The sun., 1916-12-10
MOVER Is BLAMED
FOR PRISON ABUSES
New Warden Of Sing Sing Ac-
cused Of Harsh Admins
tratiOn at Atlanta.
MEN TELL OF TORTURES
Despite Unanswered Charges
Gov. whitman Approves
His Appointment.

A possibility that Sing Sing prison in
losing the gentle discipline Of Thomas
Mott Osborne. one OF the easiest OF
other extreme In prison administration
through the appointment OF william II.
Meyer as warden IL forclbly suggested
by ar inquiry made by THE SrN con-
corning the charges which preceded
Meyers resignation from the Federal
1915.
THE SUNS investigation has shown
that stories OF cruelties and abuses In
the Atlanta prison told by ~ex-guards as
well as by released convicts never have
received categorical deniais. whether
from the inability OF Meyer successfully
to deny or from his desire not TO enter
into an unpleasant controversy.
T%ortures and punishments hardly rom
ceivable under the more humane peno-
logical principles Of modern days were
described by guards. some Of whom were
discharged and others OF whom resigned
their positions. as they SAID. because
they refused longer to havj a part in
the abuse OF the convicts.
Horrors Of Prison "HoIe."
Men shackicd 10 the walls OF a dun
geon for days. their only fare a slice Of
bread and a glass OF water. weakened
inmates dying Of tuberculosis with no
medical care, and others going mad from
the horrors OF "the hole" into which they
were thrust for discipline form only n
part OF the not pleasant picture painted
OF the Atlanta prison under Meyers ad-
ministration.
Probably the most c,rcumstantia as
well as the most narrowing Of the
charges against the Atlanta warden
were contained in a series of questions
p~ropounded to him by seven guards
whom he had discharged because. they
intimated, they had discouraged a petit
ton among the prison employees for his
retention. They allude ironically TO
Meyers frequent statement in public
addresses. that he considered the pris-
oners as his children
Qsestions for Meyer to Answer.
The guards were Oliver Grimes. NJ. II.
Cobb. Benjamin Dunn. j. A. Baugh. J.
". Mcclure. q. NJ. Rasson and Charles
Evans. Their questions. which so far
a. can be learned never were given a
public and detailed answer by the war
den. follow
IL you are q humanitarian why was
Tucker. No. Is. a prisoner who had be-
come weak minded. chained In the In
tolerable heat In the tunnel leading from
the power house to the main building
instead o. being sent to the asylum at
ST. Elizabeth"
Would a good father allow one OF
his children to be chained among the
steam pipes with only q blanket on the
concrete floor TO sleep upon--treatment
which. In fuckers case. was followed by
death after his belated removal. to the
asylum?
Were you SO ignorant Of conditions
in the prison that you did not know that
l.eander Feed lay dying IN his cell while
repeated calls for medical attention were
being made by the guards Did you
not know that medical attention was
withheld from Reed for so long a time
that when he finally was carried to the
hospital on a stretcher he died within
A day after being received?
Dyisg In His Cell Three Weeks.
DO YOU remember Smith. No. cOiG,
one OF your negro child en- who was 50
sick when he was received at the prison
that he was unable TO go TO the deputy
warden's Office to be assigned to duty
bVu you KNOW lnat ne lay III ms cen
three weeks suffering from Br!ght's dis.
ease and that. although the deputy war.
den's Office was notified OF his condition
by the guard in charge. tho guard wa'
utterly unable to get a doctor to see the
poor man? md you know hat when he
was in a dying condition he was carried
on a stretcher to the hospital and was
carried away dead within twenty min.
utes after getting there
PLEASE explain. as the Humanitarian
you profess TO be. why the little old
Italian in Bio died without medical
treatment although he reported at sick
call every morning.
DO you remember tina. Kobolt. No
i34S. became demented from his term In
solitary and that on his release one ot
the guards dubbed him over the head
lrutally for making a remark for which
as "A crazy man. he could not be held
responsible
why did you allow Rogers. No. <3o
who vas virtually a maniac, to he kept