Norwich bulletin., 1914-04-30
Horrors of a
 Mexican Prison
NOTORIOUS AS FOULEST ON
 AMERICAN CONTINENT.
CLOSED BY FLETCHER
Evidence That an Ancient Device of Torture Had Recently Been in Use in Fortress of San Juan De UIua.

Vera Cruz, April 29.-The fortress of San Juan De Ulua, notorious for cen turies as perhaps the foulest prison on the American continent, has been or dered by Rear Admiral Fletcher to be vacated imme ediately.
 When the American sailors and ma rines occupied Vera Cruz there were in this prison, constructed in the form of a little island, in the harbor, some four hundred prisoners, most of whom were charged with political offenses. Three hundred of these men already have been released or transferred to other prisons. Civil Governor Kerr con ferred with Rear Admiral Fletcher to- day as to the disposition of the re- mainder of the prisoners and was giv- en orders to transfer them. The details were left to him. It is probable that some of the men will be liberated, but those held will be interned in the military prison or in the local jails.
 Rear Admiral Fletcher's decision to remove all prisoners from the fortress of San Juan De Ulua was reached after an inspection had been made by Commander H. O. Stickney, inspector of the port and the customs, who oc- cupied the place, and by officers espe- cially detailed for that work.
 Terrible Conditions Prevalent.
 verified the tales that had been writ ten for generations of the terrible con- ditions prevalent there. Many of the dungeons were below the water line when the tide was running in, at which time the inmates, many of whom were half blird on account of their long incarceration and semi i-darxness, were drenohed. Other dungeons were so constructed that it was impossible for the victims to lie down. An ancient device of torture was discovered and there was evidence that there recent ly had been in use.
 Among those held in confinement were men whose names, once well known, now have been almost forgot ten; men who had been there so long that their minds were blank, and men so enfeebled by the treatment they had received as to insure their transfer to hospitals instead of to prisons.
 Appearance of Prisoners PitiabIe.
 The appearance of the prisoners was pitiable. Emaciated creatures stum- bIed forward te thank the inspecting officers fer their delivery, Long boards in many cases were matted over dirty countens nees on which once the fash ionable element of the federal capital had looked, for many of those impris- oned were formerly prominent in so- ciety, in politics and in the army.
 Each succeeding administration con- tinued the use of this ancient fortress as 8 prison--a use to which it was put by the Spaniards The late Francisco I. Madero inspected the prison just prior to his taking charge of the gov ernment at Mexico City. He was hor- rified by what he saw and declared with much solemnity that his first of ficial act would be the removal of the prisoners and the conversion of the fortress into an arsenal. He did go so far as partially to prepare military prisons at a point a short distance from Vera Cruz. to which he talked of removing the prisoners, but this promise to clean out the prison was one of his promises which he neglected or found impossible to keep.
 Commander Stickney today was or dered to take over the prison with it's shops and everything else pertaining to it. Such shipworG as required by Mexico's navy had been done there.