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Cornell University 
 Library 
 
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 tine Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924032594875 
 
HISTORY 
 
 ^Ibanp ^enitenttara). 
 
 DAVID DYER, 
 
 Chaplain. 
 
 ALBANY : 
 JOEL MUNSELL. 
 
 MDCCCLXVn. 
 
^-€-^r-^^ 
 
 /. r^ 7^~^ 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 Preface,.* v 
 
 Its Inception, 7 
 
 Its Erection, 20 
 
 Rules and Regulations, 32 
 
 Its Superintendent, 49 
 
 Resignation of the Superintendent, 65 
 
 Appointment of a New Superintendent; his Trials and 
 Resignation, 73 
 
 Recall of former Superintendent, 81 
 
 Renewed Financial Prosperity, 89 
 
 Return of the Superintendent to Reside at the Peniten- 
 tiary, 98 
 
 Embarrassing Events — - an Important Change — Aug- 
 mented Prosperity, 107 
 
 Enlargements and Improvements, 118 
 
 Commitments and Discharges, 134 
 
 Receipts and Expenditures, 142 
 
 Severance from Politics, 154 
 
 The Inspectors, 164 
 
iv Contents. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 The Physician, 177 
 
 The Chaplaincy, 182 
 
 Cases of Keformation, 199 
 
 Letters from Discharged Prisoners, 224 
 
 A View of its Present State, 239 
 
 Appendix, 269 
 
PEEFACE 
 
 It has been well said, "whatever relates to the early 
 history of a locality or people, illustrating the manners, 
 the civil, religious or criminal policy thereof, is un- 
 doubtedly worthy of preservation. The records of 
 deeds and events, apparently of slight moment at the 
 time of their occurrence, increase in importance as 
 ages roll away, and are the indices by which we esti- 
 mate the truth of history. It is, therefore, needless to 
 dwell upon the necessity of recording events in their 
 day, lest the memory of them be destroyed by the 
 tooth of time, or they lapse into tales and traditions." 
 
 A conviction of the truth expressed in this quotation 
 has led to the preparation of the following history of 
 the Albany Penitentiary; an institution which has 
 attracted attention beyond the county and state in 
 which it exists, and indeed beyond the United States; 
 for persons belonging to different countries in Europe, 
 have either visited it, or sought for information 
 respecting its discipline and results. It seemed desira- 
 ble, therefore, that now, while the facts are fresh in 
 remembrance, or easily obtained, its history should be 
 put in an accessible and permanent form. 
 
 While the author has availed himself, in its prepara- 
 tion, of all the information he could obtain from persons 
 acquainted with its origin and advancement, and 
 
vi Preface. 
 
 from its annual reports, he has been careful to weigh 
 the opinions expressed, and to make that record which 
 the facts and candor required. Some readers may 
 think that he has given a flattering aspect to the 
 history, but he can truly say that this has been the 
 farthest from his design; though he cannot disguise 
 the fact that its investigation has greatly enhanced his 
 estimate of the wisdom and ability of those who were 
 prominently engaged in the establishment and sub- 
 sequent government of the institution. To them the 
 public are very much more indebted than is generally 
 supposed. 
 
 It will be observed that the statistics given, date 
 from November, 1, 1848, the time when the building 
 was surrendered, by the commissioners appointed by 
 the legislature for its erection, to the joint authorities 
 of the city and county. This was unavoidable; for 
 though there had been received, from April, 1846, to 
 that time, eight hundred and thirty-one convicts, who, 
 as fast as cells could be constructed, were confined 
 therein, yet they were not engaged in remunerative 
 work, nor was the Penitentiary recognized as in exist- 
 ence. Then it went into operation with one hundred 
 and thirty-thi'ce prisoners under the oversight of 
 regularly appointed Inspectors. And from that time 
 it has exerted a wide spread and healthful influeiice. 
 May it always continue to do so. 
 
ALBANY PENITEIS^TIARY. 
 
 ITS ESrCEPTIOlT. 
 
 The Albany Penitentiary originated in one of 
 those conscious wants which social evils not un- 
 frequently create, and which induce considerate 
 and well disposed men to unite their efforts for its 
 supply. Various causes had combined to augment 
 the commission of crime in the city and county 
 of Albany, and the expenses consequent on its 
 punishment. This, at length, induced the inquiry 
 among thoughtful and influential citizens ; what 
 can be done to lessen these evils ? and after much 
 thought and discussion, the following resolution 
 was adopted by the board of supervisors. May 
 10th, 1843: 
 
 '^Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed 
 by the chairman, whose duty it shall be during 
 the recess of this board, to make a complete and 
 detailed examination of all matters relating to the 
 
8 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 expenses of this county, in order to ascertain if any 
 reduction or reform can be devised consistent with 
 the due administration of justice, the protection of 
 property and the just compensation of its executive 
 officers; to the end that such measures may be 
 adopted as this board may deem necessary for a 
 more economical expenditure of the public money." 
 
 The committee, subsequently appointed, con- 
 sisted of the chairman, Messrs. Pruyn, "Whitbeck, 
 Van Schaack, Shaver, and Clark. 
 
 After "an intricate and laborious investigation" 
 that committee made a report to the board on the 
 15th of the following December, in which they 
 attributed nearly all the existing evils to the growth 
 of petty crime, vagrancy and pauperism. It was 
 stated that during the previous thirteen years, 
 the criminal expenses of the county had swollen 
 from about $8,000 to about $22,000 per annum ; 
 that the support of the poor had grown from about 
 $9,000 to more than $28,000 per annum; and that 
 while the population had not doubled in 28 years, 
 the number of commitments to the jail, in one- 
 half of that time, had quadrupled, with many 
 other facts calculated to cause just apprehensions 
 of the ultimate consequence of such a course of 
 things if suffered to proceed unarrested. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 9 
 
 Within a few hours after the presentation of 
 this report, the board of supervisors adopted a 
 resolution : " That the special committee appointed 
 last May, for the purpose of ascertaining the 
 causes of the increased expenses of this county 
 be continued, and it is hereby requested to mature 
 and present a plan for the retrenchment of pre- 
 sent expenses, and to report to the board at a ses- 
 sion to be held on the first Wednesday in February 
 next." 
 
 At the time appointed, on the 7th of February, 
 1844, the committee presented, by their chairman, 
 a most elaborate and judicious report. In it they 
 recommended that an immediate application be 
 made to the. legislature of the state, then in session, 
 for the enactment of a law rendering it imperative 
 on the supervisors cf the county of Albany, within 
 a given time, to commence the erection of a 
 Penitentiary within the limits of said county, on 
 a scale suited to its wants, and sufficient for its 
 prospective necessities; in which vagrants and 
 convicts might be confined at TmtcI labor, of a 
 suitable nature, and sufficient for its own support. 
 The Penitentiary to be built and constructed, so 
 far as is practicable, by the labor of convicts 
 themselves ; and in its erection, control and manage- 
 
10 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 ment to be under the concurrent jurisdiction of 
 the supervisors of the county, and the common 
 council of the city of Albany ? 
 
 They further recommended that "three commis- 
 sioners should be appointed, of competent ability, 
 to choose a proper site, and form a plan for the 
 construction of the prison ; and who shall prescribe 
 its discipline, management, classification, oversight, 
 labor, instruction, etc., having in view the following 
 requisitions : 
 
 First, That while the punishment inflicted shall 
 be adequate to the offense committed, it shall also 
 be such as will tend to effect the moral reformation 
 of the convict. 
 
 Second, That the labor performed in the prison 
 shall produce a sufficient income for its main- 
 tenance. 
 
 Third, That the occupation of the prisoners 
 shall be of such a nature as not to interfere with 
 the lawful avocation of any citizen, and such as 
 can give to the mechanics and citizens of our 
 community no just cause of complaint whatever. 
 
 Fourth, That such moral and religious instruc- 
 tion be provided as will be a powerful auxiliary 
 in producing amendment and reformation." 
 
 These extracts will show the earnest an(^ pro- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 11 
 
 tracted attention the committee must have given 
 to the subject, and the comprehensive, just, and 
 practical views they possessed. 
 
 This report was unanimously accepted by the 
 board of supervisors, and transmitted to the com- 
 mon council of the city, so that, if approved by 
 that body, measures might be immediately taken 
 to carry into full effect, the changes and plans 
 recommended. 
 
 The same day the common council considered 
 the subject, and unanimously resolved to "concur 
 in the views of the report of the committee of the 
 board of supervisors in relation to reform, as con- 
 nected with the administration of criminal justice, 
 and in the plans and charges proposed, and will give 
 their countenance and support to carry the same 
 into effect." 
 
 As this was a matter of great importance, the 
 common council determined, as a wise precaution, 
 to associate their law officer with the commission- 
 ers of the board of supervisors, in drafting a law 
 to be presented to the legislature for its sanction, 
 in accordance with the principles of the report. 
 
 It is highly gratifying to observe the unanimity 
 and cordiality that marked the proceedings, in 
 this matter, of these two public bodies. Not a 
 
12 Albany Penitentiart. 
 
 voice was raised against it. They rose above 
 political prejudices and party distinctions, and 
 unitedly sought the accomplishment of this much 
 needed change. This indeed, seems to have been 
 the disposition of the whole community. The 
 committee said: "It enhsted the hearty good 
 wishes of all. Nor has the interest thus evinced 
 sprung entirely from selfish motives, but from the 
 higher principle of desiring to arrest the ruinous 
 tendency of the present state of things upon the 
 j)ublic morals." 
 
 The legislature passed the bill designed to perfect 
 this reform, April, 13th, 1844, and appointed com- 
 missioners to carry out its provisions. Those 
 commissioners were Samuel Pruyn, Lewis M. 
 Dayton, Barent P. Staats. 
 
 As the majority of the legislature, that year, 
 were politically opposed to a large majority in the 
 board of supervisors, and in the common council, 
 they chose to appoint commissioners in political 
 sympathy with themselves. This at first occasioned 
 unpleasant feeling, and might have had an injuri- 
 ous bearing on the future interests of the institution. 
 But, to the honor of the commissioners, it must 
 be said, that one of their first acts was to decide 
 that party politics should have no influence what- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 13 
 
 ever with either of them in the execution of their 
 duties; and to this resolution thej rigorously 
 adhered, until they delivered up their trust on the 
 completion of the work. They also frankly stated, 
 to the board of supervisors, that without their full 
 approbation and assent, they could not consent to 
 retain the office to which they had been appointed 
 by the legislature of the state. 
 
 This communication was made to the supervisors 
 May 17th, 1844, when they unanimously adopted 
 the resolution ; "That the board of supervisors of 
 the county of Albany, have the fullest confidence 
 in the commissioners appointed by the legislature 
 in the act of 13th April, 1844, in relation to the 
 erection of a Penitentiary in said county." 
 
 This was all they could desire. With satisfac- 
 tion, and the confidence of all concerned, they 
 entered on their work, which occupied the whole 
 summer of that year. Their report was made to 
 the board of supervisors, as required by law, on 
 the 19th of the ensuing December, and it does 
 honor to their industry, their faithfulness, and 
 practical ability. In it they spoke of the almost 
 insuperable diSiculties which obstructed their pro- 
 gress, the strong reasons which urged them for- 
 ward, the prisons they had visited and examined, 
 
14 Albany Penitkxtiaet. 
 
 and the statistics which proved that there was as 
 great a necessity for a Penitentiary in this county, 
 at that time, as for a House of Correction in Bos- 
 ton, or a State Prison in Connecticut. 
 
 Their remarks respecting the two prevalent 
 systems of prison discipline in this country, are so 
 just, and have been so influential on the institu- 
 tion here, that they demand a permanent record. 
 
 "It is probably understood that a wide difi'er- 
 ence exists in the treatment of convicts, in the 
 difiiarcnt prisons examined by the commissioners, 
 and that the two most prominent modes of disci- 
 pline thus established, are distinguished by the 
 terms 'Pennsylvania system,' and 'Aul^im system;' 
 the former contemplates solitary confinement, 
 at labor, and exclusion fi'om the world, in its 
 strictest sense ; the latter, united labor, intercourse 
 without oral communication, and solitary confine- 
 ment only at night: there are minor points of 
 difference, but these it is believed are the chief 
 features which distinguish them from eacli other. 
 Each of these systems has its friends and advo- 
 cates, and at times sharjj discussions, as to their 
 respective merits, have ensued between them. 
 
 "The commissioners have taken this important 
 part of the subject into deep consideration, and 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 15 
 
 have arrived at (what they consider to be) the 
 right conclusion : Every human being, no matter 
 how depraved, has natural as well as civil rights. 
 Whenever the rules on which the existence of the 
 social compact depends are violated, society is 
 justifiable in ejecting the transgressor from its 
 privileges, until such time as penitence and re- 
 tbrmation may reasonably be expected to ensue, 
 or as the nature and proper punishment of the 
 offense may require. Gross, repeated and incorri- 
 gible transgression renders it right and necessary 
 that the offender should be excluded from society 
 forever. Against such arrangements the culprit 
 cannot object — they are reasonable, they are 
 just — by his own acts he has either endangered 
 or destroyed the happiness of his neighbor; and 
 in consequence thereof, free communion with his 
 fellow man must to a certain degree, be restrained. 
 But it is not so with his inJierent rights ; over 
 these society possesses no power ; to control them 
 is usurpation. Such punishments as degrade 
 humanity, as cause severe physical suffering, 
 extinguish hope and produce despair; such as 
 render the better feelings callous, unhinge the 
 reason and sink the human nature to the level 
 of the brute, are alike incompatible with the 
 
16 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 natural rights of man, and with the laws of 
 God. The tendency of the Pennsylvania plan, it 
 has been alleged, is to produce some of these 
 effects, and, if it be true, then the system is un- 
 questionably wrong. But, be this as it may, the 
 great expense attending the Pennsylvania mode, 
 is such, as to render it (at least for the present), 
 impracticable in the county of Albany. 
 
 "The commissioners have, therefore, decided to 
 recommend the Auburn plan, frequently termed 
 'the silent system,' and to point out the Connecti- 
 cut state institution at Wethersfield, as the pattern 
 prison of that system — there, silence, order and 
 industry are covipletely exemplified — the neatness, 
 the cleanliness, pervading the whole establishment, 
 exceeds the most perfect specimen that the com- 
 missioners have ever witnessed even in private 
 life; while the discipline of the convicts would 
 perfectly satisfy the most rigid tactician. 
 
 " The financial management of this prison is of a 
 remarkable character — it has not only paid all its 
 expenses, but in seventeen years has accumulated 
 a surplus of $93,000; during this time, besides 
 the acquisition of property now on hand, appro- 
 priations made for building county jails throughout 
 the state, and donations for benevolent purposes. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 17 
 
 it has paid into the state treasury of Connecticut 
 upwards of $43,000 in money, thus constituting 
 it an important source of the revenues of that 
 commonwealth : and this is but the least of the 
 benefits it has conferred upon the state, its moral 
 influence has been equally salutary, second com- 
 mitments averaging but about five per cent, while 
 third commitments are not to be found upon its 
 records." 
 
 To this report the commissioners added, a few 
 days after, another which was supplementary, in 
 which they informed the supervisors that they had 
 selected a site for the Penitentiary containing 
 between ten and twelve acres of land, at a cost of 
 three thousand six hundred dollars; "which for 
 location, is all that could be desired, and having a 
 more commanding and beautiful position than 
 any other near the city." They gave also a de- 
 tailed plan for the building, an estimate of its 
 cost, and designated the number and character of 
 the officers who should be employed. 
 
 These reports were submitted, as required by 
 the law, to a joint meeting of the board of super- 
 visors, with the mayor and recorder of the city of 
 Albany. They took the following action thereon : 
 
 "At a joint meeting of the board of supervisors 
 
18 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 of the county of Albany, and the mayor and 
 recorder of the city of Albany, held as required 
 by the law authorizing the erection of a Peni- 
 tentiary in the said county, at the City Hall the 
 19th December, 1844, the mayor presiding and 
 the recorder acting as secretary, the foregoing 
 reports and statements were read and submitted, 
 when the following resolutions were adopted with- 
 out dissent : 
 
 ^'■Resolved, That the reports now made by the 
 commissioners appointed for that purpose, as it 
 respects the location, plans and specifications for 
 the construction of a Penitentiary in the county 
 of Albany, be approved and adopted by this joint 
 meeting ; and that the said commissioners be and 
 they hereby are directed to procure the site of said 
 Penitentiary, and to proceed to construct the same, 
 according to said plans and specifications, pursuant 
 to the provisions of the act of the legMature of 
 the state of New York, passed April 13th, 1844. 
 
 "Resolved, That the sheriff of the county of 
 Albany be and hereby is, requested and directed 
 to order and compel all persons who are or shall 
 be, sentenced to imprisonment at hard labor in the 
 jail of said county, to work and labor in and upon 
 the building and construction of the aforesaid 
 
Albany Penitentiaey. 19 
 
 Penitentiary, whenever the same is required of 
 him in writing by the aforesaid commissioners ; 
 and that the said sheriff shall use and employ all 
 proper means to prevent the escape of said persons 
 while employed at such work and labor, and pro- 
 vide for their proper sustenance; and for the 
 necessary expenses thereby incurred that he shall 
 be allowed a reasonable compensation by the board 
 of supervisors. 
 
 "Provision was also made in case any alter- 
 ation or extension of the plans should at any 
 time be deemed necessary by the commissioners, 
 for the public interests ; that then the mayor, the 
 chairman of the board, and the supervisor of the 
 second ward, all ex officio, should be a committee 
 to consider the same, and the decision of a majority 
 of the committee relative thereto should be taken 
 and considered as the act of the joint meeting 
 done at that time." 
 
