New-York tribune., 1919-12-13
Bedford Prisoner Tells
How, Handcuffed i'm a
Cell for "a Hours, She
Faced Serious Injury
Bedlam Marks Inquiry
Girl, Beaten With Keys,
Lost Hair i'm Which
They Became Entangled
Staff Correspondence

StQU Correspondence
BEDFORD HILLS, N. Y, Dec. 12.-
Stories of a girl chained in strained
position between the door of her cell
and an untitled bed which would crash
down upon her at the slightest move
ment, of another girl who was beaten
over the head by the assistant super
intendent with bunch of keys that
became tangled in her hair, and of
similar incidents at the reformatory
for women here were interrupted this
afternoon by prisoners who turned
their cottage into bedlam as a protest
against punishment imposed.
John S. Kennedy, vice e-president of
the State Prison Commission, ad-
Journed the session of his inquiry into
tory long enough to visit the cottage,
accompanied by members of the board
of managers and others at the hearing.
He was invited to do so by Helen Cobb,
superintendent of the place.
"If you gentlemen want to see for
yourselves what difficulties we have to
contend with" Miss Cobb said after
receiving a telephone message, "you
may come over to Lowell Cottage right
now"
Bedlam in Cottage
Lowell Cottage, in which negro pris-
oners of the reformatory are housed,
was heard before it was seen. The up
roarious din emanating from it smote
the ears of the investigators before
they got within sight of the building.
When it came into view it was seen
that almost every window was crowded
with negro women who were shouting,
crying and laughing Historically.
Within the noise was deafening
Some of the prisoners had thrown
themselves on the floor and were la
menting their lot and what they called
the injustice of their keepers at the
in the cottage, they explained, had lost
piece of neckwear and thought one
of her companions had stolen it. The
punishment decreed was that no in
mate of The cottage should share in the
recreation hour until the neckwear had
been returned.
Philosophy and soothing words had
no effect upon the waling, shrieking
chorus, and the investigators returned
to the room where the hearings are
conducted.
Handcuffed to Cell Door
Stella Kramer, muffled in furs and
sparkling with gems, who entered with
the opulent rustic of silks, was the
girl who told about being stretched
between her cell door and a nicely bal
anced bed She was released from the
reformatory last February, after serv-
ing three-year term for shoplifting
In a fit of rage at being confined to
her room on February 25, 1917, she had
broken window.
"They took me to Rebecca Hail." she
said. "and laid me fiat on the floor on
my back with my hands handcuffed
behind me. Then they raised me
enough to get my hands out and
fastened the handouts to the door of
my cell. My feet were chained to a
bed. The bed was raised so that if
| tried to kick it it would topple over
on me.
"Miss Minogue (assistant> supern-
t'ndent) went to the bathroom and got
piece of soap from one of the tubs
which she put into my mouth. Then
STE tied a piece of rag around to hold
IT .here. My lips were cracked and the
sop was dirty. | was left there for
twontyfour hours. Some of the time
| may have been unconscious. | re-
.aenber water being thrown on me.
AtIarward they ducked my head in 81
rail of water
Hair Cut Off to Release Keys
Peter Quinn, guard at the refor-
mator- who previously had testified to
seeing at least one hundred girls
strung up to their cell doors by
manacles, told about the prisoner who
was beater over the head with the
bunch of key. 1t was Miss Minogue,
he said who Ysed the keys and they
became so entangled in the hair of
the furious girl that the hair was cut
off in order to extricate the keys.
The girl was Maizie Rice, who also
was a witness to-day. Quinn, who re-
marked casually that he had seen eight
girls strung up to their cell doors at
once, was called because the Rice girl
had testified that the beating took
place August /, while the records
showed she was sent to the disciplinary
building on July 20.
Quinn agreed that it was August 1
being positive, he said, because it was
pay day. There werc four girls in the
punishment cell at the time, he said
three white and one negro. This state
ment also was disputed, the records
appearing to show that it was July 2s
and that the proportion was three
negro and one white. Later in the in
.quiry, however. it developed that the
records were in error on this point
and Quinn was right