The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-25

J not felt confident that the higher off,
Gals would condone the deed. Perhaps
had he been arrested and indicted he
might have uttered some names. but he
was exonerated and he has kept his
mouth shut.
This happened before the date Of At
torney- General Wickershrm's visit to
the prison, and therefore before the
change In Warden Meyers ideas as to
the expediency Of severe measures in
the handling of convicts. Were the
thing to be done again to-day II would
probably not occur out in the open air
and sunshine with persons looking on
but under circumstances Of decent Sc
clusion. The o side public IL becom-
ing a little squeamish about prison
killing.
But in Russf. there Is no public
opinion. or none that Is audible, and
the prison guards there are not ham
pered i'm their work by the necessity Of
doing 1t under cover, as they are her..
1t is question which method is prefer
able. I believe some OF our prisoners
would vote for the open way Of killing
and torturng.
| 1t is exasperating to be done up
in secret. in tie dark. stified a. d
/
ing. have no comparative statistics
as between us and Russia. -. II would
not be surprising II our record Of men
beaten, starv>d i, poisoned. hung up in
chains in dark cells and killed by neg
lect and cruelties were to size up fairly
we'll against what Russia has to show.
Considering the estri.tions put upon
them. our prison autocrats certainly do
| well.
Some doubt has been created in the
public mind as to whether there really
are dark cells in the Atlanta peniten-
tiary or, II there are. whether their
use has not been long discontinued I
never heard any categorical statement
in denial OF II from any OF the Of
fcials, though I have read something
| to that effect in local newspapers. WISH
tors never see them. and I know OF no
prison inspectors who have done so:
they are shown instead the light cells
on an upper floor. which are habitable
enough. with windows admitting day
light. and a cot bed. But the dark cells
are another story altogether. and their
existence can no more be denied sue
cessfully than that Of the prison it.
self.
A man named II. r. Rich was en-
ployed in the prison for nine years as
foreman Of the blacksmith's shop: ne
says that ne helped build two dark cells
In the basement and often riveted
chains on convicts there.
"They were chained to the door," he
goes on. Hanging by their hands, some
times for twenty four hours. Often
they were thus chained up during the
day. but at night the chain attached to
the frame OF the door was loosened: the
other chain was attached to a vertical
rod. the ring sliding up and down. so
that the man was able to lie on the
bare cement floor.
There were no cots. The food was
generally one slice Of bread and a cup
Of water a day. sometimes two or three.
Men were often kept thus for weeks at
a time and would come ont so pallid and
weak that they could scarcely walk and
blinded from long confinement in dark
ness.
"a convict named s. was kept In the
dark hole two weeks. was often
called to chain him. as he was a pow
erful man; but when ne would come
out he was so weakened that he could
scarcely move"
I may add here that have often
and he told me details of his eXperi-
ences. would print his name and
story. but he IS still in conference.-the
has lived two and twenty continuous
years in prison-and he might be made
To suffer for his revelations.
Among other things he said that he
had been In the punishment cells in the
aggregate eight years! II he were not
a lion of strength and courage he would
have been dead long since. The Atlanta
penitentiary claims to be the most hui
name in the world. But eight years in |
chains and darkness seems q long time. |
even taken in instruments.
man lately released has this to say:
THE administration of the penitentary
IL a sham and pretence. Reform Is a |
show, for the benefit of Government in |
spectors and visitors. with underneath |
callOus and brutal disregard for the |
welfare OF the convlcts moral and phys
ical.
mo tOrtures! ! was trussed up, face |
to wall. with arms outstretched, for
ten hours. When loosed ! just dropped