 Thus harmoniously and effectually were all the 
 measures in this important enterprise adopted. 
 
20 Albany Penitentiaet. 
 
 ITS ERECTIOI^. 
 
 The way having been thoroiighly prepared, the 
 commissioners proceeded to their work. But, not 
 being practically acquainted with prison keeping, 
 nor many of the details required in the erection of 
 such a building, and which only an experienced 
 man would understand and know how to secure ; 
 they determined, with characteristic wisdom, to 
 save themselves from mistakes, and the county 
 from useless expense, by securir.g, first of all, a 
 Superintendent who had proved himself a thorough 
 Prison Warden ; and who, by long and particular 
 attention, understood just what was necessary, and 
 how to avail himself, in the construction of a new 
 building, of the knowledge experience had sup- 
 plied. 
 
 Happily in this they were successful. Provi- 
 dence at that time had placed Amos Pilsbury, Esq., 
 who for more than seventeen years had been the 
 successful Warden of the state prison in Wethers- 
 field, Connecticut, open to such a call. He was 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 21 
 
 consequently most cordially invited to accept the 
 office. This invitation he accepted, and removed 
 to Albany, July, 1st, 1845 ; an event which glad- 
 dened the hearts, and strengthened the hands, of 
 the commissioners; and has proved of lasting 
 service to this community and state. 
 
 As the piece of land previously mentioned had 
 just before been bought, and the plans were drawn 
 for the building, the work was soon commenced. 
 The site, though remarkably fine, was yet very 
 broken ground; its surface quite uneven, and 
 much labor was required to make it fit for its 
 intended use. This labor was, however, easily and 
 cheaply secured. For it was determined, from the 
 first, that the work of erecting the Penitentiary 
 should, so far as practicable, be done by the con- 
 victs found in the county jail. They were, there- 
 fore, marched from that place to the Penitentiary 
 ground, a distance of near a mile, every morning, 
 and returned thither again at night. This .course 
 necessarily prolonged the time required for its 
 erection, but it saved expense to the county, and 
 exacted labor from those who, by crime, had made 
 themselves a public charge. 
 
 In November, of the same year, just as the 
 south wing, designed for male convicts, and com- 
 
22 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 prising ninety-six cells, was on the eve of completion, 
 the outer wall of fifty by one hundred feet, was 
 for the greater part blown down by a violent 
 tornado which then occurred. 
 
 During the preceding week, the Superintendent, 
 from a regard to the comfort and health of the 
 prisoners who were working inside, had the large 
 openings for windows temporally closed because 
 they suffered from wind and cold. Thus the wall 
 presented an unbroken front, and though it was 
 thought to be firmly supported inside, the violence 
 of the storm was so great as to level it with the 
 ground. 
 
 Notwithstanding, on the 17th of the ensuing 
 April, 1846, that wall was rebuilt, and the 
 wing so far completed as to be opened for 
 the reception of prisoners, and those then in the 
 jail were transferred thereto. Thus long before 
 the completion of the building, it was made to 
 serve the end designed. For just as fast as the 
 cells were finished, the convicts who had aided in 
 their construction became their tenants. Step by 
 step, as the building grew, it was inhabited, until 
 the whole was finished. 
 
 In June, 1847, the northern wing was so far 
 finished as to allow the admission of females, and 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 23 
 
 on the first of November, 1848, the entire structure 
 was so far completed, that its history as a Peni- 
 tentiary then commenced; though eight hundred 
 and thirty-one convicts had been previously admit- 
 ted of whom one hundred and thirty-three then 
 remained. Then the commissioners regarded their 
 obligations as fulfilled, and they only waited for the 
 meeting of the proper authorities to surrender it, 
 and their public trust therein. 
 
 On the 26th of the following December, a joint 
 meeting of the board of supervisors of the county, 
 and the mayor and recorder of Albany was held, 
 when a committee previously appointed, at the 
 request of the commissioners submitted the follow- 
 ing report : 
 
 "The committee appointed by the joint meeting 
 of the board of supervisors of the county of Albany, 
 and the mayor and recorder of the city of Albany, 
 held 6th of July last, under the provisions of the 
 act of the legislature, passed 13th of April, 1844, 
 to examine the accounts and doings of the commis- 
 sioners named in said act, to construct a Penitentiary 
 in the county of Albany, respectfully beg leave to 
 report : 
 
 " That they have fully investigated the same, 
 and find that the county treasurer has paid, upon 
 
24 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 the order of the said commissioners, to the owners 
 and lessee of the land purchased for the site of the 
 Penitentiary, the sum of |3,212.72, and that the 
 title, deeds and release therefor to the county have 
 been duly executed and recorded in the county 
 clerk's office ; that an abstract of the title accom- 
 panies the same, and that the consideration money 
 named in the conveyance, for said land corresponds 
 with the sum paid for the same by the county 
 treasurer, upon the aforesaid drafts of the com- 
 missioners. 
 
 "Your committee also report, that the county 
 treasurer has paid to the commissioners, the further 
 sum of $35,350, for the building and construction 
 of the Penitentiary ; and that the commissioners 
 have exhibited an account (a copy of which is 
 hereto annexed) , stating how and in what manner 
 the same has been expended. They have also 
 furnished satisfactory vouchers, receipts and evi- 
 dences, to show that the aforesaid amount has 
 been appropriated for the construction of the 
 Penitentiary, and for no other purpose. 
 
 "Your committee therefore report, that the 
 commissioners have truly accounted for the money 
 received by them from the public treasury, as 
 aforesaid, and that the same has been by them 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 25 
 
 properly and faithfully applied to the purchase of 
 the land, and to the erection and completion of the 
 county Penitentiary. 
 
 "• The examination of this matter was made at 
 the request of the commissioners, as communicated 
 in their report to the joint meeting, held 6th July 
 last. They have afforded every possible facility 
 and information, in regard to a thorough investiga- 
 tion; and your committee beg leave to express 
 their high gratification at the accuracy and 
 minuteness exhibited in the various accounts 
 necessarily involved in their transactions, and with 
 the faithful performance of the duties entrusted 
 to their charge. 
 
 "All of which is respectfully submitted. 
 John Taylor, Mayor, 
 Jno. Hurdis, 
 Adam Van Allen, 
 Stephen M. Hallenbeck, 
 Arch. A. Dunlop, 
 
 Committee. 
 "Albany, December 18, 1848. 
 
 "The final report of the commissioners (Messrs. 
 Samuel Pruyn, Barent P. Staats and Lewis M. 
 Dayton) was then read, approved and ordered 
 filed." 
 
26 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 " The recorder then submitted the following pre- 
 amble and resolutions which were unanimously 
 adopted : 
 
 "Whereas, The term of office of the commission- 
 ers appointed by an act of the legislature, passed 
 April, 13, 1844, for the construction of a Peni- 
 tentiary in the county of Albany, expires this day. 
 As appears from a report of said commissioners, 
 in which they state that they have completed the 
 duties imposed upon them by said act ; therefore : 
 
 '^Resolved, That the thanks of the members of 
 this joint meeting of the board of supervisors of 
 the city and county of Albany, and the mayor and 
 recorder of the city of Albany, be, and the same 
 are hereby unanimously tendered to the said com- 
 missioners, for the faithful, efficient and economical 
 manner in which they have discharged their 
 duties. 
 
 '^ Resolved, That we congratulate the commis- 
 sioners on the eminent success which has attended 
 their labors in the construction of the Penitentiary, 
 and we hereby express our high gratification at 
 the beneficial effects which have thus far attended 
 the practical operation of the Penitentiary system, 
 under their guidance and direction, and its great 
 superiority over that which heretofore prevailed 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 27 
 
 in this county, and which it was intended to super- 
 cede. That we have entire confidence that its 
 further progress will continue to develop its 
 superiority over that system, in regard to its 
 reforming influence upon those who are subject to 
 punishment for crime, its restraining influence 
 upon others, and the much greater economy with 
 which it can be administered." 
 
 The following is a description of the Peniten- 
 tiary as it then appeared : 
 
 " This establishment is located near the junction 
 of Lydius street with the Delaware turnpike, 
 about half a mile distant, in a westerly direction, 
 from the Capitol. The lands belonging to it include 
 four entire squares, as laid down upon the map of 
 the city, and contain between ten and twelve acres.* 
 The buildings occupy a beautiful and commanding 
 elevation, facing eastward, and presenting an 
 imposing appearance. They comprise a centre 
 building, three stories high besides the basement, 
 fifty feet front and seventy-five in depth ; and two 
 wings, each one hundred feet long and fifty feet 
 wide, exclusive of the octagonal towers which 
 flank them. The interior of the south wing forms 
 
 ] Four more acres have since been added. 
 
28 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 a spacious hall, ninety-eight feet long, forty-six feet 
 wide, and thirty-two feet high, in the centre of 
 which is a massive block of ninety-six cells, four 
 tiers in height, with staircases and surrounding 
 galleries. These cells are each in the inside, seven 
 feet by four, and seven feet high, supplied with 
 iron bedsteads and other necessary furniture. 
 Each cell has a separate and distinct ventilator. 
 The doors are made of round iron bars, which 
 when closed admit nearly as much air and light 
 as when open. The hall is also well ventilated, 
 spacious, Hght and airy. Besides these, there are 
 ten larger cells in the octagon towers ; making in 
 all one hundred and six cells. This wing is 
 appropriated exclusively to male convicts. In 
 the north wing, occupied by the females, is a 
 block of forty cells similar to those just described, 
 with eight larger ones in the towers, correspond- 
 ing with those in the southern octagons, making 
 a total of forty-eight cells. The remainder of this 
 wing is divided into work rooms for the women, 
 and for various other uses. The whole prison 
 contains one hundred and fifty-four cells, or dor- 
 mitories, of which about one hundred and forty- 
 four are used for ordinary purposes. The number, 
 however, can be increased from time to time as 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 29 
 
 occasion may require. The front portion of the 
 central building is appropriated to the residence 
 of the Superintendent, his family and the subor- 
 dinate officers. On the first story, in the rear, are 
 the guard chamber, matron's room, etc., etc. In 
 the rear of the second story is the male hospital, a 
 fine apartment twenty-eight by thirty-two feet; 
 also a female hospital, and a dispensatory con- 
 nected with both. The third story is handsomely 
 fitted up as a chapel, thirty-six by forty-eight 
 feet, furnished with pulpit, and seats, in which 
 divine service is regularly held on each sabbath 
 day. The rear part of the basement is devoted 
 to the culinary operations of the prison, most of 
 which are performed by steam ; adjoining this is 
 the laundry and bake house. The whole esta- 
 blishment is warmed by hot air furnaces, and 
 furnished with a copious supply of good water; 
 and hot and cold water are distributed wherever 
 necessary. 
 
 "A brick wall, fourteen feet high, extending one 
 hundred and five feet beyond the wings, parallel 
 with the front, and running thence two hundred 
 feet to the rear, on each side, has been erected. 
 This wall surmounted by towers, or guard-houses, 
 at the angles, and a sentry walk at top, surrounds 
 
30 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 the whole prison yard, in the centre of which is a 
 range of work-shops for male convicts, one hun- 
 dred and fifty feet long by twenty-eight wide, 
 with cellars of the same size beneath, for the 
 prison stores. 
 
 "The dimensions of the prison, including the 
 walls and yard, are four hundred and sixty feet 
 front and rear, and two hundred and fifty feet 
 deep, covering an area of nearly three ax2re&. All 
 the buildings are constructed of brick and stone, 
 and are fire-proof The ground was purchased 
 at the very low price of |3,000. The cost of 
 the buildings, exclusive of convict labor, was 
 |35,000. Including interest on that part of 
 the money borrowed for the purpose, and all 
 other contingencies, the total cost is somewhat 
 upwards of $40,000, which by law is directed 
 to be raised in eight equal annual instalments. 
 Three of these instalments have been already 
 added to the county taxes and paid, without 
 enhancing the previous rate of taxation, for the 
 reason, that the former average annual amount of 
 criminal expenses were by this change of system, 
 sufficiently lessened to defray them; and it is 
 believed that this effect will continue until the 
 whole is paid. The undertaking therefore adds 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 31 
 
 notMng to the public burden; on the contrary 
 it must result in pecuniary gain, for the county 
 acquires this valuable property (which will al- 
 ways be worth its cost), entirely from the savings 
 made on the former system." — MJu/nselVs Annals of 
 Albany, vol. i, p. 150. 
 
32 Albadtt Penitentiaet. 
 
 RULES AND EEaULATIONS. 
 
 The following rules and regulations for the 
 government and discipline of the Penitentiary 
 were adopted by the board of supervisors of the 
 county of Albany, and the mayor and recorder of 
 the city of Albany, in joint meeting assembled on 
 the 26 th day of December, 1848. His honor, the 
 mayor, John Taylor, in the chair; and the re- 
 corder, Deodatus Wright, secretary. 
 
 The Principal Keeper, or Superintendent of the 
 Penitentiary, shall have the entire control and 
 management of all its concerns, subject to the 
 authority established by law and the rules and 
 regulations adopted for its government. It shall 
 be his duty to obey, and carry out, all written 
 orders and instructions that he shall from, time to 
 time receive from the proper authorities, and he 
 shall be held responsible for the manner in which 
 the said Penitentiary is managed and conducted. 
 He shall reside at the Penitentiary and examine 
 daily into the state thereof, visit every apartment, 
 and see every prisoner confined therein, as often 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 33 
 
 as good order and necessity may require. Pie 
 shall exercise a general supervision and direction, 
 in regard to the discipline and police of the 
 prison and to the business concerns thereof, shall 
 make all purchases for the support of the prisoners 
 and proper management of the institution, and 
 shall superintend all the business carried on, and 
 labor done, in and upon the buildings or land 
 belonging to or connected with the institution. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Superintendent to 
 select and employ one person who shall be styled 
 Deputy Keeper, who shall be his principal assist- 
 ant, and in the absence of the Superintendent, 
 clothed with, and exercise all his powers, so far as 
 relates to the discipline of the Penitentiary and 
 the safe keeping of the prisoners. He shall also 
 nominate (to be approved of, or appointed by the 
 board of inspectors), one Overseer, or Assistant 
 Keeper, to each branch of business carried on, and 
 such number of persons for watchmen or guards as 
 may be necessary for the safe keeping of and for 
 guarding the Penitentiary, to hold their respective 
 places during the pleasure of the Superintendent. 
 Such assistants and guards shall be under the 
 government of the Superintendent, and subject to 
 his orders, who shall oversee and direct them 
 
34 Albant Penitentiaet. 
 
 in their several duties, and shall make such 
 rules for their government, and for the govern- 
 ment of spectators and others who may be admitted 
 within the prison or yards, or who may be found 
 lurking or loitering without, upon the lands be- 
 longing to the establishment, as circumstances may 
 require ; provided they are not incompatible with 
 the laws of the state, or the rules and regulations 
 adopted for the general goTemment of the Peni- 
 tentiary. 
 
 It shall also be the duty of the Superintendent 
 to cause the books of the Penitentiary to be so 
 kept, a.s clearly to exhibit the state of the 
 prisoners, the number received and discharged, 
 the number employed ia grading and cultivating 
 the land and other out door work, and the num- 
 ber employed in each branch of business carried 
 on, with their earnings, together with the expendi- 
 tures of each branch or department; and he shall 
 make out a quarterly cash account, in which he 
 shall specify, minutely, the persons to whom, or 
 from whom, moneys have been paid or received. 
 and for what purpose, with an abstract of vouchers 
 for all expenditures, which with the vouchers, he 
 shall prepare and lay before the Inspectors, for 
 them to examine and audit at their quarterlv 
 
Albany Pe^titextiaey. 35 
 
 meeting at the end of every three months at the 
 Penitentiarj- . And the Superintendent may, and 
 he is hereby authorized to, draw on the county 
 treasiirer from time to time for such sums as 
 may be necessary to defray the expenses of the 
 institution and for its necessary maintenance 
 and repairs; said drafts to be approved of and 
 countersigned by the Inspectors, or by a majority 
 of them; and the county treasurer is hereby 
 authorized and directed to pay such drafts, so 
 countersigned, whenever the same are presented. 
 He shall close his accounts and books of the Peni- 
 tentiary, and balance the same on the last day of 
 October in each year, and render a report exhibit- 
 ing a comprehensive view of all the transactions 
 of the Penitentiary during the preceding jear. 
 showing the amount of labor performed, and the 
 earnings and expenditures of each branch of labor 
 at which the prisoners may have been employed, 
 together with the profit, or loss, accruing or resul1> 
 ing from the same. 
 
 He wlU also see that the prisoners are treated 
 with hmnanity, that the sick and complaining 
 have proper medical and other attendance, and 
 that they are supplied with such food and medi- 
 cine as may be prescribed and necessary. 
 
36 Albany Penitent: art. 
 
 All prisoners received by the Principal Keeper, 
 or Superintendent of tlie Penitentiary, shall be 
 safely kept for the term for which they may be 
 sentenced to confinement, and shall be employed 
 in the grading, cultivation, and proper manage- 
 ment of the land belonging to the institution, or 
 at any other work which the Inspectors shall 
 direct for the proper maintenance and best inte- 
 rests of the establishment. 
 
