The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-12
General view Of Sing Sing Prison.

Of Sing Sing. At the end Of
he interview they shook hands.
Il tell you I know nothing about the
work." said Clancy, but give me .
and think will be able to say
whether can handle IT," With that
understanding they parted.
Gov. Sulzer had not appointed Clancy
because he was q veteran penologist
but because q host OF responsible citi-
zens. bankers. lawyers and business
men. had impressed upon him the fact
that . man like Clancy was needed at
tho head Of the institution. Since 1929
or thereabout Sing Sing prison had
been . political preferment a. far as
agents and others were con-
cerned Men had taken It up a. q
political Job. a. part Of the spoils. and
although the salary was only $500
year and maintenance, some OF them
had done very much better than that.
1t had the reputation Of being one Of
the worst prisons In the United States,
. disgrace to the State. A ring known
as the "prison ring had controlled Il
for many years, and although war
dens and administrations might come
and go. the same set Of men reaped
the harvest from its shops and its In
mates.
Clancy these sponsors knew to be
honest, strictly honest. in the first place.
and in the next he was a business man,
q man with executive ability and ex-
perience. For the rest he was cool.
strong willed but not obstinate, a broad
six footer without frills. He
was then IS years old. a New York city
man born and bred. the son Of the late
Charles NJ. Clancy, for years a Judge
OF the City Court. Originally he had
studied law: then he had gone into the
Aston Place Bank. which he left to be-
come an assistant secretary Of the late
William c. Whitney. Thereafter he
had become an examiner and account
ant for the city. being fifteen years with
the Board Of Assessors.
That was the man who entered Sing
Sing that morning in last July to be
met with revolution.
Two weeks later Judge Riley sent
the new warden a telegram compll-
menting him on the tact with which he
had handled the very difficult situation.
Instead Of being carried or his feet ne
had remained Arm throughout the
tLoubtS. lac ulo IiOtHluB uIdStlCs ITO dlu
not assert himself.
As he went across the grounds oaths
and curses were hurled at him, but he
never blinked an eye. He studied It all,
studied It coolly. carefully and painstak-
ingly. Then early one morning sixty
men who were ringleaders were awals-
ened around $3.50 o'clock. shaved, bathed
and dressed and marched to the rail-
road station to be shipped to Auburn
prison. A few days thereafter another
set of sixty went through the same
procedure.
Without any particular demonstra-
ton Of strength the lines began to close
in. Keepers suddenly found out they
could do n little something. Kennedy.
the ex-warden. came out with . public
statement that any man who aided or
connived at the mutiny was no friend
Of his and peace appeared on the
horizon.
Clancy himself cannot explain what
ne did except that he go: rid OF the lead
ers and kept his head with tho others.
He did make quick shifts of keepers.
taking men from companies they had
controlled for years and sending them
to others. Tho tumult and the shouting
died.
Then. as this II a chronological mar
rative, Clancy one noon stopped q COM
pany Of men marching from q shop.
"Let mo see that shoe." no said, point
Ing down to the foot Of an old timer.
Tho convict lifted his foot and disclosed
a shoe without sole.
Take that man over ana sive him a
new pair Of Shoes" was the order
He went to another and another, 10
about all the men in that line. ordering
shoes. and left them somewhat startled.
It had been tho custom to wear shoes
until the uppers fell apart.
He stopped q line and ordered a man
taken out to receive new suit OF
clothes before his garments had fallen
of his back. That had never been done
before and other orders to the same ef-
feet kept the prison tailors working
overtime.
About tho Same time no appeared in
the mess hall.
Fifteen hundred men were fed daily
In the mess hall. two meals daily except
Sundays and holidays. Around the food
centres the wellbeing of the institution
The State DEGREES that It's charges shall
receive wholesome food and for years
It has paid for such food. The only
trouble was the convicts did not gel
what tho State paid for. The kitchen
keeper of that day IL under indictment
now for various offences. Ono charge
IL that Of the $50 pounds of meat re.
Questioned for a day 1875 pounds went
to the men-the rest was sold.
Here In where Clancy's bushes.
training stood him In good stead. He
established system of checks on tina,
food by which about every shred oil
meat. every potato. every loaf OF bread
IL numbered. and II It does not reach tn.
place 1t Is intended to reach that fac
Ii shown.
The extra 1875 pounds of meat made q
highly favorable impression on the in,
mates OF that prison. That was mo-
all. He sent up the Dennemora prison
and borrowed a dietician. a food expert
and brought him down to take charge
The orders to this man were that ever,
ounce Of food was to 20 pro rata to tn,
prisousrs. no one to get more than tn,