New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-05
AUBURN REFORM
CALLED MYTH
Ex-Convict, in Magazine
Article, Accuses. Sing
Sing Head.

Prison reform at Auburn rs myth
according TO Benjamin J. Legere' All
anarchist and former convict there
writiY, in the current issue. OF The
New Republic" LeGcre was in Auburn
al the tine Warden Thomas Mott Us
burne. of Sing Sing, was a voluntary
prisoner there. He implies that Us
borne failed TO carry out his promises
TO bring punishment to two guards VINO
brutally beat a boy prisoner.
That the prison guards are oeeom-
ing civilized and human IS also d
fabrication of the press agents" writes
L.gere. zone of the most besstly as
saults upon a helpless sick prisoner &C.
CURED one night in cell two tiers
above mine.
"Tbomas Mott Osborne, who was
spcnding his week of voluntary imprlS-
eminent in Auburn at the time ana so
heard the beating and stranglng OF
the bov, told me personally that ne
would leave no stone unturned to nave
the two guards, Murphy and Benedict,
who were guilty Of the bludgeoning OF
the prisoner, disciplined.
"These men are still on the JOB az
Auburn, and one prisoner who saw the
whole affair and testified against them
has lost the position he held as trusty,
the result Of seventeen years or gooo
conduct. and UP to the time l lett tne
prison had been confined to his eel! for
eight months.
When Mr.. Osborne was told of lie,
ceres version of this incident he SAID
il was untrue, and that "Legere Is an
unmiticated liar, who does not deserve
any consideration He said that while
Tegere was in Auburn he tried to run
the Mutual Welfare League Of the prls-
oners. and. failing in that, turned
against il. He had absolutely no stand
ing among the other men. he said.
81 was not a witness TO the attack
On the boy, but | heard the confusion
and later heard the story Of it as 1t
went about the prison Warden Os-
borne said. 81 was very hot about 1t
at the time, and thought the guards
should be bounced.
But neither the boy who was at
tackled nor any other prisoner would
make any signed statements as 10 what
happened. An investigation was made
but il petered out because Of lack Of
testimony. The superintendent dropped
il because there was not enough evil
dence to convict the accused guards.
This is an old natter told all
about il in my book. It is a dead issue
now, and there is no reason for raklng
IL up. Legere is utterly unworthy Of
Credence He has no reason TO hold
n grudgc against me-; but he apparent
" does. and has written a number Of
untrue things about ne and about re
Legere spoke in Schenectady yester-
day on prison reform. He was asked
by telephone for an interview as to his
reasons for attacking the Osborn re
forms.
my only reason is that want to see
him and those with him make good on
their Uretensions that they want to
give the prisoner sef-government,' he
said. 81 and a few other of the more
radical element at Auburn took them
at their word when Osborne had such
great influence there.
"When he saw how great our grow
ing power was he even went to the eX-
tent # trying 20 get me pardoned so
as to get me out of the prison. When
he failed in that he tried to get me
transferred to another prison. We
found that instead Of giving the prison
ers self-government they wanted it to
be like the Tammany system-a ma
chine controlled by few. There was
no such thing as real democracy in it."
Legere was told that Osborne said
he was disgruntled because he had
failed 10 get control of the Welfare
1 League at Auburn. He said that it was
not so, and that il was largely through
1 him and his associates there that Os-
| borne was able TO get the lelgue
started. II was only when he and his
! faction insisted he said, on a real
carrying out of the democratic idea
that friction came.