The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-27
SAYS PENITENTIARY
is UNFIT FOR PIGS"
B. G. Lewis Declares New Black
wells Island Building
Is Essential.
TREAT PATIENTS CRUELTY
Medical Staff Accused Of In
competency by District
Attorney.

The Flower ter Of cells In .he city pen
hentiary on Blackweirs island. the only
place available for unruly. hysterical or
temporarily insane prisoners. Is wet
Shiny. dark. foul smelling and unft for
pigs to wailow In" according to report
made to Mayor Mitchell yesterday by Bur-
dette q. Lewis, Deputy Commissioner of
Correction.
He says that the Department OF Cor
rection cannot assume respon sbllity for
keeping human beings In either the cells
OF the east wing or the boxes of the north
wing. and adds
We are compelled to notify your Honor
that we cnnno; be responsible either for
the discipline OF the conduct OF employees
In the penltentiary. from the warden
down. In the treatment OF those employees
as long rs conditions continue. There
must be built at once II modern dlscipli-
nary building"
lie also says that the punishment cells
of the north wing are within fifteen feet
OF tier OF cells containing sixty pris-
oners and that TO he OF any value for the
purposes Of punishment the refrigerator
doors must be closed and the cells her
metcally sealed"
Accompanying the report Is n letter from
District Attorney Whitman to Commits
sioner Katharine II. Davis containing in
formation which came TO him In the Grand
Jury prison investigation
Medical treatment of Blackwelrs Island
prisoners seems TO have been inadequate,
Mr.. Whitman says. He cites the case
OF Frank Willis. convict who appears
to have been the victim OF almost in
credible cruelty and stupidity. Mr.. Whit
man says:
willis was subjected to no physical
examination at the time OF his admission
The evidence seems TO show that he was
suffering from chronic heart disease In
Its advanced stages. lie was put TO work
In the shoe shop mailing heels on slippers
He was so weak he was unable to do
the work allotted to him. He was con-
tlnued In the shoe shop about a month
During this period he received no ade-
quate medical treatment. He threatened
TO throw himself from the fourth tier to
the ground unless he received some medi-
cal treatment
He WAS carried from his cell on the fourth
tier and locked up In n cell on the ground
floor for about two weeks, still receiving
no medical treatment He was then taken
to the hospital. whore he died eleven DAYS
afterward. The evidence seems TO show
that during the eleven days in the hos
pltal the only medical treatment he re-
celved was an occasional dose OF strych-
nine, administered by an Incompetent or
derby or by another patient"
The medical stan has been inadequate
and in the main very Incompetent. Mr..
whitman says The one physician In at
tendance had too much To do. There was
only one trained nurse who attended onN
TO woman patients.
Mr.. Whitman also says that the warden
deposits TO his own account the money
received in payment OF fines, tus.ifyinc
his conduct by saying he has always been
accustomed to do so
Mr.. Whitman also says that up to the
beginning of this year all the accounting
for the 100000 worth OF supplies bought
annually for the S-ison was done by In
competent convicts