The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-10
MISS DAVIS QUELLS
! NEW ISLAND RIOT
Puts 500 COnvicts On Bread
and Water as shop
Is Fired.
SECOND REVOLT IN A DAY
Commissioner. Situation in
Hand. Says 1t Is "Psych-
illogical"
SECOND REVOLT IN A DAY

Miss Katharine r. Davis. Commissioner
Of Correction, got back from Mrs. Bel
mont's party at Newport yesterday morn
ing to find her deputy. Burdotte q. Lewis.
beset by the second revolt of Blackwclls
Island prisoners within twcnty-four
hours The insurgents set fire to the
tailor shop. put the machinery out Of
business and created scene Of the Wild
est confusion. AS a result of their
escapadc 500 of them are shut up in their
cells and condemned to a bread and
water diet.
Commissioner Davis lost no time In be
ginning an investigation and in informing
the newspaper men that she would do il
herself. She refused to permit any re-
porter to visit the Island and attempts 90
ct into communication by telephone
were equally fruitless. When she was
asked why she would not issue passes to
the Island she said
81 wouldn't permit any newspaper to
investigate the prisons. | will resign
FIRST. | tell the newspapers all that hap
mems and tell them the truth. | think
tho investigation made last year by the
Grand Jury was the worst thing that evcs
happened. The newspapers want scnsa-
tIonll stories and headlines and that's
what was responsible for all the trouble
a, Sing Sing. The prisoners read the
stories and are melted to revolt by them"
When Miss Davis was asked II. asid
from their desire to read sensational
stories about themselves, there was any
thing else that stirred the prison RS to
revolt she said:
ESTIMATION Entirely Psy Geological"
The situation In tho workhousc is en-
tircy psychological The attitude of the
prisoners ia that all Keepers arc tyranis
and that they are going to resist the
tyrants. No grievance could he cited
specincaliy wnen MIR. Lewis went over
there last night. There were complaints
that their letters had been destroyed,
which isn't true because We have all
Of them. and that the men who created
n disturbance on tine Fourth of July had
beer disciplined"
Miss Davis said she did not know IF
any particular animus toward Warden
Hayes or Mr.. Lewis or herself She said
she didn't construe their shout Of Votes
for Women" as indicative of animus to.
ward her.
The Commissioner made good on her
promise to toll the story Of the uprising
yesterday. Apparently she spared non"
Of the details, even mentioning tho fact
tina she was greeted by catcalls and
howls of derison from the prisoners
every time she passed near the west wing
NJ the penitentiary. She declared that
on bread and water diet the mon would
stay until they began to behave and
that she wouldn't go near them until
they had quoted down bit.
1t Is tho opinion OF Miss Davis and
Deputy Commissioner Lewis that tho out
breaks at Blackwcll's Island are mere in
cideuiS IN a general scheme to discredit
the prison reform movement as it Is cX-
emplifed In the measures OF the present
administration Mr. Lewis believes that
tho rebellion of these prisoners is fostered
By the same influences that Brought about
the revoliS at Sing Sing and Auburn and
he ascribes their origin To politicians of
the particularly small variety.
Deputy Commissioner Lewis already
had issued n statement yesterday morning
saying that the revolt of the night before
mad been suppressed and commencing
Warden Hayes and his men when the see
0nd uprising got under way. There we're
100 prisoners At work In the shops when
1t started Men who were in the plot be-
gan yelling and running about suddenly
names shot M from a pile of rubbish in
the tailor shop and general confusion fol-
. lowed. Foreman James King called upon
several prisoners who wcpc not partici-
pating In the demonstration 10 help him
and they go after the fire.
Prisoner Cuts Betting.
While the fire was still demanding at
60 nF.w. Y.V.tag III.
bolt that turns the machinery shaftlng in
both tailor shop and shoeshop There
was SNAP and slap as he cut the leather
and duckcd back into the crowd of OK
cited prisoners. In "A moment every ma
chime in tho place had stopped and those
who had continued to work became the
special object OF the dsturbers' scornful
1ibes.
There were three keepers with the men
AZ the time and they were hav
Ing their hands full when Warden
Hayes and Head Keeper McManus
Fot there. Six prisoners who had
refused To btgin work on the ground
tnat they were In sympathy with the men
1.ho had started the disturbance of the
usht before were singled out Immediately
by the warden ~ the rinEleaders These
slN were yanked out of the crowd and
after that the men obeyed the order to
rali INTO line Meanwhile the prisoners
wednesday night demonstration set nm a
continuous yelling that could be heard far
beyond the prison walls
deputy Commissioner Lewis had iust
go' back 10 his office when word ca me
or the second outbreak. Commissioner
Davis and her deputy hurried to the
Island. They found that tho 700 men
mao been returned from the shops 10
their cells and that Warden HAYES had
Inc situation wen In hand Neither the
prisoners nor tho Keepers had been i'm.
Juted IN the general fraCas
AS result of the outhr. ok lag, nirh,
ana TINS morning" the Commissioner said
on her return, about 500 prisoners ara
now confined in their cells living on
bread and water The demonstration nm
TO the present time has only been made
ny prisoners from the west wing of the
penitcntiary, Last night there were about
iorty ringleaders and this morning there
were six In the tailor shop and nine in
the shoeshop.
tatcaiIs for Miss Davis,
EVERY time passed near the west
wing there were catcalls and yelling by
me prisoners | would not go near them