New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1916-10-27
A PRISONERS Treatment

Mexico during the month of October, 1915,
after serving a term of four years, ten months
an six days. Musgrave was sent from Ros-
well in 1910 on the charge of horse stealing,
and given a sentence Of from four to five
years. After being released from the great
institution of which ]. B. McMannis, ap-
pointed by Governor Mcdonald, is warden
Musgrave, like all other released c%onvicts, was
given a ticket to the place from which he re-
ceived his sentence, but desiring to go to the
home of his parents, in Arizona, he paid the
difference and received a ticket to Elgin,
Arizona, which appeared to be more than
satisfactory to the prison officials, After
boarding the train ne decided that he wanted to
spend a few days in Santa Fe, so he paid
his fare to Lamy, held his ticket and returned
to Santa l7e. After landing back in Santa
Fe he was discovered by two Of the prison
guards in one of the printing offices of the
city, telling his story to a newspaper man,
and straightWay the prison v~ulturcs began
TO rattle his past history like a kicking jack
ass in a tin barn.
These guards called the newspaper MAJ out
OF bed and demanded to know the story that
Musgravc had told, but they failed to get it.
He was then Informed that Musgrave was
the worst outlaw that was ever sheltered in
the pen that he had served time in other pris-
ons. and his character was blackened and
besmirchcd as though the man was a demon
from he'll. Not content with a|ssailing the
man who had paid for his crime, even if he
was guilty, the story was heralded all over
the city, until little children would stand in
awe and afraid when Mus9raVe went dow
the %sctrect. Not content with that the re-
port was spread over the city that the prison
.~officials were fearful lest Musgrave had re-
turned to Santa Fe, publicly walking the
streets, in the broad open light Of the day,
for the purpose Of slipping arms to the pris-
oners inside of the pcnitentiary. In reality
they were afraid Nlusgrave would tell his
story which he did,
His purpose in returning from Lamy,
SO he said, was to employ lawyers to sue the
officials OF the pen for the treatment he had
received, in the hope Of helping better the
conditions of the men who are yet confined
in the institution, and the suit is now in the
court. And here is his story:
Il was sentenced to the state p%eniten-
tiary OF New Mexico from Roswell on the
charge OF horse stealing, in 1910, for a term
of from four to five years, and stayed in that
hell hole four years ten months and six days,
and the reason | came back to Santa Fe after
starting to Arizona, was to tell the news
papers of the city the way the prisoners are
treated, and to employ lawyers, in the hope
of getting some relief for the men who are
vet confined there, and to expose these OF
ficials for the brutal treatment of the pris-
oncrs, During the last campaign Mr.. Bur
SIM was C9rfooup1 II, coma Of the ,oDore rf
the state, whipping a prisoner strapped over
a barrel, and Governor Mcdonald held up
the picture while on the stump, as horrible,
brutal, inhuman, and stated that if he was
elected Governor of New Mexico that brutal
treatment OF the men in the penitentiary would
never be p%racticed again yet I know from
personal experience that Governor Mcdonald
has never even attempted to make his word
good in this respect, On May Io, 1912. five.
months after McI)onald's Inauguration, I was
over the barre! referred to in the
cartoon by the governor, and whipped with a
broad paddle until tie skin on my back peel
Cd off for over a foot. | was then placed
in the dark hole for one day, when | was tax
en- ont on account Of the Injuries I had re-
from the beating. The charge pre-
icrred against me for which | received the
was my refusal to tell the prison
vino had carried oul and mailed a
letter for me to my lawyer. | he'd attemn.el
on three different occasions to send a letter
10 my. attorney through the prison Office, but
on each occasion found that the letters were
never mailed, so | slipped one ont, and when
my lawyer responded it was found out, and
because ! refused to tell who carried the let
Ter out | received the beating. After I be-
came better Of the wounds received over the
oarrel | still refused to tell who carried the
letter ont, and was given twenty days in the
and fed only on bread and water.
md had no cot or even blankets to sleep on.
the end of that time | had contracted rhe-
from sleeping on the cold lamp
floor of the dungeon, which adjoins the ice
house, and twenty-three days in solitude and
darkness had almost driven me crazy. AT the
Urgent request of the prison physician l was
out of the black hole and placed among
he other prisoners until I began to show signs
IF improving physically, when the prison of
'icials again attempted to make me tell who
,arried out the letter, and when | refused |
Vas charged with sending out another letter
md again given twelve days in the black hole,
lfter which | was taken out and given the