The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-02-05
ADMIT GIRLS WERE
TORTURED, BUT SAY
II WASN'T CRUEL
Handwriting of Young Women
and DuOking at N. Y. School
Owned Up to by State o.
fiCiaIS.

BEDFORD HILLS. y. y. Feb S.
Free admission that girl inmates were
h0ndcuied 70 cell doors was made by
otIiceEs g.. the New York state REFORM
atery Tor women al Bedford Hills a. a
resumption OF the Investigation by John
>. Kennedy vice president OF the state
prison commission.
Miss Julia Miuosue disciplinary Of
iieer, matrous and doctors. however.
asserted taat neither the Handwriting
nor the custom 81 dipping girls heads
In water Was mhumanr
The gist Of their testimony was that
Madness was used as long as possible,
and then firm but not cruel steps we're
taken 10 i -ep necessary discipline They
az ssfeed that iu no Instance was a
glrl haudCutfed 20 a cell so that her
teet did not rest firmly on the floor.
TIE only punishment ! ever admin
isterpd was deprivation Of privileges and
putting an unruly glTh on bread and
water Miss Miuogue said The use
o. henaeutts and Of waite was purely
for restraint"
Miss Minogue illustrated against the
wall the position Of "A girl when hand
euffed 70 q cell, ana asserted 10 was
clear that were q girls feet clear Of
the floor she would DO thrown far for
ward.
She said Peter quinn. a guard who
has testified girls were handcufted with
their feet IRON four 70 10 inches from
the floor and ducked until he thought
they were dead was the first 10 sug-
gest the Handwriting
Miss Helen A. Cobb. superintendent
81 the institution, and Miss Minogue
tried Handwriting two years ago. II de-
veloped from Miss MinoEuc's testimony.
She said Miss cobb hEndcuffed her 10
b cell, left her for 10 minutes. then
raised her up a bit and left her for
two minutes more. Miss Mlnogue said
she and Miss Cobb again practiced
Handwriting on themselves within the
last two weeks. Referring 10 the duck
ing, IN water charges, Miss Miuogue
said,
we Just put girls head in and
up again, have done IL sometimes
one, two, three times. No girl ever
tainted or smothered or suffocated dur
Ing his treatment
Miss Minogue described the had con-
dthon Of discipline when she went to
Bedford three years ago, saying she
had to wash her hair five or six times
z day because Of the fifth thrown upon
her. She said one girl injured her side
BY .purposely sammlng a cell door
against her.
nr. Mary Conant resident physician,
and Or, Elizabeth Jaeger, her assistant,
were Witnesses They agreed girls feet
never we're off the floor when hand
cuffed. so far as their knowledge went.
record for oct. %, 1915. which showed |
three girls Evelyn Brown, Elsie Ram !
fey and Frances 0Neill--were hung |
up TO a grating. and that Dr Grover |
had advised Miss Minogue 60 take the |
girls down at pm that day. Accord |
ing to the record the three were 'hang- |
ing the next morning. but Dr. Grover |
explained she had no way OF knowing |
whether they had been taken down |
when she advised It, had spent In their |
beds, and had been hung" again,
gust had asked her 10 do something
for the poor girls" who, he said were |
being handcuffed with feet off the floor
and ducked In cold water until they |
were almost suffocated, Said pr. CO. |
nant:
Il told him II he considered the pun |
iShment too severe he should complain |
70 Miss Cobb, the superintendent not