. SING SING PRISON. Oct. 16, 1851. Munson J. Lockwood, sworn. Q. Are you the agent of the Sing Sing prison; if so, from what time? A. I am, and have been since Nov. 20, 1850. Q. How many convicts are there in this prison this day, to wit, Oct. 16, 1851? A. 725 males and 74 females, in all 799. Q. How many male convicts are employed on contracts? A. 545 on full pay, 47 on half pay, Oct. 1st, 1851. Q. How many contracts are there existing in this prison at this time, the nature of them, and the number of convicts employed on each? A. They are as follows: Lime contract, in the name of Henry A. Taylor. 22 full pay men, at 40 cents per day. Contract dated May 1, 1847, for five years. Cooper contract, in the name of Samuel Taylor. 3 full pay, at 40 cents per day. Contract dated Sept. 1, 1848, for five years. Shook contract (or stave), in the name of Henry R. Hubbell. 19 full pay, at 40 cents per day. Contract dated May 1, 1851, for five years. Saw contract, in the name of James Horner, Edmund F. Grant and Martins L. Cobb, assigned to Courtland Wood and John C. Lyman. 55 at full pay, at 40 cents per day. Contract dated May 1, 1851, for three years, with privilege of extending to five years. File contract, in the name of James Horner. 64 at full pay, at 40 cents per day. Contract dated April 12, 1849, for five years. Carpet contract, in the name of James Johnson. 55 at full pay, at 40 cents per day. Contract dated Sept. 30, 1850, for five years. Saddlery and Hardware contract, in the name of Joseph J. Lewis. 88 at full pay, at 35 cents per day. Contract dated January 1, 1819, for five years. Plating contract, in the name of Hotchkiss & Smith, Hotchkiss as signed his interest to Peter Hayden. 29 at full pay at 401 cts. per day. Contract dated. Carpet contract, in name of Hotchkiss & Smith. Cabinet contract in the name of Charles H. Woodruff. 36 full pay men at 40 cts. per day. 9 half pay men at 40 cts.. per day. Contract dated October 1, 1850, for 5 years. Carpet contract, in the name of Thomas Weatherby. 23 full pay men at 401 cts. per day. Contract date! September 1, 1818, for 5 years. Hat contract, in the name of Charles Watson. 96 full pay men at 40 cts. per day. Contract dated May 1, 1849, for 5 years. Quarry contract, in the name of David Gardner. 18 full pay men at 40 cts. per day. 2 half pay men at 40 cts. per day. This contract is verbal, and for 6 months from Dec. 1850. Q. How are the other male convicts employed, state particularly. A. On State work, including masons, carpenters, tailors, shoe makers, &c., sixty. Cooks, waiters and laborers, 43, In warden's house, garden and keeper's hall, six, In female prison, three, In stables and teamsters, six, In washing, three, 60 43 6 3 6 3 Q. How are the female convicts employed? A. majority of them in binding hats by the dozen for the hat contractor, and the rest are employed in making bedding and clothing for the prisoners. Q. Are there any sources of revenue to the prison except from convict labor? acres, and I also receive for A. There are. I receive rent for the farm of about the buildings, the sum of $25.300 per annum. boarding United States convicts, who are also employed on contract, at the rate of 25 cents per day each. There are other receipts for water let to contractors, for grease and bones, and sundry other arti cles sold, amounting in the whole I should think to about $1400.00. Q What are the monthly receipts of this prison at the present time from all sources? A. Our receipts from all sources, exclusive of appropriations, exceed the sum of $6,000 per month. Q. What are the monthly expenditures of this prison at the present time? A. The ordinary expenditures will not vary much from $6,000. Robert A. Robinson sworn: Q. Are you the warden of the Sing Sing prison, if so, from what time have you been warden? A. I am, since April 1, 1851. Q. Are you in the habit of examining the cells and visiting the shops of the prison daily? A. I am in the habit of visiting the shops daily, and am in the practice of examining the cells more or less every week. Q. What directions have you given to the subordinate officers in regard to the government and discipline of the prison? A. They are contained in a pamphlet, and are furnished to each officer of the prison. (The pamphlet produced.) Q. Have any of the keepers, since you have been warden, been found by you to be careless and negligent of their duties? A. They have. Q. Who were they, and what were the cases? A. Samuel Bund, Simeon Tompkins, John B. Lent, Daniel C. Sherman. Q. Were any of these persons discharged? A. They were, all of them. Q. Do you make daily examinations in relation to the health of the convicts? A. I do, every day, when I am in the prison. Q. How are these examinations made? A. By visiting the hospital with the physician in the morning; also by visiting the shops, enquiring of the keepers, and conversing with those who appear to be ill. Q. Do you make daily examinations in regard to the condition and safe keeping of the convicts? A. I do, and see that they are safely locked up; I have examined in regard to the ventilation and warmth of the convicts while in their cells, and have examined the cells when convicts have made complaints in regard to them. Q. Have any complaints been made to you from convicts in regard to their food? A. There have, but they were only from men who were ill, asking for hospital rations. We had sour bread for a part of two days, during that time the complaints were general; this was about Aug. 1st, 1851, I think; I have been frequently asked for extra rations at night, and sometimes on Sunday. Q. What heed did you give to these complaints? A. I increased the rations, and made such arrangements that I heard no further complaints. Q. Have any complaints been made to you by convicts in regard to their clothing? A. There have. Some of the men complain that they have not clothing enough in mild weather, and ask for double suits throughThese cases we investigate, and if the men are ill or rheumatic, they are referred to the physician to decide upon. out. Q. Have any complaints been made to you by convicts in regard to their treatment from officers? A. There have. They are generally that he is watched by his keeper more closely than others, and that the charges against them are not true. Q. Do you keep any record of the complaints made to you? Q. Are all the complaints made to you noted therein? A. No sir, not all; only such as I regard as well founded. Q. Have any punishments been inflicted upon convicts since you have been warden? A. Yes sir. Q. Do you keep a record of them, and will you produce it? Q. What have been your most usual modes of punishment? Q. What other modes have you? A. Ball and chain, iron collar, and yoke. Q. Have any blows been inflicted upon any convict by any keeper, or other person since you have been warden? A. Yes sir, in three cases. One by myself in self-defence, when the convict threatened to kill me; I struck him slightly with a cane upon the arm or shoulder, I think. Another case; a convict turned upon keeper Washburn, and he struck him in self-defence, as I am informed by the keeper Also, another case; the case of Dr. Peck, hospital keeper; a convict subject to lunacy, as I am informed, resisted the keeper; the keeper struck him with his fist, as I believe, without good cause, and I think in a passion, and hit him on the head. The convict was put in a straight jacket, and remained for two or three hours; after this he was submissive. The convict's name was Horton. I think there are no other cases. Q. Are all the punishments inflicted upon convicts in this prison recorded or noted. A. I believe they are with some slight exceptions. Q What are the exceptions. A. Reports made to me on slips of paper sent from the shops, are returned by me to the keeper with a note of the punishment to be inflicted, when I have confidence in the judgment of the keeper, but when I have doubts as to the judgment of a keeper, I direct and superintend personally the punishment, and doubtless cases happen where the punishment is not recorded from omission on the part of, the keeper. Q. Do you know of any cases where more than ordinary punish ment was inflicted, not noted in the record of punishments. |