 The clothing of the prisoners, on their reception 
 into the Penitentiary, shall be taken from them, 
 and (if worth preserving), restored to them on 
 their discharge. On their entrance into the esta- 
 blishment they are to be thoroughly cleansed, and 
 clothed in the prison dress, which will be, for 
 males, a jacket, vest and pantaloons made of 
 coarse cloth, with a cap of the same material ; 
 they are also to have woolen socks, with coarse 
 leather shoes; their shirts shall be made from 
 stout cotton, cloth and changed once a week. For 
 females, a checked linsey frock and skirt, cotton 
 check apron and neckerchief, shoes and stockings 
 and the usual under clothes. Each prisoner shall 
 have an iron-frame bedstead with iron sacking 
 bottom, straw mattress and pillow (and in winter 
 one comforter), and two blankets, one night bucket. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 37 
 
 one water can and one spoon, knife and fork. 
 The corridors of the prison shall be suflBciently 
 warmed in cold weather with proper fires. Each 
 prisoner on his or her discharge (if they have no 
 clothes to be returned to them) shall at the discre- 
 tion of the Superintendent, be furnished with. a 
 cheap laborer's dress, and with a sum of money, 
 not exceeding one dollar, to enable him or her to 
 find work for his or her support. 
 
 The prisoners, after receiving their rations, shall 
 eat in their cells and observe such rules, in 
 relation thereto, as shall be directed by the Super- 
 intendent. 
 
 The rations or daily subsistence of the prisoners 
 shall consist of one pound of salt or corned beef, 
 four days ; three-fourths of a pound of salt pork, 
 or three-fourths of a pound of salt fish, one day ; 
 and one pound of fresh meat, made into soup, two 
 days, in each week. One pound of bread made of 
 good wheat middlings, for breakfast and dinner 
 each day, and one-third of a pound of corn meal 
 made into mush, with half a gill of molasses, for 
 supper; there shall be- four bushels of potatoes, 
 carrots or turnips, for every one hundred rations, 
 and a sufficient quantity of salt, pepper and vine- 
 gar, with such alterations from time to time, as 
 
38 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 may be deemed necessary and approved of by the 
 Inspectors. 
 
 The prisoners shall be required to labor diligently 
 the whole time they shall be out of their cells, 
 and in going to and from their cells they shall 
 observe such order as may be directed by the 
 Superintendent ; they shall be required to commu- 
 nicate with their keepers in a respectful manner, 
 and with the greatest brevity; they are not to 
 converse with each other, or to be allowed to hold 
 intercourse with any person not belonging to the 
 institution, unless by permission and in the 
 presence of the Superintendent or his Deputy; 
 they must conduct themselves with perfect order, 
 and in strict compliance with the directions of 
 their officers. Silence, order and regularity must 
 reign; they must be industrious, submissive, 
 obedient, and labor diligently in silence. In their 
 cells they must also be silent, speaking to no per- 
 son except in the event of sickness, in which case 
 they can make it known to the officer on duty. 
 The officers are not to treat the prisoners with 
 harshness or anger, but while a spirit of mildness 
 is to prevail, they are nevertheless expected to be 
 firm and consistent in the discharge of their 
 duties. 
 
Albany Penitentiart. 39 
 
 Each prisoner shall have a Bible and Hymn- 
 book in his cell, and such other books, or tracts, 
 as may be furnished for their use, and they will 
 be required to attend service in the chapel every 
 sabbath, and also such other religious and moral 
 instruction as may be provided for them ; at all 
 other times during that day they shall remain in 
 their cells. 
 
 The Chaplain to the Penitentiary shall have 
 the privilege, and it shall be his duty to visit at 
 any and at all times the male prisoners when in 
 their cells, or in the hospital, to instruct and teach 
 those that can not read, and to administer to all 
 such advice, instruction and consolation as he 
 may deem best calculated to promote their reform- 
 ation; and at all proper times he shall endeavor 
 to press upon their minds the justice of their 
 punishment, and the necessity of a strict compli- 
 ance, on their part, with the rules of the 
 establishment. 
 
 He shall attend and perform such service in the 
 chapel on every sabbath day, at such hour or 
 hours as shall be designated by the Superintend- 
 ent, with the prisoners, male and female, who shall 
 be assembled for that purpose. 
 
 He shall not furnish the prisoners with any 
 
40 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 information or intelligence in relation to secular 
 matters, except by permission of the Superintend- 
 ent ; nor shall he have any other intercourse with 
 the prisoners, than such as shall be necessary and 
 proper in teaching them to read, and imparting 
 such moral and religious instruction as shall be 
 best calculated to promote their subordination, 
 reformation and spiritual welfare : nevertheless, 
 he shall endeavor to learn, in visiting the prisoners 
 in their cells, so much of their past history and 
 present views and feelings, as will enable him to 
 adapt his instructions and reproofs directly to 
 their individual cases and circumstances. He will 
 keep in mind, that by visiting the prisoners in the 
 solitude of their cells, by personally teaching the 
 illiterate, and by explaining to all individually, 
 their moral and religious duties and obligations, 
 he will confer upon them benefits far greater than 
 any which can alone be received by them, from his 
 labors and services while they are congregated for 
 the customary public worship on the sabbath. 
 
 He shall not receive from, or confer any present 
 upon the prisoners ; nor shall he have any deal- 
 ings with them, nor shall he take to them or 
 convey from them, any letters from or to their 
 friends, or others ; nor write or otherwise become 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 41 
 
 the medium of communication between them and 
 their friends, or others, without the consent and 
 approbation of the Superintendent. 
 
 He shall in all cases conform to the general 
 rules and regulations adopted for the government 
 of the Penitentiary; and it shall be his duty, 
 annually, to render a report to the Inspectors of 
 his proceedings for the year, with such remarks 
 and suggestions in relation to the intellectual, 
 moral, and religious condition of the prisoners, as 
 he may deem important or necessary. Sectarian 
 preferences in matters of religious belief are dis- 
 claimed. If any prisoner desires communication 
 with the minister or instructor of his particular 
 faith, on proper application to the Superintend- 
 ent, and at his discretion, it shall be allowed, 
 under and in conformity with the general regula- 
 tions of the Penitentiary. But such minister, or 
 instructor, on such occasions, must in all things 
 conform to the rules and restrictions laid down 
 and enacted, as the duty of the Chaplain; any 
 infringement, or departure from which, will debar 
 him from future intercourse with the prisoners. 
 
 The Physician shall visit the Penitentiary at 
 least every other day, and personally examine 
 every sick and complaining prisoner that may be 
 
42 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 reported to him as such, or whom he may find in 
 the cells or hospital; and shall prescribe such 
 medical treatment as their cases require. He 
 shall also visit the Institution daily, or oftener, 
 when the condition of the sick require it; and 
 when sent for, shall at all times repair immedi- 
 ately to the Penitentiary. 
 
 He shall also keep a book, to be called the 
 Hospital Register, in which shall be entered the 
 names of all the prisoners sick or complaining, 
 requiring medical treatment, with their disease and 
 his prescription therefor. When a prisoner dies, 
 he shall record the nature of the complaint and 
 all the circumstances connected therewith that he 
 may deem proper or necessary. 
 
 He shall in all cases direct the diet to be pre- 
 pared for the sick, and if it should so happen 
 that the direction or prescription of the Physician 
 should not be properly attended to, he shall report 
 the same to the Superintendent, that proper mea- 
 sures may be taken to prevent future neglect or 
 inattention. 
 
 He shall at the close of each year make out 
 and furnish to the Board of Inspectors a report, 
 or statement, showing the amount and nature of 
 the sickness which has prevailed, and the deaths 
 
Albany Penitentiaet. 43 
 
 that have occurred during the year, with such re- 
 marks in relation to the condition and treatment 
 of the sick, as he may deem necessary or expedi- 
 ent. He shall conform to the general rules and 
 regulations of the Penitentiary. 
 
 There shall be employed by the Superintendent 
 a Matron and one Assistant Matron, to the fe- 
 male department, who shall reside at the Peni- 
 tentiary, and attend to the labor and conduct of 
 all the female prisoners. All the rules and regu- 
 lations required to be observed and enforced by 
 the subordinate ofl&cers having charge of the male 
 prisoners, as are applicable to the females, shall 
 be enforced by the Matrons under and by direc- 
 tion of the Superintendent. 
 
 The Matron shall personally superintend the 
 cooking, washing and ironing of the whole esta- 
 blishment; also the weighing and measuring of 
 the rations for the day, as established by the rules 
 and regulations. And it shall be her duty to 
 attend to the division of the daily food into 
 rations, and to see that it is ready and in proper 
 order to be served to the prisoners at regular meal 
 time. 
 
 The Matrons shall cause the cells, kitchen, 
 workrooms, and every part of the establishment 
 
44 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 under their care, to exhibit perfect neatness and 
 order ; and at all times to be ready for the inspec- 
 tion of the Superintendent, Inspectors, and others 
 who may visit the Institution. 
 
 It shall also be the duty of the Matrons to en- 
 deavor to teach those who are unable to read, and 
 to administer such moral and religious advice and 
 instruction to them, as shall be calcula,ted to 
 promote order, decorum, propriety of behaviour, 
 and reformation. They shall assemble the female 
 prisoners in the chapel every Sabbath day for 
 divine service and other religious instructions, and 
 it shall be the duty of the Matron to see that 
 every prisoner under her care is furnished with a 
 Bible and Hymn-book, and such other books or 
 tracts as may be furnished by the Chaplain or 
 Superintendent. 
 
 For any violation of the rules of the prison by 
 the female prisoners, the Matron shall confine 
 them in their cells, and report the offense to the 
 Superintendent, that he may give her such in- 
 structions in regard to punishment or correction, 
 as the nature thereof may require. 
 
 The Matron and Assistant Matron, shall each 
 keep a book, containing the names of all the fe- 
 males under their charge, with a table showing 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 45 
 
 every day's labor performed, and also the articles 
 made and work done for the Penitentiary or for 
 others, which book shall be deposited in the Su- 
 perintendent's office at the end of every month. 
 
 The Superintendent is authorized to employ and 
 permit the use of weapons by the keepers or 
 guards of the prisoners, to put down insurrection 
 by force, and to prevent escapes at all liazards 
 from the Penitentiary. 
 
 The object of this Institution being to effect the 
 moral reformation of the culprit, punishment will 
 be resorted to as rarely as necessity will admit; 
 the rules of the Prison are nevertheless to be pre- 
 served and maintained inviolate, and all infractions 
 thereof or any resistance to the lawful commands 
 and authority of the keepers, shall subject the 
 offender to solitary confinement in a darkened 
 cell, and to rations of bread and water (or to be 
 showered with cold water), at the discretion of 
 the Superintendent; no such confinement, how- 
 ever, shall exceed ten days for any one offense, 
 and in every doubtful case the proper medical 
 authority shall be consulted. 
 
 Three Inspectors shall be appointed by the 
 board of supervisors, and the mayor and recorder, 
 in joint meeting now assembled according to law. 
 
46 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 who shall have the supervision of the Penitentiary; 
 one of whom shall hold his office for one year, one 
 for two years, and one for three years, from 
 the first day of M%,rch next as shall be designated; 
 and hereafter there shall be annually appointed, 
 in the same manner, one Inspector who shall hold 
 his office for three years from the first day of 
 March then next ensuing. Said Inspectors, now 
 first appointed, shall enter upon the duties of their 
 office immediately. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Inspectors to visit 
 the Penitentiary jointly at least four times in each 
 year, to examine and audit the accounts of the 
 Superintendent, to inquire into all matters con- 
 nected with the government, discipline and police 
 of the prison, the punishment and employments 
 of the prisoners, and to make such rules and 
 regulations as they may deem expedient and ne- 
 cessary, provided, however, that such rules and 
 regulations shall not conflict with the laws of the 
 state, or with the general rules and regulations 
 now adopted by this joint meeting. 
 
 It shall be the duty of the Inspectors individu- 
 ally, to visit the Penitentiary once in each month, 
 or oftener, as they deem necessary ; to diligently 
 examine and inquire into the condition of the 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 47 
 
 prison and prisoners; each Inspector shall keep 
 a journal of his visits and proceedings, and shall 
 report the same to the Inspectors at their next 
 joint quarterly meeting. 
 
 The Inspectors shall approve of, or appoint, on 
 the nomination of the Superintendent, all the sub- 
 ordinate officers employed at the Penitentiary, 
 and shall fix their compensation. They shall also 
 appoint a Physician and Chaplain, and prescribe 
 their payment, who shall hold their offices during 
 the pleasure of the Inspectors. 
 
 The Inspectors shall annually, on or before the 
 first day of December, render a report to the 
 board of supervisors and mayor and recorder, in 
 joint meeting assembled, showing the state and 
 condition of the Penitentiary, and the prisoners 
 confined therein, the amount of money drawn 
 from the treasury and otherwise received and ex- 
 pended ; together with all the transactions of the 
 Penitentiary during the year preceding. The 
 Inspectors may also communicate, in the same 
 manner, with the authorities aforesaid, at any 
 other time and on any subject connected with the 
 Penitentiary, whenever they deem it to be ne- 
 cessary. 
 
 In case of the death, resignation or refusal to 
 
48 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 serve, of any one or two, of the Inspectors appointed, 
 the remaining one or two Inspectors, as the case 
 may be, shall have the power to fill the vacancy 
 or vacancies so occasioned, and designate the 
 term for which he is or they are to serve ; which 
 appointment or appointments shall remain valid 
 until the joint authorities direct otherwise. 
 
 The Inspectors shall receive no pecuniary com- 
 pensation for their services whatever. It shall be 
 an office of honor. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 49 
 
 ITS SDTERIFTEKDENT. 
 
 While it will be demanded by the public, it 
 is but simple justice to the Superintendent of 
 the Penitentiary that an account should be given 
 of his labors in this department of public ser- 
 vice ; for more than any man in this country 
 he has devoted himself to prison discipline ; has 
 been engaged therein for a longer period, and 
 his efforts have been attended with unrivaled 
 success. 
 
 Amos Pilsbury^ is the son of honored parents. 
 He was bom in Londonderry, N. H., February 
 8th, 1805. His father, Moses Cross Pilsbury, was 
 a native of Newbury, Mass. His mother, Lois 
 Cleaveland, was a granddaughter of the Rev. 
 John Cleaveland, of Ipswich, a clergyman of dis- 
 tinguished piety and patriotism, who served his 
 country as chaplain, in two campaigns of the 
 
 iThis sketcli is principally taken from one written by a dis- 
 tinguished gentleman of New York city, who is familiar with 
 the history of the family, and knew its subject from early 
 manhood. 
 
50 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 French war, and in three campaigns of the revo- 
 lutionary struggle. His grandfather, on the other 
 side, was one of the "happy few" who fought at 
 Lexington and on Bunker's Hill. 
 
 Mr. Pilsbury's father was no common man. 
 From the age of ten to that of twenty-one, he 
 hammered iron in his father's shop. Freed, at 
 length, from this hard apprenticeship, he soon 
 worked his way to a position of comfort and of 
 high respectability. So carefully did he seek and 
 so well did he employ every opportunity of self- 
 culture, that at the beginning of our second con- 
 test with England, he was commissioned as a 
 lieutenant in the United States army — in which 
 capacity, and also as adjutant, he served through 
 the war. 
 
 Not long after this, through the influence of 
 his neighbor and friend, Governor Bell, he was 
 appointed Warden of the New Hampshire state 
 prison. Here his peculiar talents at once shone 
 forth. Like all the prisons of that day, it was, 
 when he took it, an ill-contrived, badly managed 
 and expensive establishment. Under the new 
 keeper, irregularity, idleness, and waste, were 
 replaced by discipline, industry and thrift until 
 the prison, with its orderly and busy inmates. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 51 
 
 became the wonder and boast of the state ; pre- 
 senting, it is believed, the first instance recorded 
 in penal annals, of convicts who supported them- 
 selves. Nor was this all. Under the perfect 
 system introduced by Capt. Pilsbury, the prison, 
 after paying all expenses, had a handsome surplus 
 for the state treasury. This important result was 
 attributable to no additional rigor, and to no 
 severity of exaction. In its moral and reforma- 
 tory aspect, the improvement was equally marked, 
 and infinitely more important. To his honor be 
 it said, he was the first prison keeper who intro- 
 duced the practice of reading the Bible daily to 
 the prisoners assembled. He was a man of me- 
 dium stature, calm and gentle in aspect and 
 demeanor, full of tenderness and Christian sym- 
 pathy. His mere look was sufiicient to quell the 
 fiercest of those hardened creatures with whom 
 he had to deal. All who were placed under him 
 knew full well that they must obey; and very 
 few were those who did not obey willingly. He 
 deserves an honorable place among the benefactors 
 of his race. His last days were spent on his farm 
 in Derry, N. H., where he died at the age of seventy 
 in the year 1848. 
 
 Amos Pilsbury after having served an appren- 
 
52 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 ticeship at the tanning and leather dressing 
 business, was, at the age of nineteen years, made 
 one of the guards in the Concord prison, and in 
 this subordinate capacity, so approved himself to 
 the state authorities, that a year after he was 
 appointed Deputy Warden. In 1827, he went 
 with his father to Wethersfield, to assume the 
 same position in the prison there. In 1830, he 
 was advanced to the sole superintendence of that 
 large and important establishment. It was a 
 high responsibility for a young man of twenty-five 
 years. All doubts — if doubts there were — on 
 account of his youth, were soon dispelled. The 
 very first year of his administration proved his 
 eminent fitness for the post. As a disciplinarian, 
 as a manager, as an economist, as a man of 
 integrity, and humanity, and honor, he fell not a 
 whit behind his father. 
 
