New-York tribune., 1919-12-07
Girl Strung Up
Before Prison
Inquiry Board
Former Inmate at Bedford
Submits to Cell Torture
That She Charges Is Used
Often at Reformatory
Stdf Correspondence

Stdf Correspondence
BEDFORD HILLS, N. Y, Dec. g.
Elsie Adler, twenty-one years old. a
former prisoner in the State Reforma-
tory for Women here, suffered herself
to be Strung up to the grating of a
disciplinary call in the reformatory to-
day. She did this. it was explained.
to illustrate to Vice President John
S. Kennedy, of the State Prison Com
mission, now conducting a hearing
into charges of cruelty brought
against the officials of the institution,
one Of the most common methods Of
disciplining prisoners.
The demonstration was made over
repeated protests from Daniel P.
Hayes, New York lawyer and a men,
Der of the Board of Trustees. 1t was
not until Miss Adler had signed a
statement waving all claim upon the
institution for injury inflicted by the
experiment that it was finally brought
about.
Miss Adler had testified that she had
been strung up during her term in the
reformatory from 1915 to 1918 at least
twenty times. Those called upon to
oSolo1 III "er ueHoHstTatlOn To-Day
were Thomas Quinn, keeper, who
last week testified to the harsh meas
ures taken in the institution to sub
due the unruly, and William Mannix,
formerly employed as fireman in the
reformatory, who testified to-day that
he had assisted at several "strinRings
up"
Girls Hands Fastened
The hearing adjourned to the mar
row corridor on which the disciplinary
cells face. A door of one of these was
swung open. 1t was fashioned of strips
of latticed steel. To one of these,
about five feet from the ground, Quinn
fastened one clasp of a pair of heavy,
rusted handouts. He pulled the girls
hands behind her back and snapped
another pair to her wrists.
There was a moment of hesitation.
Then Miss Adler nodded toward her
shoes.
-"Take them off," she ordered, and
explained that the girls shoes were
always removed before they were pun
ished in this fashion. Otherwise, she
pointed out. the victims could jam their
heels into the squares of the lattice
near the floor and ease the torture OF
the weight pulling at their wrists.
The shoes were removed, and Quinn
ground and snapped the open jaws of
the handcuff on the grating over the
links of the pair on her wrists. Miss
Adler, her head thrust forward, swung
from her wrists, an inch or SO from the
stone flooring.
After about minute and half she
asked to be let down.
"It's Beginning to Hurt
otis beginning to hurt" she ex-
planned
There was protest at this on the
part Of the officials of the prison, who
said that if tie girl could bear the pain
only this long it was impossible that
she could ever have been strung up
as she testified, for ten minutes OF
more at time.
When the cuffs were removed, rec
welts appeared on the girls wrists
she said are from former punishments
She displayed these first, early in
the hearing, after she had first testi-
fed to the number of times she had
been strung up. Humphrey Lynch. at
torney for Ruth Carter, out of whose
trial, on the charge of assaulting ar
attendant of the institution, the pres-
ent investigation has grown, then
asked her if the handouts had not cut
her wrists.
"Yes." she answered, pretty badly
sometimes
She rolled back her sleeves and dis
played several livid marks, four or Ave
inches long on her wrist and forearms
Mr.. Hayes objected to this, saying
that handouts could not possibly have
caused scars such as these.
Tells OF Struggling
"These were made" the girl testified
zone time when they kept me hanging
/ - 4 4 L.