AMAZING CRUELTY

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21758, 24 March 1934, Page 11

AMAZING CRUELTY

AMERICAN OFFICIALS PRISONERS' DEPENDANTS CONDITIONS IN A HOME : GRAFT AND INHUMANITY By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Receivecf March 23. 7.5 p.m.) NEW YORK. March 22 Conditions comparable with the degradation discovered in the Welfare Island Prison were disclosed by an investigation carried out by the new municipal administration at the homo for prisoners' dependants situated on the same island. The report issued on the subject reveals gross mismanagement, cruel and inhuman treatment of the. aged, sick, and dying; - political chicanery and graft on the part of officials. Old and infirm' inmates of the home have been deprived of their life savings by officials of the institution through wills dictated by the superintendent and through life insurance policies in which officials were named as beneficiaries.

There was no medical or nursing staff for the feeble-minded inmates. Choice foods for the blind and sick were stolen by attendants. The superintendent has fled and cannot be found. He banked 84,000 dollars in the last eight years when his salary totalled only 28,000 dollars.

A cablegram from New York on January 24 stated: Correction officials under the new municipal administration were led by detectives in a surprise raid to-day on the municipal penitentiary located on Welfare Island, in East River. They found almost unbelievable conditions of racketeering, corruption and- vice, with a clique of powerful gangsters virtually governing the institution over the heads of the warden and his assistants. The warden was immediately relieved of his duties, and his chief assistant put under "military arrest." The whole of the 1600 inmates were rounded up a,nd confined in their cells while a search of the prison proceeded. This search revealed stores of narcotics and evidence that a .large, improvised distillery had been in operation, while many gangsters armed with bludgeons, knives and razors apparently had the run "of the prison. They lived in luxury at the expense of the prisoners without political backing, and Kept food and delicacies in private ice boxes.

In the words of one of the raiders, the penitentiary was a place "of corruption; lawlessness, crime and laxity, with special privileges for dope traffic, murder and graft." The narcotics trade appeared to be the principal source of income, a group of gangsters functioning as a super government over the prison. They were well organised and specially designated by the warden " hospital assistants." This gave them the privilege of sleeping in the limited hospital space, - while the others legitimately ill were forced to remain in filthy, insanitary cells. The prisoners were allowed to keep a private stock of carrier pigeons to bring in drugs and for means to communicate with their associates outside. The morals of the prison were, declared to be " indescribable." Youths were forced into close association with degenerates and consumptives, and others suffering from communicable diseases were not segregated.