 For fifteen years, some nine months excepted, 
 Mr. Pilsbury held this office, with a fidelity that 
 was never surpassed, and a success, of which there 
 had been in prison management, no previous 
 example. During the second year of his superin- 
 tendence, the earnings of the prison, over and 
 above its entire expenditures, amounted to more 
 than eight thousand seven hundred dollars. To 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 53 
 
 a frugal community, like that of Connecticut, this 
 result must have been particularly gratifying. 
 But Connecticut, we trust, would never have 
 welcomed even this advantage, had it come to 
 her through any sacrifice of morals or humanity. 
 
 The condition of the state purse was not more 
 benefited, than was, in every particular, the con- 
 dition of the prisoner. Indeed, a bright, busy 
 New England town and a village of Neapolitan 
 lazzaroni, scarcely differ more in appearance, in 
 character, or in results, than a Penitentiary under 
 the Pilsbury regime differed from the prisons 
 generally in use before. 
 
 During the seventeen years which preceded the 
 changes, while Connecticut was compelling her 
 prisoners to work in irons by day, and sending 
 them down manacled and fettered, to pass the 
 night on damp straw sixty feet below the surface, 
 the Newgate prison cost the state a hundred and 
 twenty-five thousand dollars beyond all its earn- 
 ings. The Pilsbury administration — at once 
 efficient and humane — lasted seventeen years, 
 during which the huge establishment was made 
 to sustain itself handsomely, and also to pay into 
 the state treasury the sum of ninety-three thou- 
 sand dollars. Any tyro in arithmetic will readily 
 
54 Albany Penitentiakt. 
 
 estimate the amount which was saved to the 
 commonwealth . 
 
 The profits which Mr. Pilsbury conferred on 
 Connecticut, were not limited to the prison under 
 his immediate control. Through his suggestion 
 and aid, the old and miserable county jails were 
 replaced by new and well arranged structures, 
 where industry and order could and did supplant 
 idleness and vice. * In this reform, Hartford county 
 led the way, and other counties followed — their 
 benevolence being greatly stimulated by a bonus 
 of $1,000, which the surplus earnings of the Weth- 
 ersfield prison enabled the state to bestow on 
 those who rebuilt after the Hartford model. 
 
 Allusion has been made to an interruption 
 which occurred in the early part of Mr. Pilsbury's 
 wardenship. For the good name of Connecticut, 
 we regret that this disgraceful affair can not here 
 be ignored. In the second year of his superintend- 
 ence, while he was engaged with unexampled 
 devotion and success in the arduous duties of his 
 ofiice, charges were brought against him and he 
 was removed. At Mr. Pilsbury's request, a com- 
 mittee of the legislature investigated the case. 
 The committee was composed of able and honora- 
 ble men. Their examination covered the entire 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 55 
 
 Held, it reached the minutest items of management 
 and expense, and resulted in the triumphant vin- 
 dication of Mr. Pilsbury. His accusers were left 
 without an inch of ground to stand on. The 
 discarded officer was restored and the grateful 
 legislature, after paying the actual cost of his 
 defense, voted to compensate him for his loss of 
 time, and for the unpardonable vexation to which 
 he had been subjected. The action of the state 
 government, and general sentiment of the people, 
 are not the only condemnation passed on that act 
 of petty and personal malice. The prison itself 
 was grossly mismanaged and all but disorganized, 
 during the nine months it was in other hands. In 
 a tew months the former order was restored, and 
 its previous prosperity secured. 
 
 The fame of results so benignant and remark- 
 able as were those of the Connecticut prison, 
 could not long be confined within state limits. 
 Through the enlightened and earnest efforts of 
 the Prison Discipline society, the evils and abuses 
 of the old prisons were made known, and the 
 whole subject of prison construction, arrange- 
 ments, and discipline, became a topic of general 
 interest and frequent discussion throughout the 
 country. The old practice of allowing prisoners 
 
56 Albany Penitentiakt. 
 
 freely to associate in their workshops, or in their 
 sleeping rooms, was universally condemned. But 
 there arose an important question. Was a system 
 of joint labor by day with complete isolation at 
 night — or one of absolute, solitary confinement, 
 the best adapted to produce reform? Each sys- 
 tem had its advocates, equally ardent and confi- 
 dent — while prisons of great size and cost were 
 going up in different parts of the United States, to 
 carry out the two dissimilar ideas. But while 
 others were idly theorizing, or actually launch- 
 ing forth on the sea of untried experiment, Mr. 
 Pilsbury, on the banks of the Connecticut, just 
 went forward and resolved the problem. 
 
 Many were the visitors — men of science and: 
 philanthropy — who came from other states and' 
 even from distant shores — to learn in Connecticut, 
 how felons might and should be treated. Here 
 they were seen unitedly and busily engaged in 
 some simple but profitable occupation; unitedly 
 and yet silently. No word, or look, or sign, was 
 allowed to pass between the convicts. Ever 
 watchful guards, judiciously placed, checked the 
 slightest infraction of the rules. Under the same 
 restrictions and the same vigilance, they marched 
 at meal times and at night, to their still and 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 57 
 
 solitary cells. Their little sleeping rooms were 
 all above ground — well warmed, perfectly venti- 
 lated, and kept scrupulously clean. As these 
 were built and arranged on the principle of a 
 whispering gallery, all attempts at communication 
 were instantly detected, so that a single watchman 
 was sufficient to enforce the rule on a hundred of 
 these involuntary Trappists. As a sanitary ope- 
 ration, the system we are describing worked well. 
 Not only were the fevers and fatal contagions, 
 that once made jails so fearfully dangerous, 
 driven far away — sickness in its milder forms 
 became an infrequent visitant. The well re- 
 mained well, and even the invalid often grew 
 strong. No discipline could be more strict — yet 
 it was the discipline of Christian humanity — that 
 true kindness which never stiffens into cruelty, 
 and never melts into weak indulgence. All the 
 conditions of the case seemed here to be fulfilled. 
 The unhappy inmates were not hardened in crime 
 by intercourse with beings perhaps worse than 
 themselves. Neither were they driven to despair 
 or to madness, by the unmitigated horrors of per- 
 petual solitude. Restraint and labor, order and 
 silence, company and seclusion, good air and good 
 food every day, with rest and wholesome instruc- 
 
58 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 tion on the Sabbath day — these were the salutary 
 influences kindly brought to bear on the prisoners, 
 and which would lead to reformation, if any thing 
 would. With all these paramount advantages to 
 the criminal and to the community, the pleasing 
 fact was now first established, that the lawless 
 beings known before only as destructives, could 
 by right management, be brought into the ranks 
 of the self-supporting and even of the producing. 
 
 We could fill many pages with the testimony of 
 state governors, the reports of directors and com- 
 mittees, and the statements of commissioners and 
 visitors, both American and foreign — showing the 
 high estimation in which Mr. Pilsbury's abilities 
 and services were held. The following must 
 suffice. 
 
 The officers of the legislature said in 1842 : 
 "We should do injustice to the Warden of the 
 prison, if we should omit to bear testimony to his 
 superior qualifications for the arduous and respon- 
 sible office which he holds, and has so long held 
 to the great satisfaction of a large majority of the 
 people of the state, discharging all his official duties 
 with great ability, with fidelity to the state, with 
 humanity to the prisoners, and to the unqualified 
 acceptance of the directors ; to his unrivaled skill 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 59 
 
 and singular fitness for the station which he holds, 
 that the gratifjdng results in the management of 
 the Connecticut state prison are mainly attribu- 
 table." 
 
 Again in 1843 : 
 
 "In conclusion the directors would be doing 
 violence to their own feelings, did they fail to 
 express their gratification at the admirable man- 
 ner in which the Warden has for a long series of 
 years discharged his arduous duties with credit to 
 himself and advantage to the state. As a thorough 
 disciplinarian, he is believed to be unequaled in the 
 country ; and as an able, faithful, energetic public 
 ofl&cer, they consider him deserving of the highest 
 respect and commendation." 
 
 In a report made by Roger Minot Sherman, 
 that great man said : 
 
 "Instead of being a charge on the treasury, it 
 is a source of revenue. In ten years the net earn- 
 ings, above all expenses, have been sufficient to 
 pay every expense of its erection, support, and man- 
 agement, and leave a surplus on hand of over 
 $10,000. The state, however, is greatly indebted 
 to the Messrs. Pilsbury for their superior skill in 
 conducting the institution. By one who was com- 
 petent to judge, and had made extensive inquiry 
 
60 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 in this country and in Europe, they have been 
 pronounced the best prison keepers in the world." 
 
 As stated in the preceding chapter, the commis- 
 sioners appointed to erect the Albany Penitentiary 
 having resolved to adopt the best model and to 
 have it erected under the best superintendence, 
 turned their attention to Mr. Pilsbury. He ac- 
 cepted their call. The building was erected 
 under his supervision ; and before they surrend- 
 ered their trust he was unanimously chosen by 
 the joint authorities of the city and county as its 
 Superintendent. In this capacity he has more 
 than maintained his previous reputation. The 
 Inspectors in their report at the close of the first 
 year thus expressed the estimate entertained of 
 his services. 
 
 "In the Superintendent of the Penitentiary the 
 county possesses an ofl&cer whose service is in- 
 valuable. They are happy to be enabled to add, 
 that his talents and worth are as fully acknow- 
 ledged by all classes and parties of the community, 
 as it is known they are by both the city and 
 county governments. The manner in which Mr. 
 Pilsbury discharges the duties of his office and his 
 eminent qualifications for the position he occupies, 
 command general admiration. It is gratifying 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 61 
 
 also to feel assured that the sentiment of regard 
 and attachment is reciprocal. "While all appre- 
 ciate his zeal and fitness, and the great good his 
 labors and assiduity have wrought amongst us, he 
 too is sensible that he possesses the respect and 
 confidence of the public. 
 
 "The Inspectors trust and believe that the con- 
 nection subsisting between the Superintendent of 
 the Penitentiary and the community to whose 
 welfare and interests his whole time and efforts 
 are directed, will long endure, and not on either 
 hand be lightly or willingly severed. All which 
 is respectfully submitted." 
 
 This estimate has never experienced any dimi- 
 nution; but has been deservedly confirmed and 
 heightened as time advanced, and his services 
 were the better understood. The discipline of 
 the Penitentiary has never relaxed, nor its pros- 
 perity, in his hands, declined. Emergencies have 
 arisen through the fluctuations of trade, and some 
 years the prospect of financial success was dis- 
 couraging ; but he has, as we shall subsequently 
 see, most successfully met them all. From year to 
 year the Inspectors have borne their most empha- 
 tic testimony to his personal worth and labors. 
 In their report for 1852, they said : "In all that 
 
62 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 constitutes excellence in a prison, both morally 
 and physically considered, so far as the Inspectors 
 have seen and know, the Albany Penitentiary 
 has not its superior in the world." And 
 again in 1855 in view of his resignation: "To 
 say what Mr. Pilsbury is, and how his character 
 and service are regarded and appreciated in 
 Albany, is quite superfluous : they are household 
 words. The Albany Penitentiary, now widely re- 
 nowned, is his own creation. The ability and 
 success with which it has been conducted, are 
 unparalleled any where. It has conferred honor 
 on our city, and has constituted a new era in the 
 history of punishment. The example has been 
 copied in three other judicial districts of the 
 state, and is accomplishing a sure revolution 
 through the land. Mr. Pilsbury's pupils, young 
 men whom he has educated in his peculiar sys- 
 tem, are now conducting, with great success, 
 similar institutipns in this and other states." 
 
 The following voluntary testimonial was given 
 by the late Louis Dwight, Esq., who for years was 
 the distinguished secretary of the Boston Prison 
 Discipline Society. It was never seen, nor known 
 to exist, by Mr. Pilsbury till a few months since. 
 
Albany Penitent: art, 63 
 
 Boston, Dec. 9, 1845. 
 To Sam'l Pruyn, Esq., chairman of Commissioners 
 for building Albany County Penitentiary. 
 
 / kTKm 710 man livin.<j, nor have I ever seen the 
 man, during twenty years observation, on prisons 
 and prison officers, who is as certain to bring 
 about favorable pecuniary results in the manage- 
 ment of a Penitentiary, as Amos Pilsbury. He 
 seems to have obtained very honestly from his 
 father, partly by birth, and partly by education, 
 the faculty and the integrity necessary to do 
 this. He is unrivaled, except by his father, in 
 the beauty and accuracy of prison accounts, and 
 he is absolutely unrivaled, after he has made his 
 thousands, above all expenses, from the labor of 
 prisoners, in paying aver the mmiey into the trea- 
 sury of the government. I do not speak of this, 
 because I consider it the most important object of 
 prison discipline ; but because of the proof which 
 it affords of wisdom, industry, economy, caution, 
 energy, activity and faithfulness, which makes 
 the man so reliable, as a public officer, and a 
 Prison Keeper. These high qualifications would 
 be of great consequence, in the first place, to the 
 county of Albany, and through the county of 
 
64 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 Albany, as the great centre of the state, to all 
 the counties in the state. If the question be 
 whether the County Prisons, in the state of New 
 York, shall become self-supporting institutions, 
 and, at the same time, disciplinary and reformatory 
 in character and morals, Amos Pilsbury is the 
 man, in my opinion, above all others, to hasten 
 this great and important result, in political 
 economy. It will make a difference of a millioit 
 of dollars, in my opinion, to the state of New 
 York, whether his services are secured, as a 
 Prison Keeper for that state or not ; provided he 
 lives and serves the state four years. And the 
 difference to public morals will be of still greater 
 consequence. Who can do so much to trust indus- 
 try and self-support, to the very dregs of society, and 
 obedience too, without undue severity, principally 
 by constant supervision and care and safe keeping, 
 as Amos Pilsbury? Am I asked for proof / refer 
 to the life. No other man has ever shcnvn such results 
 in this or any otlier couiitry, for so long a course of 
 time, so far as my Icnowledge and observation extends. 
 Most respectfully your friend, 
 
 And obedient servant, 
 
 Louis Dwight. 
 
Albany Penitentiaet. 65 
 
 REsiaivrATioisr of the superintendei^t. 
 
 Among the charitable institutions near the city 
 of New York, is that on Ward's island, which was 
 established by the legislature to relieve the towns 
 and counties of the state from the tax of support- 
 ing pauper immigrants, and to provide a hospital 
 and home for those of this class who may land 
 in New York, and are sick and needy; or who 
 may become so within a limited time. This 
 institution is in the charge of a board appointed 
 by the governor of the state, called the commis- 
 sioners of emigration. Extensive and suitable 
 buildings have been erected there for the purposes 
 designed, and the institution has commendably 
 answered the end for which it was established. 
 
 In the year 1855, notwithstanding their large 
 receipts, the commissioners were very seriously 
 embarrassed by its pecuniary state. The expendi- 
 tures were so large that they were brought to the 
 verge of insolvency. They were consequently 
 compelled to adopt some measure for relief At 
 
66 ALBA^'Y Pexitextiabt. 
 
 that time the Hon. E. D. Morgan, since governor 
 of the state, and now a senator of the United 
 States, was a member of the board. He sug- 
 gested that they should get a thoroughly able 
 and good man to take charge of the institution, 
 and thus, if possible, improve its condition. Hav- 
 ing long known iMr. Pilsbury he at once introduced 
 his name to the commissioners, and assured them 
 that he was the man to accomplish the task. 
 
 An invitation was consequently given him to 
 take charge of the institution, at a salary of 
 :S-t,ijrj(j per annum, with a residence on the island, 
 and necessary provision for his table. This, 
 apart from pecuniary considerations, was an in- 
 viting offer, for it opened a new and larger sphere 
 of action ; it presented a different field for his 
 administrative powers, and that, when he was 
 justlv conscious of abUity to enter it; and it pro- 
 mised greatly extended usefulness. Nevertheless 
 the call occasioned him considerable perplexity ; 
 for the Albany Penitentiary was to him as the 
 ofispring of his own genius and practical nurture. 
 He had been identified with it as no other man 
 could be ; and its prosperity had been the object 
 of his constant thought and toil. His associations 
 moreover with Albany had been always pleasant. 
 
Albant Pexitextiary. 67 
 
 Here for more than ten years he had been per- 
 mitted and encouraged to caiTj out his plans, 
 without political rivalry, or unfriendly suspicion. 
 To leave such an institution, and such associations 
 for the "populous solitude" of Ward's island, 
 was certainly not abstractedly inviting. But 
 after repeated solicitation he reluctantly con- 
 sented to do so. feeling that Providence called 
 him to it. and that it was in some respects, a 
 self-denying mission for good. 
 
 The Inspectors in speaking of his resignation 
 in their report for 185o, said: "The Inspectors 
 have long been aware of the urgent eiforts. made 
 by leading and influential men in this state, to 
 induce Mr. Pilsbury to assume the control and 
 government of the Refuge and Hospital of the 
 commissioners of emigration on Ward's island, at 
 Xew York ; and that the appliances and argu- 
 ments used by them, have at length prevailed 
 ^vith him to consider it a matter of duty and 
 patriotism, on his part, to comply with their 
 wishes. 
 
 "The Inspectors were not disposed to interfere 
 or remonstrate, lest they might be suspected of 
 selfish views in thwarting the Superintendents 
 personal interests, or those general state interests 
 
68 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 which were said to be involved. They neverthe- 
 less thought it a mistaken policy, and that Mr. 
 Pilsbury's usefulness here was of greater moment 
 to the welfare of community at large, than in 
 the sphere to which he was to be translated. 
 
 " In 1845, at the request of the commissioners 
 appointed to construct the Penitentiary, Mr. Pils- 
 bury, a stranger, came to Albany, where politics, 
 in regard to public appointments, have usually 
 been omnipotent. He has been four times rmani- 
 mously chosen for terms of three years each, to be 
 its Superintendent, and in almost every case by 
 boards, the majority in which, were opposite to 
 himself in political opinion. But his talents, abil- 
 ity and social worth are too well known and under- 
 stood to require eulogy ; it only remains for the 
 Inspectors to speak of the present emergency." 
 
