Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-10-06
,amily. Intimate knowledge is gain

family. Intimate knowledge is gain
ed thereby of family secrets, which
are confidential as between the prison.
er and his family, but such secrets
being in nowise contrary to the dis
cipline Of the institution. 1t is per-
fectly proper for duly qualified Of
ficer to know these things, but not
so another prisoner who when releas-
ed may use such information to taunt
threaten or blackmail another prison
er or his family. Therefore, we are
of the opinion that the practice of
censorship of the mail by prisoners be
abolished and prohibited.
For the purpose of discipline in the
prison, the management has been in
the practice of confning prisoners in
solitary cells in which is contained
a straight jacket cell, wherein men
are placed and after being placed
therein, are unable to turn around, sit
down or in any way exercise. The use
of the straight-jacket has been such
that men being released therefrom
have swollen feet and limbs and are
otherwise injured physically. Dur
ing such confinement small portion
of bread and coffee is permitted in
the morning; water is served only at
noon and evening; and every third
day one additional meal is permitted
at noon time in addition to the water,
bread and coffee.
/ We are of the opinion that to say
the least, this mode of punishment,
exclusive of the straight jacket,
should be used only for prisoners who
haves committed grave and serious
offenses within the prison. However
this method of punishment has been
used by the present management for
many trivial ofenses. such asSshown
by the unrefuted testimony of one
who twas placed in solitary confne-
ment once for hollering on the range
and once for being out of place in
line," and another who twas placed
in solitary twice, once for taking g
pair of States socks and once fol
walking out of the idle house"
Twentieth century civilization de
mands the immediate abolishment o.
the straight jacket cell as a means o.
punishment and the use of the soil
tary cell only, after careful investi
cation of alleged acts of a serious ma
ture being committed contrary to tn
prison discipline. Also, the diet of tn
prisoners while in solitary cell
should be looked after from anothe
viewpoint than starvation. Guard
Hogan and Callihan, one a patro
guard and the other a guard at tn
solitary, testified as to the amour
and kind of food permitted men Will
confined for punishment in the soil
tary cells.
The testimony of the warden an
deputy warden discloses that for owe
a period of three and one half year
only one guard was disciplined b
suspension for a period of ten day
for slapping a prisoner without pre-
vocation, and no other guard was dis
ciplined, although the testimony Q
Guard Shotwell and various guards
discloses that at least twelve me
were assaulted with clubs, blackjack
or guns, and a large number of case
in which the guards struck prisoner
either with the closed fist or the ope
hand, or the application of the foe
for striking purposes. 1t is specifca
ly stated by the warden and the dc
i putty warden that in at least two case
8 in which clubs and blackjacks wer
used by the guards upon the head
and bodies of prisoners, namely, Bel
! No. 38426, and Cameron, the latte
5 not now confined in the Ohio peniter
tiary, that the guards of the pen
tentiary used considerable unnece:
sary force, requiring surgical trea
g ment. In the case of Cameron til
s warden testified that "his gener;
character was all right" and that /
3 ''had had no trouble with the guards
and that he chad given no evident
of being a dangerous prisoner" ar
that 81 afterwards made him a trust
prisoner" None of the guards col
cerned in these affairs were disciplil
ed, either by dismissal or given da!
off, indicating that the guard had use
too much force. In fact. none of tt
guards, according to the testimon
Z were aware until this hearing W:
had, that the warden diapproved
4 their actions. However, the warde
cut down the time of solitary CO..
s finement in one case and apologize
4 in the other and promised to hav
s and did have, Cameron's teeth, whiC
s were broken off in the encounter, pr
s perly cared for by a dentist.
We believe that proper disciplil
on the part of the guards is as esse
tial to prison management as disc
pline on the part of the prisoner. Y
recommend that any guard using e
cessive force be dismissed from t
service of the State and that any
fraction by improper conduct othe
wise than by force shall at least
noticed by the suspension of the qua
81 for a period of days, without pc
81 Any guard, such as Guard Hogs
who testified that he would shoot
prisoner who threw anything at h
from a cell, even though ample {
sistance are at hand for controlli
the prisoner, should be dismiss
from the service of the State, becau
such lack of sympathy and feeli
81 for the prisoners on the part of a
guard is conducive of the gravest &C
sequence and no advantage in the d
81 cipline of the prison.
The undisputed evidence shows tt
81 seventy-ssven prisoners were sent
81 the Lima State Hospital on or abe
y August 28th and the early part
September, 1915; thereafter on
oho11t March On 1919 fb;rfunna