New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-07-10
ISLAND PRISONERS
CUT POWER BELT
Sabotage in Penitentlary
Strike Includes Firing
Tailor Shop.
MISS DAVIS BLAMES
PAPERS FOR TROUBLE
Greeting Howled TO Her ITO"
Cells-Tea and Bread for
All Who Won't Work.

Dr Katharine Bement DAVIS Con-
missioner of Correction, mas sum Inv
on her hands over in the peh'ten,'.GI.S
an Blackwell's Island that ine'uu.'
sahotage and riots and all INV
marks of a true Industrial war, ou'
hos no intention OF comp llca''ht
troubles by allowing meooieSo"o
norters TO visit the scene NO.T
sioner Davis attributes the NIouoto =,
mart to grand jurles ana heNSp"P .s -
which have been giving the pIlSo '',horN
moor notion Of those VINO are ]" "N'''O'
ity over them. t.;.h;r, mower
10 the tailor shop and the shoe o,re ~
were cut. and some deludeo heMSp"H ID
~ r. works in the tailor shop trled
:" co. Ere 10 the place by dropping a
match in a pile of refuse. From ooV 10
zoo of the 1.4O0 prisoners refuse 70
rorl and are locked in their cells OH
hrood and water diet. and those VINO re-
oa;n obstinate are likely TO lose lheIi
Communication in proportion to tneir on
s+;necv The night before elght men
80 hurt in a riot in the mess nall
Renorters who sought PERMISSION W
"a N the island and see things 4of
themselves were denied passes
"No newspaper man can so over 10
dsr ar Tomorrow" said Commissioner
Davis. sharply. THE more those PeopIo
ara Ieft alone the better for all con-
csrned Those fellows (the prisoners :
tb;nk they can play to the gallery II
,bev see a newspaper man. NopoGy Is
beino killed and nobody is being hurt'
The strike to-day was sympatnetIc
strife The poor, dear brothers OF those
wbn we're locked up following last
nights disturbance are taking 'helr
part, that's all"
One reporter ventured to say that MS
rener had received information from
sorrces considered most reliable that
hed NOT been vouchsafed by Commls-
.ioner Davis or her deputy, burdet'e
e Lewis. and that he had been directed
~ CO 10 the island and inspect Things
for himself.
Calls Story a Lie.
"Tbat's an outrageous lie" cried
Commissioner Davis. The things you
nrinted this morning were lies! Nelther
Vr Lewis nor seek 10 conceal any
thing. 49,. ,;.,. -
There is no newspaper in TINS CITY,
sbe continued in a militant VEN. "Wnlcn
shall make any investigation OF an! Oh
NV institutions while | am Comnls-
;oror I'll resign first. II Is the most
damnable thing-a newspaper lnVesu-
cation. All they want is sensation
hundred dead. hundred wounded IL
was that sort of thing that caused ali
the riots at Sing Sing.
II think that that grand jury lnvesti-
cation that was made last year
dragged along for whole year WIN
me prisoners reading what tnelr lei
lows had to say before the grand jury
of the actions of their keepers was
one Of the worst things that coulo pos
sibly have happened for discipiine on
the island
within a few days a reporter, chap
9roned bv herself. her secretary, Miss
Finn. or her deputy. Mr.. Lewis, would
he allowed to visit the penltentlary.
Dr. Davis returned yesterday from
Nevnort. where she addressed meet
inc of the Political Equality Associa-
ton. called by Mrs. o. H. T. Belmont
and went Immediately to BlackwelIs
island with Mr.. Lewis. Her return was
not due. it was said, to the disorder
among her charges.
Prisoners Howl Greeting.
When her boat reached the pier the
rrisoners had lust been locked up after
some Of them had helped extinguish the
hlaze in the tailor shop. As they caught
.irht Of her from the windows howl
vent ND from 400 throats. The prs
oners thought, Commissioner DAVIS
said that she had come to take charge
herself She believes they have no III
will toward her; in fact, when MISS
Finn visited the penitentiary Wednes,
dav night from every tier resounoed
tbe shout: "Votes for women.
Commissioner Davis has no intention
If interfering with the discipline OF
the penitentiary. She believes that II
would be a mistake 20 allow the pris-
orers 70 believe that any situation
could arise which Warden Hayes him
elf was incapable of handling, and
+hat such would be their belief should
she take personal charge. She informed
the prisoners that when they were Will
ino 70 behave themselves they could
present their grievances to her, II they
had any. through the warden.
After the slashed power belt mad
been replaced Warden Hayes went from
cell 10 cell asking each man II ne was
ready 70 go back 20 work. Oi the l'sVV
about 500 went back. Half OF the prs
oners had been working IN the SHOPS
md half Of them outdoors. The tailor
non and the shoe shop were closed Tor
the rest Of the day. but Commissioner
Davis thinks that within few days
everytbing will be Strengthened out.
She anticipates no further outbreaks.
Those who are on strike get no break
fast and have bread and water for
luncheon and bread and tea for supper.
Connnissioner Davis said that so far as
she could see there was no politics IN the
outbreak. nor did there seem 10 be any
sDecifc cause. Discipline had beeA m
dermincd. she said, and for some time
digordcr had been expected. Inc pup
licity given 10 the conviction 81 dl3-
honest employees Of her department, she
,nnugbt. had given the prisoners dis
.nrted idea that all ia authority over
them were tyrants. The drug crusade
sI.o. sbc thought, might have had some
thing ~ do with the trouble
The only reasons gwen 70 deputy
Commissioner Lewis by the prisoners
we're the selling % slTty-siT contra
hand letters which Commissioner DAVIS
irterceLted. and the punishment d
solitary confinement Of thirty or iorty
urigorcrs who began % sing ana nc"I
=, The mess hall on the Fourth OF July.
Seitber the man WHO dropped the matcn
i, the tailor shop nor the man VINO cut
The belts has been found, although
Cn,nisejOner Dayit has narrowed hcr
search 90 group Of eight or ten
Millinery Importer Cleared
q r,b,sop treasurer Of the