 At the joint meeting of the mayor and recorder 
 of Albany, and the supervisors of the county, 
 held on the twenty-second of November, 1855, he 
 tendered his resignation of the office he had so 
 long and honorably held. In his communication, 
 there was a cordial acknowledgment of the cheer- 
 ful and efficient supports he had received, and the 
 kind estimate entertained of his labors. He 
 said: "I herewith hand you my report, exhibit- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 69 
 
 iiiij,' the income and i'\i)e'nditure,s in the opera- 
 tions of the Institution for the year ending 
 October 31, 185'). It will be seen by the several 
 stafeineuts and tables annexed, that the profit ibr 
 the year, after deducting evtu-y e\[)ense for its 
 support and management (including the salaries 
 of Chaplain and Physician, and the wages of all 
 the subordinate officers), has been twenty-five 
 hundred eighty-six dollars and fifty-three cents, 
 while it is entirely free /rotn dcld. 
 
 "In submitting this, which in all probability 
 will be the last report or official communication I 
 shall have the honor of transmitting through you, 
 it will not, I trust, be deemed out of place should 
 I embrace the opportunity to acknowledge the 
 kindness and constant support I have at all times 
 and under all circumstances received from you 
 indi\'idually, and as a board, and also from the 
 several mayors, reconk'rs and boards of supervi- 
 sors during the ten _years I have been assot'iated 
 with you and them, in the building and manage- 
 ment of the Penitentiary. 
 
 "The position which I tjccupied was for many 
 years one ol' extreme labor aiul anxiety, and 
 although at times discouraging, your confidence 
 and appreciation of my services, always incited 
 
 10 
 
70 Albany Penitent: aet. 
 
 me to renewed exertions to promote the interests 
 of the Institution and the welfare of those com- 
 mitted to my care, by devoting my whole time, 
 with all the industry and intelligence of which 
 I was capable, to make the Penitentiary, if possi- 
 ble, a model institution. I have endeavored to 
 make it a school where the young, at least, while 
 suffering confinement for crime, should be taught 
 principles and habits of industry, and of personal 
 morality calculated to govern them in their future 
 lives. For the success which has attended my 
 labors, I am greatly indebted to the citizens and 
 press of Albany. From the commencement of 
 the institution to the present time, not a word of 
 censure, or unfavorable comment (so far as I 
 know) has ever been published by either of the 
 many papers of this city, or state, while all of 
 them, from time to time, have spoken in the high- 
 est terms of commendation of its management, 
 discipline and success, thus giving to the Peni- 
 tentiary a reputation that has aided me much in 
 the discharge of my duties. Prisoners have come 
 here feeling and knowing that the community 
 approved of and had confidence in the discipline 
 and management of its affairs, and consequently 
 they have expected to behave well, and generally 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 71 
 
 liave done so without punishment of any kind ; 
 the cheerful compliance with the I'ules on the part 
 of the prisoners, the order and discipline which 
 has without difficulty or severity been maintained, 
 should be attributed in a great measure to the 
 confidence and support I have received from the 
 authorities and citizens of the city and county of 
 Albany, for which I desire to express my warm- 
 est acknowledgments, and to assure you and 
 them, that it will always be a source of great 
 satisfaction and gratification to feel that my 
 course of conduct as a public officer, and my 
 management of the Penitentiary has met with 
 and received the approval of the citizens of 
 Albany, and the public generally. 
 
 "Considerations, other than personal comfort or 
 pecuniary profit, have induced me, reluctantly, to 
 accept the appointment of superintendent of the 
 institution on Ward's island, city of New York, 
 which was tendered me (as you are aware) against 
 my wishes by the commissioners of emigration. 
 
 "When, therefore, the mayor and recorder and 
 board of supervisors of the county of Albany 
 shall, in joint meeting, elect or appoint my 
 successor, and whenever he enters upon its 
 duties, my responsibility as Superintendent of the 
 
72 Albany Penitentiakt. 
 
 Penitentiary will cease ; until then I hold myself 
 
 accountable for its management while the interest 
 
 I shall feel in its prosperity and welfare will end 
 
 only with life. 
 
 Very Respectfully, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 Amos Pilsbtjry." 
 
 This resignation the authorities hesitated to 
 accept, anxious to retain so valuable a public 
 oflEicer. They laid it on the table; appointed a 
 committee to confer with the Superintendent of 
 the Penitentiary, and adjourned to meet on the 
 twentieth day of the next month. 
 
 At the adjourned meeting in December, the 
 committee reported that "they had satisfactorily 
 ascertained from him, that no inducement could 
 be held out that would cause him to withdraw 
 his resignation, he having, as he said, taken a 
 step that as an honorable man he could not re- 
 trace." 
 
 In anticipation of a new appointment, several 
 individuals became candidates for the ofl&ce, but 
 after three ineffectual ballotings, Louis D. Pils- 
 bury, was, in accordance with the recommenda- 
 tions of the Inspectors, elected to fill the vacancy 
 occasioned by the resignation of his father. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 73 
 
 APPOINTMENT OF A NEW SUPEEINTEND- 
 ENT; HIS TRIALS, AND RESIGNATION. 
 
 As the appointment of Louis D. Pilsbury was 
 for the unexpired term for which his father had 
 been previously chosen, the authorities at theii 
 joint meeting held December 7, 1857, duly elected 
 him as Superintendent of the Penitentiary for 
 three years from the first day of March, 1858. In 
 the report of the Inspectors then presented they 
 said "The Penitentiary is still a self supporting 
 institution, the receipts for the last year having 
 been |2,152.76 in excess of its expenditure. The 
 established discipline has been properly main- 
 tained, and in that respect they can see no differ- 
 ence between its present management, and that 
 of its former efficient Superintendent." 
 
 But at that time a dreadful commercial panic 
 had seized the mercantile community. Men's 
 hearts were failing them for fear. Business was 
 completely paralyzed. A monetary convulsion 
 prevailed. Strong men and immense establish- 
 ments were borne down by the destructive 
 
74 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 current. The contractors for convict labor at the 
 state prison Wethersfield, Conn., at Auburn, and 
 Sing Sing in this state, had thrown up their con- 
 tracts, and the Superintendent had received notice 
 from the contractors for labor at this Penitentiary 
 that they would discontinue theirs after the 25th 
 of that month, December. 
 
 This was most trying to an aspiring young 
 man who desired to fulfill successfully his trust, 
 and sustain the high prestige of the Institution 
 committed to his charge. But it could not be 
 evaded. Dependent as was the Penitentiary for 
 success on the earnings of its inmates, that could 
 not be realized when no work could be procured. 
 "The Superintendent and the Inspectors used 
 every means in their power to procure employ- 
 ment for the prisoners without success; and the 
 former Superintenderit, with that deep interest 
 in the welfare of the Institution which he con- 
 stantly cherished, was indefatigable in his ex- 
 ertions for the same object, but in vain." The 
 labor of the convicts was offered to manufacturers 
 on very low terms, but no one would accept it. 
 
 The effect was every way trying and discou- 
 raging. It is forcibly stated in the report of the 
 Inspectors for 1858. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 75 
 
 " It will be remembered that the Inspectors in 
 their last annual report stated that by reason of 
 the monetary revulsion which had then recently 
 overturned almost in a day the business of the 
 community ; when the workshops of the country 
 were closed, the banks suspended, and thousands 
 of operatives suddenly thrown out of employment, 
 the contractors employing the prisoners had noti- 
 fied the Superintendent that they would be unable 
 to proceed, and therefore be forced to abandon their 
 contracts. On the 25th December, 1857, all the 
 operations in the saddlery and hardware depart- 
 ment — the most lucrative and important branch 
 of business carried on — were closed, and nearly 
 one hundred of the most effective men in the Pri- 
 son at once cast into idleness. Those engaged at 
 chair seating, both men and women, were kejat 
 partially busy for a short time longer, when their 
 employers, having closed their factory in conse- 
 quence of the stringency of the times and the 
 impossibility of effecting sales of the manufactured 
 article, were unable to furnish any more work. 
 So that on the 15th January last all remunerative 
 labor in the Penitentiary entirely ceased; and 
 thus, in mid-winter, and in the gloomiest time the 
 merchants and manufacturers of our country have 
 
76 Albany Penitentiakt. 
 
 ever experienced, three hundred and twenty-eight 
 prisoners (two hundred and fifty-five men and 
 seventy-three women), stood entirely idle : and to 
 add to the misfortune, the Prison just then was 
 unusually crowded, the number of its inmates being 
 greater than it ever had been before, or ever has 
 been since. It was indeed a trying time, not only 
 to the convicts but to the officers of the institu- 
 tion, for nothing can be more irksome and depres- 
 sing than a total want of occupation. The disci- 
 pline {silence, novr-intercourse, order, clock-work 
 regularity), had to be maintained, and it was 
 maintained. The men divided into squads of 
 twenty-five to thirty, with an officer to each, were 
 seated in circles in the work shops, and from time 
 to time during the day were exercised in the open 
 air, but only to return again to their seats. It is 
 wonderful that the health of the convicts remained 
 so good as it did, for certainly the punishment 
 during that long term of idleness, was more severe 
 than any they had before experienced. Imagine ! 
 twelve to fourteen hours in the day time spent by 
 the prisoners, seated in dumb idleness, with their 
 eyes bent upon the ground, and their keepers (not 
 allowed by the rules to sit), standing in their 
 midst with nothing to do except to keep their eyes 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 77 
 
 upon the prisoners. It is difficult to decide which 
 was the preferable position. The excellent Chap- 
 lain of the Prison, as often as he could do so, held 
 meetings in the hall for moral and religious 
 instruction. He also advised that the convicts 
 should be furnished with books of a suitable 
 character, which being done, afforded to those 
 who could read partial relief from the dull 
 monotony of their daily existence. Occasionally, 
 as some prospect opened, the Inspectors would 
 desire the keepers to inform the convicts that 
 work would probably soon be obtained, and it was 
 both curious and affecting to witness the eager joy 
 with which such announcements were received. 
 Truly, man in his laziest estate, is not altogether 
 an indolent being, he covets employment either of 
 mind or body ; he craves something — something — 
 to do. As many as could be employed around 
 the premises, in a manner consistent with their 
 safe-keeping, were kept as busy as circumstances 
 would allow; but it was mid-winter, and there 
 was little outside work to be done. Thus, the 
 great mass of more than three hundred men and 
 women, were, from sheer necessity, utterly idle. 
 
 '• In the meantime the Superintendent was inde- 
 fatigable in his efforts to discover means by which 
 11 
 
78 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 the prisoners might be profitably occupied ; while 
 his father, the former Superintendent, at his own 
 cost and charges, scoured our own and neighboring 
 states with the same object in view, but only to 
 find other prisons, more or less, in the same con- 
 dition, and manufactories closed without work for 
 their own operatives." 
 
 It is not surprising that, under these circum- 
 stances, the youthful Superintendent was dis- 
 couraged, nor that, with the prospect of continued 
 adversity and dependence on the county treasury, 
 he should desire to resign his charge. Just at 
 that time an opportunity was presented for him 
 honorably to do so. He received a call to the 
 management of the state prison in Joliet, Illinois, 
 which he decided to accept. 
 
 Having informed the Inspectors of his purpose 
 he addressed the following letter to the mayor and 
 recorder of Albany, and the board of supervisors 
 May 8th, 1858. It shows his appreciation of their 
 confidence and deep regret that untoward circum- 
 stances had prevented his success. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 79 
 
 To the Mayor and Eecorder of the City of Albany, and 
 the Board of Supervisors of the County of Albany, 
 in joint meeting assembled : 
 
 Having received an invitation to take charge 
 of the new Illinois state prison, now building at 
 Joliet in that state, I have deemed it my duty to 
 accept thereof, and therefore hereby resign the 
 situation of Superintendent of the Albany County 
 Penitentiary which I now hold, to take eflfect on 
 the first day of June next. 
 
 It is with extreme regret I leave a city in which 
 I have lived so long, and to which, with all its 
 interests, I have become so strongly attached, but 
 considerations of another character have induced 
 me to present my resignation. I also deeply 
 regret, that a combination of untoward circum- 
 stances, have resulted in my leaving the Peni- 
 tentiary in a less flourishing condition than when 
 I assumed its management. 
 
 Having been twice, by you, appointed the chief 
 officer of the Albany Penitentiary, allow me to 
 return my best thanks for the generous manner 
 in which I have always been treated by the joint 
 authorities, the support and encouragement I have 
 received from the Inspectors, and all the city and 
 
80 Albany Penitentiaky. 
 
 county officers, and for the general good will and 
 kindness invariably manifested towards me by the 
 citizens of Albany. All these will ever live in my 
 most grateful remembrance. 
 
 ^ith respect, your obedient servant, 
 Louis D. Pilsbtjry. 
 Penitentiary. May Sth, 1858. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 81 
 
 RECALL OF FORMER SCrPERINTENDENT. 
 
 The aspect of affairs at the Penitentiary was 
 at that time ominous, and the situation of the In- 
 spectors perplexing indeed. It was not that 
 there were no candidates for the vacant office, 
 nor that those who sought it were not respectable 
 and worthy men ; but their anxiety was to secure 
 an individual who was thoroughly adapted to 
 the situation, and equal to the then existing 
 emergency. They saw a man was required who, 
 in addition to a thorough practical experience in 
 prison discipline, had a character that would 
 attract public confidence, courage to meet obsta- 
 cles, persistency in contending with them, wisdom 
 in devising measures for their removal, and skill 
 in the execution of necessary plans. To have 
 given the office then to an individual who had not 
 these qualifications, would have been to destroy 
 the reputation of the Penitentiary, and extin- 
 guish the sanguine expectations which had been 
 justly indulged of its permanent usefulness. 
 
82 Albany Penitentiaey. 
 
 Under these circumstances the Inspectors wisely 
 and unanimously advised the authorities to use 
 every means in their power to induce Amos Pils- 
 bury to resume his former position of Superin- 
 tendent of the Penitentiary. They said: "He 
 is the best and probably the only man, at this 
 special time, who can put the Institution on its 
 former good footing, and so conduct it as to shield 
 the county from expense." 
 
 In thinking now of this advice, it seems to 
 bear somewhat the aspect of temerity, for they 
 knew that Mr. Pilsbury's services on Ward's 
 island had been remarkably successful, that they 
 were highly valued by the commissioners of emi- 
 gration, that no efforts would be spared to retain 
 them, and that he had signified no disposition to 
 return to Albany. They said in their recom- 
 mendation : 
 
 "Although the Inspectors have frequently of 
 late approached Mr. Pilsbury on this subject, 
 they can not say they have received much en- 
 couragement that he would return to Albany and 
 occupy his former place ; but yet, from the deep 
 interest he has ever manifested in the success and 
 character of an institution which he has, as it 
 were, built up and made himself, and with which 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 83 
 
 his name and fame, far and wide, are identified, 
 and the zealous efforts which he has put forth, 
 down to the present time, to advance its pros- 
 perity, the Inspectors confidently believe that if 
 a unanimous invitation to return to its charge 
 shall be extended to him by the joint authorities, 
 he will not feel at liberty to decline. The great 
 importance of his services at present would seem 
 to require that this effort should at once be made." 
 
 In accordance with this recommendation of the 
 Inspectors, the authorities at their joint meeting 
 adopted the following preamble and resolutions : 
 
 "Whereas, a vacancy in the office of Superin- 
 tendent of the Albany Penitentiary will exist on 
 the first day of June next, by reason of the 
 present incumbent having resigned said office 
 from and after that day : and, 
 
 ^'■Whereas, This joint board entertaining the 
 highest confidence in the preeminent fitness of 
 Amos Pilsbury, Esq., for such office, the duties of 
 which he so long discharged to the entire satisfac- 
 tion of the people of this county ; therefore 
 
 ^'■Resolved, That Amos Pilsbury, Esq., be and 
 hereby is appointed Superintendent of the Albany 
 Pentitentiary, to fill the vacancy occasioned by 
 the resignation of Louis D. Pilsbury. 
 
84 Albany PE^^TEXTIAEY. 
 
 "Eesolved, That the salarj' of said Superintend- 
 ent be fixed at 82.500, being the same as hereto- 
 fore paid him." 
 
 To this invitation IMr. Pilsburj^ made no formal 
 response, but happily for the interests of the 
 Pemtentiary, the coimty and the state, he 
 assumed the position with his accustomed vigor, 
 discretion and tact: and the beneficial results 
 were soon apparent. 
 
 As might have been expected the commissioners 
 of emigration took immediate action to secure the 
 continuance of his services. They raised his salary 
 to So.OOO per annum and left him no alternative but 
 to remain on Ward's island, and in his government 
 there. Consequently, while from a regard to the 
 interests of the Penitentiary he acted as its Super- 
 intendent, vet. as he could not reside here, he 
 placed in the hands of the Inspectors a formal 
 resignation of the office to take effect whenever 
 his successor was appointed and ready to enter on 
 its duties. 
 
 This resignation the Inspectors wisely deter- 
 mined to keep in their own hands : for they were 
 thoroughly satisfied that while the responsibilities 
 of the position were on him, they would be honor- 
 ably met and discharged, and that every thing 
 
Albaxt Pe>l[tzxtiart. S5 
 
 would be done that could be to restore the Peni- 
 tentiary- to its former prosperous state. In this 
 course thev were sustained by the advice of 
 several prominent citizens, and public men. Mr. 
 Pilsbury was therefore left "to select an officer of 
 his own training, educated by himself in his own 
 system, and at his own expense, to be his hands 
 while he himself was the head, and sustained all 
 the responsibility of conducting the Institution." 
 
