The Express. — 1853-06-30 (London, England)

CHARGES OF CRUELTY AGAINST THE GOVERNOR OF THE BOROUGH GAOL AT BIRMINGHAM.  In consequence of the circulation of rumours that cruelty was practised towards prisoners in the borough gaol at Birmingham, an inquiry has been instituted by Mr. 'Perry, the prison inspector, under the express orders of ' Lord Palmerton, the home Secretary. The rumours on the subject first arose two or three months ago; about that period %prisoner, named Andrews, a youth, hung himself in the cell of his prison, making the third suicide, in addition to I attempts of a like character, sine. the pre sent governor, Lieutenant Austin, R.N. (who succeeded Captain Maconochie lets than two years ago) has filled the situation. This unfortunate youth, who was in a state of great debility, had impoy d upon him the labour of turning a 6 lb. crank wheel 10,000 times in a day ; he was dieted on bread and water, and finally strapped to a wall ; and when this punishment had been repeatedly inflicted, and exhausted nature giving way, despair followed, and the youth destroyed himself in the manner described. It appears also to have been the practice to encase the prisoners in a strait jacket with a stiff collar and cuffs attached, which had the effect of greatly galling the limbs of the unfortuGate persons so rudely punished; another practice was to throw buckets of cold water over the prisoners, besides subjecting them to much other degrading treatment. A great number of allegations have been made relative to these mal-practices, by persons employed at the gaol at the time of their occurrence ; these were set forth with much minutemen, and finally, after a public meeting on the subject in Birmingham, a memorial was presented to Lord Palmerston, praying for inquiry. His lordship directed Mr Perry, the prison inspector, to institute the same, and the report of that gentleman having been transmitted to the Home Secretary, his lordship referred it to the magistrates, who yesterday in special sessions for the purpose made that document public, together with their own reply thereto. The report of the Visiting Justices in reply, was a document of such length, that no tins, is left tut to give even an extract; it set forth minutely the result of a thirteen days' inquiry into all the offences charged; the conclusion at which the Justices arrived was, that there was no substantial ground for any of the mil-practices charged, and they vindicated in the main the system of discipline pursued in the prison, which had, they averred, not only never been complained of till this time by the Government Inspector, but had been passed over and approved by him ; they admitted the occasional severities, but alleged that these had been without the knowledge of the Governor; they declared that the Visiting Justices disapproved of the system of throwing buckets of water over refractory prisoners, and they also disapproved of the use of the strait jacket with its accompanying collar and straps which the inspector had so strongly cor.demned. They further denied that punishments had been aggravated, or the number of suicides increased since Lieut. Austin bad filled the office of governor; and finally, they quoted in justification the inspector's own report made no longer since than 1852, in which he said of this prison that " the punishments are few in number and seldom of any magnitude. The offences for which they are inflicted are generally attempts at communication by rapping on walls, whispering in chapel during the responses, and ether methods— acts of insubordination and disobedience are extremely rare." Prior to the inspection upon which that report is founded, all or nearly all the punishments and privations, the legality or propriety of which is now questioned, were in use with the handcuffs and standing in the hall. In no degree wishing to complain of the course which the inspector has pursued, the visiting justices can. not but express the satisfaction they feel that in forming a judgment of the conduct of themselves and their officers, full consideration will be given by Lord Palmerston to this amongst the various other circumstances of the case. All the facts are now before the Home Secretary awaiting the decision of his lordship; in the meantime the public mind is much excited by reason of the reports of these prism persecutions, and the result is looked forward to with corresponding anxiety.  THE INDUSTRIAL AND REFORMATORY INS lITUTIOA