thrilling success aud think
hat | have imagination enough after
What I have seen and done aud lived
through this week To put myself i'm thr
hoes of most of the convicts aud that
will, I hope bring forth
good fruit"