 Time soon determined the correctness of this 
 opinion and course. The Inspectors said in their 
 next annual report : "In five months Mr. Pilsbury 
 has nearly restored the Penitentiary to its former 
 useful state, and it is now again in a prosperous 
 condition, with every prospect of continued success. 
 He has. without impairing its efficiency or scanting 
 its inmates, but mainly by his skill in purchasing, 
 and other methods of economy, reduced the ex- 
 penses of the establishment more than fifty per 
 cent, while every man and woman in the concern 
 is industriously engaged at remunerating work. 
 In this place, however, it is but just to the former 
 Superintendent to state, that the seven months of 
 his administration were, and are always, by far, 
 the most expensive portion of the year, and also, 
 
 that during that period there was a much larger 
 12 
 
86 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 number of prisoners to feed, clothe and maintain, 
 than had ever been on hand before. 
 
 " Nor has the present Superintendent, thus far, 
 reaped any pecuniary benefit for himself from 
 these circumstances, because he has expended 
 every dollar of his salary in paying the services 
 of his representative, in traveling expenses and 
 other outlays to promote the interests and welfare 
 of the Penitentiary, and to obtain and secure labor 
 for the prisoners. No one better than the In- 
 spectors, can tell the amount of trouble and ex- 
 pense and extraordinary exertions, that have been 
 made, and incurred, by the Superintendent during 
 the last six months, to improve and restore the 
 condition of an institution, with which his name 
 and reputation are so closely and extensively 
 known, which last circumstance has without 
 doubt proved a more powerful incentive to his 
 efforts than any pecuniary compensation that 
 could have been offered to him. The Inspectors 
 knew the remarkable capacity of Mr. Pilsbury, 
 and that whatever he undertook would prosper ; 
 that he was entirely competent to manage, at one 
 time, if need be, several such institutions, in a 
 masterly manner, with equal ability and success : 
 they believed that the authorities would coincide 
 
Albant Penitentiary. 87 
 
 with their views, and they hnew that nine-tenths 
 of the community would sustain them. Having 
 the public good and that only in view, without 
 regard to those who make office-seeking a trade, 
 they felt they could safely and confidently rely on 
 this joint board and on the tax-payers of the 
 county for approbation and support. It is true 
 that the Superintendent, at present, does not 
 constantly reside at the Penitentiary, but this vio- 
 lates no law, because there is no law in relation to 
 it. It may be a nominal, but nevertheless only a 
 partial infringement of a rule instituted by the 
 joint board for the regulation of the Prison ; and 
 this, by the advice of leadilig citizens and mem- 
 bers of this joint board and by public opinion, 
 and by the Inspectors, who consider the public 
 interests paramount, has, for the time being, been 
 waived. The Superintendent is at the Peni- 
 tentiary, as long and as often, as is necessary, 
 and whenever absent, receives daily, full and 
 minute reports of every transaction and event 
 that occurs. His representative, trained by him- 
 self for many years in his own system, and in his 
 own pay, is constantly on the spot exercising full 
 power under his principal, who is responsible for 
 him and for the good conduct of the whole concern. 
 
88 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 "The public are not only satisfied with this 
 arrangement, but, in common with the Inspectors, 
 think it would be perfectly suicidal to the public 
 interests to interfere with it, and to throw away 
 not only all those advantages, but $10,000 to 
 |20,000 per annum besides, for a mere techni- 
 cality, which, if thought necessary, can easily be 
 obviated by the passage of a resolution suspending 
 only one line of the rules and regulations during 
 the pleasure of the joint board." 
 
 Happily the opinions of the authorities harmo- 
 nized with those of the Inspectors. At the next 
 meeting of the joint board, held on December 3, 
 1858, their course was readily endorsed, and the 
 clause in the rules and by-laws for the government 
 of the Penitentiary, which provides that the Su- 
 perintendent "shall reside at the Penitentiary," 
 was suspended during the pleasure of the board. 
 Thus all cause for complaint, on the ground 
 of non-residence, was removed. The resignation 
 was practically disposed of, and the Superintend- 
 ent was left to complete the work of restoration 
 he had so promisingly begun. 
 
Albany Penitentiart. 89 
 
 EENEWED FrSTAI^CIAL PEOSPEKITY. 
 
 This honorable expression of confidence on the 
 part of the authorities of the Penitentiary was 
 highly appreciated by Mr. Pilsbury, and induced 
 a determination to continue his well directed 
 efforts to restore the Institution to its former state 
 of financial prosperity. In his next report to the 
 Inspectors he said: "Deeply grateful for the con- 
 fidence reposed in me and for the encouraging 
 terms in which you have been pleased on many 
 occasions to notice my labors in endeavoring to 
 render the Albany Penitentiary a model institu- 
 tion, I submit to you my ofl&cial report, which 
 presents naost gratifying evidences of renewed 
 prosperity during the year just ended, and con- 
 firms the fact that in regard to health, cleanliness 
 and discipline the condition of the Prison has 
 never been better than at the present time. 
 
 "When my resignation of July, 1858, was not 
 acted upon, and when, afterwards, at your re- 
 quest, without my knowledge, the supervisors. 
 
90 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 mayor and recorder in joint meeting changed the 
 rules so as to admit of my non-residence at the 
 Penitentiary, and in so flattering a manner (with 
 the citizens of Albany) desired my continued 
 supervision of an institution in whose welfare I 
 take so deep an interest, I felt that I could no 
 longer decline the trust, but made arrangements 
 for having a representative, educated in prison 
 management and discipline by myself, constantly 
 at the Prison at my own expense, guarding its 
 interests, watching closely every thing affecting 
 its welfare, and exercising faithfully (as I was sure 
 he would) my directions to the minutest particu- 
 lar, in relation to its discipline and business affairs. 
 
 "I, myself, have visited the Penitentiary as 
 often, and remained there as long as seemed 
 necessary, and have received daily reports of 
 its condition. 
 
 " Thus supervised it has been highly prosperous, 
 and the profits or net gains for the year just 
 ended are larger than they have ever been before 
 in the same period of time." 
 
 In estimating this happy result it is necessary 
 to remember that in seasons of embarrassment 
 and distress there is a stronger disposition and a 
 greater readiness to help those individuals and 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 91 
 
 firms that are of tried character and practical 
 energy, than those which have a less honored 
 reputation. So it is with institutions that need 
 public patronage on a more extended scale, espe- 
 cially those where convicts alone are employed. 
 At all times their reputation for discipline, energy 
 and efficiency will have much to do with the 
 ease with which contracts for labor are secured, 
 and with their remunerative character; but espe- 
 cially so in seasons of commercial depression 
 when enterprise is crippled, and work is hard to 
 be obtained. 
 
 This principle received a signal illustration in 
 the history of the Albany Penitentiary during 
 the general commercial depression of 1857 and 
 1858. The contracts for labor were not discon- 
 tinued there till after they had been at the state 
 prisons in this state and elsewhere. And others 
 were effected for this Institution earlier than for 
 those in other parts. This was unquestionably 
 owing, in great part, to the high character it bore 
 among those manufacturers and employers who 
 needed such labor. 
 
 It will be remembered that Mr. Pilsbury re- 
 sumed the charge of the Penitentiary on the first 
 of June, 1858. There were then over three 
 
92 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 hundred prisoners in the Institution with almost 
 nothing to do. Many of them had so long and 
 so greatly suffered "from mere want of employ- 
 ment, that the officers were most happy to accept 
 any work for the convicts, however small its 
 avails, that promised to mitigate, in any degree, 
 the tedious weariness of their long days of idle- 
 ness and silence." 
 
 Prison labor was at that time a drug in the 
 market, and there was but little prospect of 
 securing this necessary boon. Nevertheless the 
 Superintendent during the month of July, and 
 within forty days of his reappointment, succeeded 
 in obtaining a contract for their work. 
 
 The next month another contract was secured 
 which was favorable to the interests of the Insti- 
 tution. And though these contracts were for 
 work which had not been done there before, and 
 consequently necessitated a change of tools and 
 machinery, still they changed the entire aspect of 
 affairs, and encouraged the Superintendent in his 
 report for 1858, to promise the Inspectors that 
 the next year the income of the Penitentiary 
 should meet its expenditure. 
 
 This pledge he happily more than fulfilled. 
 In June, 1859, another contract was effected, on 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 93 
 
 equally advantageous terms, which provided suf- 
 ficient employment for the convicts. The shops 
 throughout were again the scene of active indus- 
 try, and the officers were relieved of what had 
 been a tedious and oppressive burden. Every 
 thing assumed a promising aspect, and the finan- 
 cial year closed more prosperously than ever 
 before. 
 
 The income for that period was, |18,119 06 
 
 The expenditure for the same time, 13,562 45 
 
 Leaving a balance in favor of the 
 
 Penitentiary of, - - - |4,556 61 
 
 This balance, it is but just to say, was not, in 
 a single fraction, secured at the expense of the 
 prisoners, by depriving them of good, or a suffi- 
 cient quantity of food, or of necessary clothing; 
 but it was by a careful watching of every ex- 
 penditure, by making purchases for cash, and 
 by the practice in every department of a rigid 
 economy. The Inspectors who had exercised a 
 constant oversight of the Institution through the 
 year assured the joint board in their report for 
 that period, that its management in every particu- 
 lar had "been eminently fortunate," and that 
 
 these gratifying results had not been secured by 
 13 
 
94 Albany Pexitextiart. 
 
 accident or anj" unfair means, but "through toil 
 and patience, bv skill and industry, superior to 
 all the difficulties that rose in the path to success." 
 
 It would, however, be unjust to leave the his- 
 tory of that important period here, for the report 
 of the institution for that year shows that of the 
 one thousand two hundred and seven prisoners 
 received, four hundred and forty-four were sen- 
 tenced for only ten days, and could pay nothing 
 for food and clothing, as the contractors wiU not 
 usually accept any prisoner for a less time than 
 three months : and four hundred and eighty-one 
 were sentenced for terms from one to three 
 months, while only two hundred and eighty-two 
 were committed for more than three months. 
 Thus it may be seen at a glance by what number 
 of convicts the industry of the institution was sus- 
 tained, and this financial result secured. 
 
 At that time the Inspectors presented a tabular 
 statement of the earnings and expenditures of the 
 Penitentiarj- from its commencement, October 31. 
 1S49, to October 31, 1859, from which it appeared 
 that the aggregate earnings for the eleven years, 
 over and above all demands, expenses and contin- 
 gencies of every character, were ^6,445.31, notwith- 
 standing every draw back. They added : '* Thus it 
 
Albaxy Pexitextiaet. 95 
 
 may fairly bf; claimed that the Penitentiary has 
 never lost the character of a self-supporting Insti- 
 tution, for the amount of its earnings, during its 
 whole existence, has largely exceeded the amount 
 of its expenditures, and the overplus, instead of 
 being reserved for the wants of unpropitious times 
 (as, perhaps, they should have been), has been 
 used for such permanent repairs and improvements 
 of the property as — if the relation of landlord and 
 tenant existed in the case — might have been pro- 
 perly charged to the county, as the owner of the 
 premises. 
 
 "Permit the Inspectors to go a step further, and 
 perhaps correct an impression which may possibly 
 be entertained, viz. : that although the convicts' 
 earnings have sufficed for the maintenance of the 
 Institution since the time it went into operation, 
 yet, that the "Penitentiary and its equipments 
 have cost a large sum, for which there is no money 
 equivalent, and that thus the public have been 
 burthened. To this we say, that from the time 
 the land was bought, and from the day on which 
 the first stone of the buildings was laid, every dol- 
 lar drawn from the treasury, and all expense of 
 every name and nature incurred (including even 
 the pay of the Superintendent, who has always 
 
96 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 been a salaried officer of the county), up to this 
 time, is compensated, and more than compensated, 
 by the present value of the real and personal 
 estate comprising the Penitentiary property, 
 which, at any moment, would sell for and realize 
 more than it has cost ; while the expense of main- 
 taining the prisoners (who would otherwise have 
 lain idle) in the jail, for eleven years, would have 
 amounted to a much greater sum than the cost of 
 all the land and buildings and all the personal 
 property of the establishment up to this day. So 
 that while on the one hand the support of the pri- 
 soners in the Penitentiary, for eleven years, has 
 cost the county nothing, on the other hand, if the 
 Penitentiary had not existed, the expense of their 
 board alone in the jail, under the old system, for 
 the same length of time, would have amounted 
 to more than the present cost of all the land and 
 buildings, with all their appurtenances, furniture 
 and equipments complete. Leaving all moral 
 influences and effects, therefore, entirely out of the 
 question, and viewing it only as a simple finan- 
 cial matter, the whole project has been a perfect 
 success, and it is doubtful if any municipal enter- 
 prise here or any where else, has ever equaled 
 it, or can show similar results. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 97 
 
 " But during all these eleven years the reform- 
 atory influence of the Prison has suffered no 
 abatement from financial calamities or depressions 
 of business; at no time have the reins of disci- 
 pline been relaxed for a single moment. The 
 great objects and ends of prison restraint have 
 received unremitting attention, and the Peniten- 
 tiary, whether its inmates could be supplied with 
 employment, or no sound of industry could be 
 heard within its walls, has, from the first, main- 
 tained its position among the foremost penal 
 institutions of the world." 
 
98 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 RETURN OF TliE SUi:'ERI]SrTENDENT TO 
 RESIDE AT THE PENITEN^^IARV. 
 
 While Mr. Pilsbuiy was diligently attending 
 to his duties on Ward's island, and superintend- 
 ing the aftairs of the Penitentiary, he was, with- 
 out his solicitation or knowledge, unanimously 
 chosen general superintendent of the Metropoli- 
 tan Police. This was then a peculiarly diflFicult 
 and trying position. Not long before the state 
 legislature had in response to numerously signed 
 petitions, but in opposition to the wishes of a con- 
 siderable number of citizens changed the police 
 system' of New York city. Instead of having it 
 under the control of the city government, and 
 consequently subject to the political changes 
 which might annually occur, a law was passed 
 creating a board of police commissioners, who, 
 irrespective of party politics, had the entire direc- 
 tion of the force. This law was for a time 
 strongly opposed, but having been decided con- 
 stitutional the commissioners had assumed their 
 duties. The first Superintendent did not long 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 99 
 
 retiiin the office, and at this time they wanted a 
 thoroughly competent man to fill that place. 
 
 Their attention was directed to the super- 
 intendent of Ward's island; and as his tact, 
 firmness and administrative talents, had by that 
 time become well known, he was elected thereto. 
 At first he regarded the proposition with disfavor. 
 Mis hands and head were fully occupied. The 
 positions he held were both important and useful. 
 His services in both were kindly desired and 
 valued; and it was doubtful whether if he left 
 them the good work he had begun, would be 
 carried on to completion. Still those who knew 
 the wants of that important position, and Mr. 
 Pilsbury's fitness for it, urged his acceptance ; 
 and some of them, who occupied high stations in 
 social and civil life, presented strong inducements 
 for him to do so. At length he signified his will- 
 ingness to accept the office provided he could have 
 the power which the law granted, and which was 
 indispensable to efficiency. This was readily pro- 
 mised, and the condition of his acceptance was 
 embodied in the letter which informed the com- 
 missioners of that fact. He said : " I have con- 
 cluded to accept, with the understanding that all 
 power and authority, consistent with law, necessary 
 
100 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 to enable me to fill the office with credit to the 
 public, the commissioners, and myself, shall be 
 conferred upon me as its chief executive officer of 
 the police department." 
 
 In entering on this office Mr. Pilsbury received 
 from the large force subject to his direction, the 
 appellation of "General," and instantly applied 
 himself to master its duties and details.'^ Devot- 
 ing to police affairs from twelve to sixteen hours 
 of each day, he ascertained minutely the condition 
 of the department, and set himself earnestly to 
 the great task of remedying its defects and in- 
 creasing its efficiency. Too wise and practical to 
 attempt more, at first, than he would be likely to 
 accomplish ; too cautious to make any ill-consi- 
 dered move ; too firm ever to retreat or falter ; 
 and too modest to proclaim, in advance, the good 
 he meant to do — he proceeded quietly but surely 
 in his arduous work. 
 
 A great reform soon made its appearance at 
 the rail road stations and around the steam boat 
 landings. The importunate and often insolent 
 hackmen, who had so long thronged those places 
 
 i The following statement is chiefly taken from a history of 
 the events published at the time by a gentleman residing in 
 New York. 
 
Albany Penitentiaey. 101 
 
 on the arrival of car and steamer, received for 
 the first time, a lesson in good manners. Under 
 a vigilant and efficient police, order and quiet, 
 and civility took the place which had been 
 usurped by rudeness and noisy confusion. To 
 estimate the value of this single improvement, 
 we should consider how many thousands daily 
 enter our great city through these gates of 
 travel — many of them strangers — and not a few 
 of these ignorant and unprotected. 
 
 The Superintendent turned his attention also to 
 the protection of travelers and emigrants against 
 the wiles of bogus ticket sellers and their infa- 
 mous agents, and so effectually were the arts of 
 these villains counteracted, that the evil was well 
 nigh eradicated at the time when the useless 
 scheme of an emigrant bureau was put forward 
 with such a flourish of trumpets. 
 
