Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-12-06
TAIL
SCORED BY JUR|ST

Judge MasNsllls Tells Church
Audience inspectors Are IRE.
spectacle PoIywogs"
VISITORS ARE MlSLED
Judge Raymond MacrSeille, speakine
before men Of Bethany Temple rresoy.
terian Church last night, announced he
would never sentence O prisoner to q
iong term in Holmesburg County Prison,
rearing the man would become insane or
dtse, from the treatment there.
tors, composed OF men who know moth.
fooled by the prison keepers, and that
methods Of punisllment worse than those
prevailing hundred years ago are being
used today at Holmesburs.
Expressions Of surprised horror. came
who heard Judge MacNeilie describe
rieors Of prison life at Holmcaburs
which are now being revealed in q series
ct articles In the EVENING PUMIo
LEDGER. They. were hardly able to
realize that such Q relic Of the times
wnen kings threw men into prison, to
axs' sGls Ss eonelS:os ssss 10 o, Ghsn y: ,sH
the Judge received round after round
system 10 Archaic
Long ago I learned something about
conditions at the prison." Judge Mac.
.sS s,snsasSs sHSs e c:%s g S01s It.
conclusion that the system In vogue 10.
day is actually worse than that used In
state prisons hundred years ago.
The inmates are. allowed only TWEEN
ty minutes Of exercise five days q week
and frequently that brief recreation In
Gods fresh air 10 denied them 90 q
punishment. Considering, too. that some
inmates are put in solitary confinement
l would not sentence q man to number
Of years there, fearing he would either
become insane or die from the treat.
ment.
"Innocsnt, uncfensive people are ap.
pointed a. members Of the Board Of
as to the actual state Of a6ai!s at thu
wogs;'
and other equally respectable men, bot
they. know nothing whatever about
criminology. They 10 to the prison to
make their inspections, are shown
around in a manner to deceive them M
to the actual things which 20 on there
and leave satisfied that the inmates are
being properly cared for and given
New legislation to Immediately rem
edy the present conditions was urged
by Judge MacNeille. He suggested
the prison be vested in Judges Of tht
different courts, who would be per.
sonally responsible for the proper care
and well l.being Of unfortunates in tn,
prison.. He said that each Judg,
should be required by law to visit every
prison to which he has committed con
vtcts at least once u month,
Judge MacNeille also suggested tina,
county prisoners be permitted to worl
ut standard wages.
"Out Of these earnings let them pa,
the cost Of their keep" he said. 9Th,
balance should be applied for the sup.
port of their families or dependen
parents. thus preventing those limo,
the most elementary necessities OF life
or from turning into ways Of Grim,
themselves from sheer desperation"
The Rev. Zed Hetzel Copp, formerl.
chaplain Of the Eastern Penitentinry
who knows prison conditions from year,
Of intimate experience with management
and convicts, yesterday said he be.
lieved the revelations made by tn,
EVENING PUBLIo LEDGER respectinl
conditions at the county prison a
liolmes!burs were both "true ant
II am in hearty accord" he said
with humanitarians who seek to emplo,
prisoners. under ,open. air conditions; ]
mately will have to be employed prop
erly to care for our legally sick seekin,
to restore them to good citizenship as WI
now seek to restore those physically i'll
1.-THE EVENING PUBLIC LEDGER 1,
rendering q great public service in ez'
Inspection Of the Philadelphia Count!
workers and members OF the Board oi
Prison Inspectors was described a. Q
farce yesterday by Pantey Cusano
Cusano was sentenced to eighteel
months In the County Prison on Febru
ary ii. lie served FIVE months before
he was parolcd.
1 W ueH OLuClUl NisitVID ~ " tus
prison in the morning" Cusano said
THE bountiful meal to be eaten BY
the keepers at II 80 Is shown them
See what our prisoners eat Jail at.
taches say. and the visitors 60 away
praising the prison and Its officials
while 500 half starved men drink burnt
rye and eat dry bread in their cells.
"Three bells, the same signal used tc
warn of the arrival Of DR.. Joseph NJ
Reeves, president Of the Board Of Prison
inspectors, Is sounded to tell the keepers
In the rotunda that company is on its
way to the prison to look around.
"A Reception Committee usually 9
couple of well-trained keepers. always
takes the visitors in tow and shows then
the sights but never is any one. unless
he is an Inspector, allowed to stop Cnd
talk to any of the convicts.
"At the slightest sign Of noise or dis.
turbanGe in the prison the guards des
cend on the guilty one with clubs and
blackjacks, which they do not hesitate
to USE"
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