 Changes of like character, though, from the 
 nature of the case, not so immediately promi- 
 nent, were effected through the entire range 
 of the Metropolitan Police. A new spirit was in- 
 fused into the force. Its patrolling operations 
 became more faithful and more efficient. Police- 
 men began to see that they really had a head, 
 
 and that one wakeful eye and strong, impartial 
 14 
 
102 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 hand would, sooner or later, reach them, if delin- 
 quent ; that fidelity to duty and not to party, was 
 the standard by which they would be measured ; 
 and that real merit, under such a chief, would be 
 neither unnoticed nor unrewarded. As a neces- 
 sary consequence the number of burglaries and 
 other crimes was much reduced, rowdjdsm was 
 repressed, and Sunday tippling, which had so 
 long been the fruitful and irrepressible source of 
 disorder and crime, was so far restrained, as to 
 make the day, a day of comparative quiet and 
 decency. 
 
 Nowhere was the complete efficiency of the 
 police under Gen. Pilsbury more decisively shown 
 than at the polls. Elections of unusual excite- 
 ment passed ofi" without furnishing a single item 
 for the columns of crime. At the choice of muni- 
 cipal ofl&cers, which then occurred, great trouble 
 was apprehended and seemingly with reason. 
 But the regiment which the mayor kept ready at 
 the armory, had nothing to do. Thanks to the 
 precaution and the energy of the police chief, the 
 balloting, even in the worst wards, was conducted 
 with all the quietness and order of a rural town 
 meeting. 
 
 The results of that election were not so happy. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 103 
 
 Through the ill-timed jealousies of two great 
 parties, and, as it seems to us, the mistaken ambi- 
 tion of their leaders, a man obnoxious to a large 
 portion of the people was elected mayor. During 
 a previous incumbency, it had been his successful 
 aim to rule the police. How great and how mis- 
 chievous such an influence might become, was 
 seen but too clearly, when it became necessary 
 to call on the militia to put down the police. 
 FoUed as Mayor Wood had been, by the creation 
 of the Metropolitan Police, and by the failure of 
 all his efforts to reinstate the old force, it was to 
 be expected that he would try to regain his 
 former ascendency. So it turned out. He had 
 been in his seat but a few days, when he asked 
 the Superintendent "as a personal favor," to 
 change the officer in command near the City 
 Hall. As this was not refused, he went a step 
 further, calling on the Superintendent to detail 
 twelve men, extraordinary, whose names he fur- 
 nished, for special duty in the City Hall precinct. 
 With this demand, Gen. Pilsbury very properly 
 refused compliance — not only as interfering with 
 his powers, but as needless in fact and mischiev- 
 ous in tendency. Indeed, that it was only meant 
 as an entering wedge, was perfectly clear. 
 
104 Albany Penitentiaet. 
 
 The mayor immediately took his grievance 
 before the police board. What mutual pledges 
 passed on this occasion between that virtuous 
 functionary and three of his colleagues can be 
 known by inference only His vote aided by the 
 votes of those three gentlemen, deprived the Su- 
 perintendent of that very power which he had 
 made the absolute condition of his acceptance. 
 The most important element of command was 
 transferred to a committee, who at once con- 
 sented to all the mayor asked for, and thus did 
 these officers strike hands with the very man to 
 whose unprincipled ambition it was owing that 
 their board had been established, and that they 
 held places on it. 
 
 But for the earnest entreaty of many friends. 
 Gen. Pilsbury would have resigned immediately. 
 Meanwhile the matter was discussed in the daily 
 prints. Among others, the Times, the Post, the 
 Express, the Journal of Commerce, and the Adver- 
 tiser, took the part of the Superintendent, show- 
 ing beyond a doubt the reasonableness of his 
 demand, and the great importance of retaining 
 him. A request to that effect, signed by many of 
 the wealthiest and best citizens, was presented 
 to the board. It was all in vain. Though three 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 105 
 
 other commissioners stood nobly for the right, the 
 majority persisted, and Gen. Pilsbury retired.-^ 
 
 While these things were going on in New York, 
 a new police act was brought before the legislature, 
 and eventually passed. Among other important 
 changes, it reduced the number of commissioners 
 to three. Gen. Pilsbury, much to his surprise, 
 was appointed one of this commission. Being 
 convinced, when he saw how it was constituted, 
 that he could not act on it with comfort or to 
 advantage, he endeavored to decline it at once. 
 Urged, however, by the friends who had given 
 him the office, he consented to qualify and to hold 
 on for at least a few days. At the first meeting 
 of the new board, one of the commissioners, with 
 the aid of another, chose himself president, and 
 very soon showed that he meant to keep in his 
 own hands the virtual superintendency and the 
 entire control of the Metropolitan Police. Gen. 
 Pilsbury, convinced beyond a doubt, that his first 
 impression was right, and perceiving that under 
 the new law, he must relinquish his office at 
 Albany, if he retained his place as commissioner, 
 resigned and retired. "Why he had been placed 
 
 See Appendix. 
 
106 Albany Penitentiart. 
 
 there under such circumstances and in such a 
 connection, is among the mysteries, which are yet 
 unrevealed. Finding himself in a false position — 
 where the principles which had governed his action 
 through a long and successful career, were to be 
 ignored, and where his peculiar talents and great 
 experience were to pass for nothing, he did as 
 every honorable man would do in his place. 
 
 Gen. Pilsbury then returned to Albany where 
 a long cherished home was open to him ; where 
 friends were glad to welcome him; where the 
 duties of a highly important position awaited 
 him ; where his services had always been appreci- 
 ated, and he had never been harrassed or foiled 
 by the selfish schemes of designing politicians. 
 
 The event occasioned mutual congratulation 
 between himself, the Inspectors and officers of the 
 Penitentiary, and many of the citizens. He ap- 
 preciated the welcome and the position, and 
 immediately applied himself, with all his wonted 
 industry and tact, to extend his own. and the 
 usefulness of the Penitentiary. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 107 
 
 EMBAERASSHSTG EVENTS — AIST IMPORTANT 
 CHANGE — AUGMENTED PEOSPERITY. 
 
 It will not occasion surprise to any one who 
 distinctly remembers the sudden outbreak of the 
 late gigantic rebellion, and its immediate disas- 
 trous effect on the commercial interests of the 
 country, especially those involved in the trade 
 carried on with the southern states, to find that 
 the year 1861, was one of peculiar trial to the 
 financial affairs of the Albany Penitentiary. 
 That crisis occasioned a complete prostration, for 
 a period, of almost every kind of manufacturing 
 industry. No person, not even the most shrewd 
 and experienced, knew what to expect; while 
 those engaged in the southern trade found them- 
 selves not only without any thing to do, but 
 unable to get pay for what they had done. 
 
 This was the case with the contractors at the 
 Penitentiary. The convicts were then, and had 
 been for a long time before, generally employed 
 in making negro shoes for the southern market, 
 and from this business the chief income of the 
 
108 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 Institution was derived, but it almost immedi- 
 ately failed. "Indeed," said the Superintendent 
 in his report for that year, "the contractors 
 found no sales for the shoes on hand, and were 
 unable to obtain payment for those alread}' sold. 
 They also found it extremely difficult to procure 
 stock, and hence were unable by changing the 
 kind of work to keep the prisoners constantly 
 employed. 
 
 " Under these circumstances it became necessary 
 to reduce the working time of the convicts to a 
 half and three-quarters of a day each, or to have 
 the men at once thrown upon my hands entirely 
 unemployed. With your concurrence I made 
 such an arrangement with the contractors, which 
 continued for several months ; but even with this 
 reduction of time and wages, one contract for fifty 
 men was given up." 
 
 Another event that heightened the embarrass- 
 ment of that period was the fact that near one- 
 half of the convicts then received were drunkards, 
 who were sentenced for only tvu days, and were 
 not only such as contractors would not employ, 
 but a tax on the industry of the Institution. 
 Indeed more than two-thirds of the whole number 
 committed that year were on sentences not ex- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 109 
 
 ceeding two months, and were consequently not 
 inviting to manufacturers disposed to contract for 
 convict labor. 
 
 Such were the adverse financial circumstances 
 of the Penitentiary for more than the first half 
 of the year 1861 ; and they occasioned the Su- 
 perintendent and Inspectors deep concern. But, 
 as in former instances, the reputation of the 
 Institution, the untiring diligence of the Superin- 
 tendent, his attention to every detail, and his 
 economy in every expenditure, were again at- 
 tended with success. Before the end of that year 
 the amount of labor offered was largely in excess 
 of the number of convicts to be employed, though 
 it must be said, that the number of men then in 
 the Institution was thirty less than at the begin- 
 ning of the year ; and the number under sentence 
 for three months and upwards, was less than at 
 any time during the preceding five years. Noi^ 
 withstanding the close of that period found the 
 Institution not only not in debt, but with a 
 balance in its favor of |l,048.07, and that with- 
 out depriving the convicts in the least degree of 
 comfortable food or clothing. 
 
 Owing to the urgent demand for men in the 
 
 army and navy this decrease of convicts con- 
 15 
 
110 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 tinued, so that the number received in 1862 was 
 five hundred and seventy-four less than in 1861. 
 " This unprecedented reduction, taken in con- 
 nection with the short sentences which so great 
 a proportion of the convicts received, and the 
 large number of females among them, rendered 
 it difficult for the Superintendent, during the 
 larger part of the year, to supply the number of 
 men, required to fulfill the terms of existing con- 
 tracts, to say nothing of the new ones ojffered. 
 Yet these contracts were of the highest pecuniary 
 importance to the Institution, as afibrding it, not 
 only then, a suitable description of labor for the 
 convicts, at reasonable prices, but also the means 
 of employing the increase of prisoners expected on 
 the termination of the war." 
 
 Just at that time an event occurred which, most 
 unexpectedly, supplied all the men required, and 
 greatly heightened the prosperity and usefulness 
 of the institution. "Early in the summer of 
 1862 it was found necessary to enlarge the United 
 States Arsenal in the city of Washington, by 
 adding to it the adjoining buildings which had 
 long been used as a Penitentiary for the District 
 of Columbia. The authorities at Washington, 
 actuated no doubt by considerations of economy, 
 
Albany Penitentiary. Ill 
 
 decided to procure elsewhere quarters for the in- 
 mates of that establishment, instead of building a 
 new prison for their confinement." 
 
 The Superintendent, ever watchful of opportuni- 
 ties to further the interests of the Penitentiai-y, 
 early learned this intention of the general govern- 
 ment, and hastened to Washington for the purpose 
 of commending this Institution to the authorities 
 there. The effort was attended with success. 
 This Penitentiary was finally adjudged to be the 
 most eligible place to which to send .those pri- 
 soners ; and on the twentieth of the ensuing 
 September, an arrangement was entered into with 
 the secretary of the department of the interior, 
 by which one hundred and thirty-one convicts 
 were transferred from Washington under an order 
 of the President to this Institution, where they 
 arrived on the 25th day of the same month. 
 Four only of these prisoners were females, all the 
 rest able-bodied men. The terms of their sen- 
 tences ranged from six months to nineteen years. 
 They, and others received from the same source, 
 not only supplied the requisite number of hands 
 to fulfill the contracts then existing, but enabled 
 the Superintendent to make others, advantageous 
 to the Institution. It instantly assumed moreover 
 
112 Albjjn't Pe>t:textiakt. 
 
 a different aspect. The men were more intelli- 
 gent than those previously received ; while this, 
 with the length of their sentences, afforded greater 
 hope of usefulness among them. 
 
 A few weeks after the arrival of those prisoners 
 a gentlemen was sent from TTashington, bv the 
 secretary of the interior, to ^lisit and inspect the 
 Penitentiary, examine its discipline, the condition 
 of the prisoners sent there from the District of 
 Columbia, and their employment. 
 
 As this^report was from a disinterested Inspec- 
 tor, and one acquainted with convict institutions, 
 it is given as addressed to, the secretary of the 
 interior. 
 
 WashixCtTOX Citt, Xovemher 13, 1862. 
 
 Hon. Caleb B. Smith, 
 
 Secretar}' of the Interior : 
 Sir : In comphance with your instructions of 
 
 the 29th ultimo, I visited the Penitentiarv of 
 Albany county, in the state of New York, for the 
 purpose of ascertaining the condition of the con- 
 ■\-icts who had been transferred to it from the 
 Penitentiary of the District of Columbia, how they 
 are kept and subsisted, the character of the disci- 
 pline, the nature of their employment, and other 
 incidental and collateral matters. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 113 
 
 Gen. Pilsbuiy, the intelligent and gentlemanly 
 Superintendent, afforded me every facility in 
 obtaining the information I desired, and was 
 anxious that I should thoroughly understand his 
 system of managing such prisons. With that 
 view he took me all through the building, and as 
 we passed along, gave me the amplest and most 
 satisfactory explanations of everything I saw. 
 
 The Penitentiary is eligibly situated about half 
 a mile from the Capitol, in a lot of twelve acres 
 of ground set in grass and beautifully undulating, 
 which belongs to the Institution and prevents the 
 minds of its inmates from being distracted from 
 their emplojrment by the hum and bustle of the 
 city. The building is very imposing in its out- 
 ward appearance, and in approaching it, the pur- 
 pose to which it is applied would not likely occur 
 to a stranger. Its interior arrangements are 
 appropriate in every respect and adniit of no 
 improvements. The ventilation is perfect, and 
 the atmosphere as pure as the oui>door air. The 
 plan is very simple, but precisely adapted to a 
 prison. Instead of entering into a detailed expla- 
 nation, I herewith submit a drawing which will 
 give a better idea of it than could be derived from 
 any written description. The most striking fea- 
 
114 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 ture of the establishment is the entire cleanliness 
 of every department and of the convicts them- 
 selves. 
 
 On entering the workshops, the impression is 
 produced that they are neat manufacturing esta- 
 blishments, filled with industrious artisans, who 
 are working for wages instead of from compulsion 
 and as a punishment. I walked through the 
 shops, to and fro, and not an eye was diverted 
 from the work engaging the attention of the con- 
 victs, and it is doubtful whether a single indivi- 
 vidual was conscious of my presence. It can 
 scarcely be believed that such discipline and sub- 
 ordination could exist in an establishment of the 
 kind, and I should be incredulous of the fact had 
 I not been an eye-witness of it. Strict attention 
 is paid to the sanitary, and moral and religious 
 condition of the prisoners. Sickness is of very 
 rare occurrence, but whenever a convict complains 
 of being indisposed, he is immediately removed 
 to a comfortable hospital in the building, where 
 he receives the. attention of a skillful physician. 
 Every Sabbath, religious services are held in the 
 chapel, and all the prisoners, male and female, 
 attend. The discipline is rigid, but not cruel or 
 harsh. Every one understands that the rules 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 115 
 
 and regulations must be observed, and that the 
 slightest infraction of them will not be overlooked. 
 The food is nutritious and wholesome, and all 
 receive as much as they can consume. It consists 
 of fresh and salt beef, pork, potatoes and various 
 other vegetables, bean, pea and rice soups, mush 
 and molasses, bread, etc. The clothing is comfort- 
 able and adapted to the seasons. During the cold 
 weather the building in every department is well 
 warmed. No conversation is allowed between 
 the prisoners at any time, and each is required to 
 attend to his own business and nothing else. The 
 only employment at present carried on is shoe- 
 making. They manufacture shoes for women 
 and children, and for the army. The labor is let 
 to contractors at a moderate price per day, and 
 the proceeds go into the general fund for the sup- 
 port of the Institution. The Superintendent is 
 paid a liberal compensation and occupies the cen- 
 tre of the building, which is as comfortable a resi- 
 dence as any gentleman could desire. His whole 
 time is devoted to the interest of the Penitentiary, 
 and he gives such general satisfaction that the 
 tenure of his ofl&ce is not affected by the muta- 
 tions of parties. His entire management is, in 
 my judgment, as perfect as it can be, and from 
 
116 Alkant Penitentiary. 
 
 inqiiivy. made elsewhere, 1 learn thai the Albany 
 Penitentiary is generally regarded as a. model in- 
 stitution of the kind. I saw all the con\icts from 
 the Penitentiary of the District of t'olumbia and 
 conversed freely with some of them. They made 
 no complaints, other than that the discipline was 
 more rigid than in the Penitentiarv from which 
 they had been renio>ed and that they were not 
 allowed the same privileges they there enjoyed. 
 So far as I could judge they appeared to be as 
 contented as could be expected of persons con- 
 fined in a prison. 
 
 The allowance for clothing and traveling ex- 
 penses home to the convicts on being discharged, 
 will have to be paid by the government. The 
 Superintendent wishes you to lix and advise him 
 of the sum you may deem proper for that pur- 
 pose. Less than ten dollars would not answer. 
 It is customary in that, and I understand in simi- 
 lar institutions, to make such an allowance. Some 
 of the citizens of Albany were apprehensive that, 
 on the expiration of the terms for which they 
 wero sentenced, the prisoners from this district, 
 would be turned loose upon their comnnuiity ; 
 but. on being assured that the governn\eut would 
 furnish tliem with the means of couveving them 
 
Aluany Penitentiary. 117 
 
 to th(! places to which they belong, and that the 
 iSuperintendent would start them on theii- way 
 hoirn;, this source of di,s(juietude was removed and 
 then; i.s now no oljjectioii to our prisoners being 
 W'mL there. 
 
 J fi<!rewith return the; letters addrc,s,s(!d to you 
 by (U'.n. Pilshury, which accompanied your letter 
 of instructions to me. 
 
 V(;ry respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 Jno. B. Jjlake, 
 all InHpccioi- of tlio I'eiiiteritiary 
 
 lor iiie District of Oolumljiu. 
 
 From that tiriH; this Penitentiary has been re- 
 {•o'^n'i'/A'A as, 7'///^ UvUcd Slal/ifi iMtdlcvllaTi] for the 
 l)lnl,rh'l, of C'olii;niJ)l(i; a.ni] convicts have Ix'cjii 
 recoived therefrom. 
 
 As might (k! expected the result o\' that year's 
 lidjor was much moi'<! encouraging than any one 
 ventured t<j anticipate at its comnieiuMnrHmt, and 
 [)r(!H(!nted a [)ala,r](!(! in favor of the Jnsiitution, of 
 $;i,015.l;i, a,n(l its financial prosperity has ever 
 siiiee been uninterrupted and increasing, and has 
 grea,t]y <;ontril)nted to its material improvement. 
 
 11) 
 
118 Albany Penitentiaey. 
 
 EFLAEGEMENTS AND IMPROVEMENTS. 
 
 It has been before stated that the Penitentiary, 
 when it passed from the hands of the commission- 
 ers appointed by the legislature for its erection, 
 had one hundred and fifty-four cells, and that 
 provision was made for their increase as neces- 
 sity might require. Though the commissioners 
 did not then consider the building finished, 
 as it should have been, still they did not expect 
 such an early call for enlargement as was made. 
 In the very first report of the Inspectors after 
 speaking of the two work shops which had that 
 year been erected, one hundred and fifty by 
 thirty-two feet each, they added: "It is proper, 
 however, to mention that in consequence of the 
 rapid influx of prisoners, it will soon be, and in 
 fact, already is necessary to erect more cells for 
 their accommodation." 
 
 This necessity soon compelled attention. In his 
 third annual report to the Inspectors, the Super- 
 intendent said : " The whole number of prisoners 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 119 
 
 received the past year has been six hundred and 
 twenty-seven, being one hundred and twenty-nine 
 more than was received during the previous year. 
 " Thus it will be seen that the number of pri- 
 soners, both male and female, has been greater 
 than the number of cells for their accommodation. 
 There are but one hundred cells for the males 
 and forty for the females. It has, therefore, been 
 necessary during the whole of this period to place 
 in a large number of instances, and habitually, 
 two prisoners in one cell. From thirty to sixty 
 of the cells have been thus constantly occupied. 
 This practice is detrimental to the system adopted, 
 subverts and counteracts every effort to benefit 
 those thus confined, and but for constant watch- 
 fulness and vigilance on the part of the subordi- 
 nate ofiicers, would be destructive of all discipline. 
 It is practicable to construct twenty-four cells in 
 the area or space at the north end of the male 
 wing, but it would not make the additional num- 
 ber necessary, besides it would interfere with and 
 destroy not only the appearance of the hall, but 
 lessen the space for light and air. If the autho- 
 rities should decide not to have this space filled 
 up with cells, as it ought not to be, an extension 
 of the wing is necessary. An addition of fifty feet 
 
120 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 to the building, will give room for eighty cells, 
 which would make in all one hundred and seventy- 
 six cells in the block or wing, for the accommoda- 
 tion of male prisoners. The expense or cost of an 
 addition of this description, will be about $8,500. 
 
 " It will also be seen that an addition of forty 
 cells is necessary for the separate confinement of 
 the female prisoners ; this additional number can 
 be erected and fitted up in the north wing at a 
 cost of about |2,500." 
 
 Sanctioned by the joint authorities of the city 
 and the county, this alteration was effected the fol- 
 lowing year. The south wing of the building in 
 which the mens' cells are found, was extended 
 fifty feet, and eighty additional cells constructed 
 therein. In the north wing, or the womens' side, 
 forty more cells were built. The whole capacity 
 of the building was then one hundred and seventy- 
 six for male, and eighty for female prisoners, to 
 which, in case of emergency, sixteen more in 
 octagonal towers could be added exclusive of the 
 hospital room and beds. 
 
 In their next report the Inspectors said: 
 "These alterations have effected a considerable 
 change in the Penitentiary, especially in its inter- 
 nal arrangements. The interior of the male 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 121 
 
 wing, imposing m appearance before, is now (if 
 such a word is proper here), a magnificent hall, 
 replete with every thing conducive to the health 
 and safe keeping of its occupants. It is one hun- 
 dred and fifty feet in length, fifty feet in width 
 and thirty feet in height, with cells sufficient, as 
 before mentioned, for nearly two hundred men. 
 The Inspectors have visited many celebrated 
 prisons, but in none of them have seen any thing 
 that can vie in appearance with the hall for 
 male convicts in the Albany Penitentiary. Its 
 superiority over other establishments of the kind 
 consists in the width and height of the corridors 
 surrounding the cells, its greater light and unu- 
 sual spaciousness, its perfect ventilation, freeness 
 from humidity, and its general air of cheerfulness 
 and comfort. In these particulars it is certainly 
 before any other prison the Inspectors have seen. 
 " The general plan of the edifice admits of addi- 
 tions from time to time, as they become necessary, 
 almost ad libitum. Room for thousands of con- 
 victs can be made without injury to its archi- 
 tectural appearance. This was a prominent idea 
 and object of the commissioners and the Superin- 
 tendent, who planned and built the Penitentiary. 
 They intended that so long as a prison was needed. 
 
122 Albany Penitentiaet. 
 
 this should be a prison for all time to come. Build- 
 ing on building can be extended over the whole 
 area of twelve acres." 
 
 The same year an "additional and copious 
 supply of water from the public hydraulic works 
 was introduced and distributed to every necessary 
 part of the buildings and premises. It was con- 
 veyed from the city conduits in Lydius street, 
 that being the nearest point from which it could 
 be obtained. The pipe necessary for this purpose 
 and for distribution throughout the establishment, 
 is upwards of two thousand, one hundred feet, or 
 more than one-third of a mile in length. Al- 
 though the quality of the water previously used 
 was excellent and the supply adequate, except on 
 occasions of extreme drought, yet the apprehension 
 and experience of want, at seasons when large 
 quantities were most needed and when most 
 danger of failure existed, made its acquisition an 
 important addition to the comforts of the inmates 
 of the Penitentiary." As a means of preservation 
 from fire, its possession is invaluable. 
 
 The commissioners appointed by the legislature 
 to build the Penitentiary, made a reservation and 
 proviso in the certificate of completion filed in 
 the county clerk's office, in favor of filling up (lie 
 
Albany Penitentiaet. 123 
 
 uneven and broken ground on the west and north 
 of tlie building, so that it might at a future time 
 be finished according to the original design. The 
 Inspectors, therefore, in their fifth annual report 
 called the special attention of the county authori- 
 ties to this need, and said the time had come 
 when the work could no longer be delayed. They 
 expressed the opinion that the work might be 
 done, and a suitable foundation wall for extending 
 the northern wing be built for about $8,000, and 
 they proposed that if the supervisors would order 
 the execution of the work, and make provision 
 for one-half of this sum, the other half should be 
 furnished from the earnings of the Institution. 
 The proposal was accepted, and the performance 
 of the work was ordered. 
 
 But it was found much more difficult, protracted 
 and expensive, than was anticipated. This was 
 owing to deep subterranean springs in the ground, 
 which occasioned instability and a frequent slid- 
 ing of the earth thrown in to fill it up. The 
 difficulties were eventually removed by the use of 
 an immense quantity of timber for docking and 
 piles, by building a wall about seven feet high, 
 and one hundred and fifty in length, and by 
 depositing there about one hundred thousand cubic 
 
124 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 yards of clay and soil. The work took several 
 years for its aceomplishment, and besides the 
 appropriation of $3,500 made for its execution by 
 the county, it took from the earnings of the Peni- 
 tentiary $6,817.08, exclusive of the extensive and 
 long continued labor of the convicts. 
 
 The solidity of this work having been tested 
 by a trial of twelve months, the Inspectors in 
 their report for 1860 said: "The embankment 
 seems now to be thoroughly solid and permanent, 
 and is, in our judgment, fit for the extension of 
 the northern wing of the prison and for the erec- 
 tion of the yard walls on that side, in accordance 
 with the original plan, and in architectural sym- 
 metry with the southern portion of the edifice, 
 whenever the joint board shall authorize the 
 same. A strong necessity exists for the early 
 completion of this design. The Penitentiary has 
 already often been over-crowded, and the number 
 of commitments is annually increasing. By the 
 additions referred to, the capacity of the Prison 
 will not only be greatly enlarged, but its security 
 and efficiency for self-support will be much 
 enhanced." 
 
 Notwithstanding this suggestion the board of 
 supervisors did not then authorize the execution 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 125 
 
 of the work. The consequence was such incon- 
 venience and loss to the Institution that the Su- 
 perintendent in his next report to the Inspectors 
 called again their attention thereto. He said : 
 "We labor under much disadvantage for the want 
 of store-rooms and other buildings. Every similar 
 institution erected after the Albany model, has 
 been entirely finished before its occupation, with 
 Avails enclosing the 3-ards, spacious shops, store- 
 rooms, barns, drying rooms, etc., while here 
 there is no wall around the female yard, and 
 no room for storage except in the cellars. In 
 consequence of this want of accommodation for 
 storage of manufactured articles and stock, we 
 have suffered serious pecuniary damage in not 
 being able to obtain such contracts for the labor 
 of the convicts as could otherwise have been 
 secured. 
 
 " We have no carriage-house or stable, nor have 
 we any conveniences for drying the clothing of 
 the prisoners during bad weather or in the winter 
 season; and having no wall around the north 
 wing, the female prisoners are much exposed to 
 public view and require constant watching to pre- 
 vent escapes. The property of the Institution is 
 
 also exposed to fire and theft. 
 17 
 
126 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 " The out-buildings (mere sheds) which were 
 put up for temporary use, are old and unfit for the 
 purposes for which they are needed. By the ori- 
 ginal plan of the Penitentiary, the accommodations 
 above referred to were all provided for, but for a 
 long time, the unsettled state of the land on the 
 north side of the main buildings prevented the 
 erection of the necessary additions. That impedi- 
 ment was, as you are aware, completely removed 
 more than a year ago, and it is a matter of regret 
 that the appropriation required and asked for by 
 the Inspectors and Superintendent at the last 
 annual joint meeting, was not granted, for many 
 of the conveniences named and so necessary, 
 might, by this time, have been secured ; besides 
 which it would have enabled me to have employed 
 on the work a portion of those prisoners who have 
 been frequently idle during the year. 
 
 "The additions to the buildings are necessary 
 also to furnish a larger number of cells, and I 
 venture to hope that the board of supervisors will 
 adopt the recommendations of the Inspectors, and 
 will make the necessary provision to finish the 
 Penitentiarj-, especially when the disadvantages 
 under which the Institution labors for want of the 
 improvements named, in carrying out effectually 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 127 
 
 the objects and purposes for which it was esta- 
 blished is considered." 
 
 Convinced that the work could no longer be 
 safely delayed, the joint authorities then acceded 
 to the request, and provided for its execution. At 
 their meeting in December, 1861, they passed the 
 following resolutions : 
 
 "Resolved, That the Superintendent of the Peni- 
 tentiary, under the advice and direction of the 
 Inspectors thereof, is hereby directed and autho- 
 rized to construct an extension of the northerly 
 wing, and to build and complete the northerly and 
 westerly yard walls of the Penitentiary, in cor- 
 respondence and in symmetery with that of the 
 southern wing, and the yard walls on that side of 
 the establishment, during the next year (1862), 
 provided the expense of such addition and improve- 
 ments do not exceed $12,000. 
 
 "Resolved, That the board of supervisors be 
 requested to make such provision for the payment 
 of the foregoing expense, as shall seem to it best 
 and most expedient." 
 
 These improvements were soon after commenced, 
 and their completion gave the Institution, in a 
 good degree, the accommodation it had so long 
 needed. An addition of fifty feet was made to the 
 
12S Albany PENiTEXXLiET. 
 
 north wing of the main building, which aflbrded 
 thirty-six cells, besides eight rooms in the octagon 
 towers. Immediately over these cells, a fine, well 
 lighted work room, fifty feet square, was built for 
 female convicts, which was greatly needed, and 
 proved a great comfort to those employed therein. 
 
 In the rear of the north wing, a building, one 
 storv in height, was at the same time erected. 
 This is one hundred and seventy feet long by 
 twenty-six feet in width, and contains rooms for 
 washing, ironing, drying, and other laundry pur- 
 poses : also a fine store room seventy-five feet long, 
 with a cellar of the same size. These accommo- 
 dations greatly increased the comfort of the 
 prisoners and others, and were a great saving to 
 the lustitution. Tlie whole sum expended on 
 them was 812,436.79. all of which was paid out of 
 the earnings of the Penitentiary. Had the work 
 been done two years before, when first proposed 
 to the county authorities, it would not have cost 
 more than two-thirds of this sum, for both material 
 and labor could then have been secured at much 
 lower prices. 
 
 These improvements did not complete what was 
 necessary and proposed to be done, consequently 
 the Inspectors urged the erection of a stable, 
 
Albaxy Pexitentiary. 129 
 
 wagon house, a new fence, and the continuance of 
 a wall around the north end of the Prison. And 
 they recommended the passage of a resolution by 
 the joint board, authorizing the Superintendent, 
 with their advice and approval, to make such 
 additions and improvements to the Penitentiary 
 buildings, as may, from time to time, be found 
 necessary, such work to be paid for out of the 
 funds of the Institution. This recommendation 
 was cordially received, and the following resolu- 
 tion was unanimously adopted : 
 
 '•' Besolred, That the Superintendent of the Peni- 
 tentiary be and he is hereby authorized, with the 
 advice and approval of the Inspectors, to make, 
 from time to time, such additions and improve- 
 ments to the Penitentiary buildings and grounds 
 as may be necessary, provided that all such im- 
 provements or additions shall be paid for out of 
 the surplus earnings of said Penitentiary, and 
 without creating any debt against the county of 
 Albany." 
 
 The following year, 1864, the wooden stables, 
 carriage house and sheds, which had been for some 
 time unfit for use, were replaced by substantial 
 and convenient brick structures. The buildings 
 erected the preceding year were finished and fur- 
 
130 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 nished. The laundry was supplied with all the 
 needed apparatus for washing, drying, and ironing 
 the bedding and clothing of the convicts, at an 
 immense saving of labor, and the exterior of the 
 main building, including the roof, was all painted. 
 This involved an expenditure from the funds of 
 the Penitentiary of a little over five thousand 
 dollars. But though several other permanent 
 improvements were needed, the Superintendent 
 deemed it wise to delay their execution because 
 of a decrease in the number of prisoners, the 
 increased cost of provisions, materials and labor. 
 
 It was found in 1865 that the urgent demand 
 for another work shop for the male prisoners could 
 no longer be postponed. It was imperative. The 
 number of hands to be employed could not be 
 accommodated, and the contracts could not be 
 fulfilled. Consequently with the opening spring 
 the erection of a commodious two story brick 
 building was commenced at the west end of the 
 Penitentiary inclosure. This, during the summer, 
 was completed and furnished, and is one of the 
 most valuable improvements ever made to the 
 Institution. It is one hundred and thirty-four 
 feet in length, and thirty-four feet, eight inches in 
 width. At the north end of this shop, a bath 
 
Albany Penitentiary. i;il 
 
 house was at the same time built, which is fur- 
 nished with seven tubs for the accommodation of 
 the prisoners, and which are weekly used by them. 
 Iti the upper story ol' this building improved accom- 
 modation was provided for guards and other officers, 
 whose constant presence there is indispensable. 
 This building with the extension of the yard 
 walls, etc., involved an expenditure of |12,859.44. 
 
 Prior to the summer of 1<S()5, tlieri; was for a 
 long time greatly needed increased kitchen room 
 for baking and other domestic purposes ; also a 
 larger hospital for the required accommodation of 
 the sick ; and a chapel as large again as that then 
 used. In consequence of this latter want, the 
 Chaplain had for several years conducted two, and 
 sometimes three i-cligious services every Sabbath 
 morning, the first with the men, the second with 
 the women, and the third, when able, with those 
 who could not be admitted to the first. 
 
 It was, however, for some time a serious question 
 how these necessary accommodations could be 
 secured. At length it was determined to extend 
 the central part of the Penitentiary building 
 forty feet at the rear from the bottom to the top ; 
 raise the ro(jf from the front to the rear, and 
 finish it in French style. 
 
Vyi Ai.BAyr Pexitzvtiabt. 
 
 This more than doubled the ~ize of the kitchen 
 room, added forty feet to the room for the accom- 
 modation of the subordinate officers : forty feet to 
 the hospital: made the chapel more than twice the 
 i^n.rh it was before. Tvith the addition of a uallery 
 for the accommodation of the women, and ?ave 
 another story to the front part of the central build- 
 ing. It is not easy to estimate the improvement 
 this alteration made. The male hospital is now 
 about seventy-two feet long, and twenty-three feet 
 wide: and the female hospital with adjoining 
 rooms are near the ;ame dimensions. The chapel 
 is seventy-- ix feet long, forty-eight feet wide, and 
 with the gallery will seat about six hundred per- 
 son-. It is really a fine room for v jr-liip. well 
 ventilated, neatly fornisLel. and afford- all the 
 accommodation needed. The entire cost of this 
 alteration was defrayed by the earnings of the 
 Penitentiary. 
 
 It is now proposed to make, when the funds of 
 the ]iLst:iit:on will allow, a considerable addition 
 to the win,- of the main building. This also is 
 greatly needed, for there has Ion. been an insuffi- 
 cient number of cells for the proper ac voynmoda- 
 tion of the prisoners. When this i- done, there 
 will, apparently, be little left in these particulars 
 
Albaxy Pexitextiart. 133 
 
 to be desired ; and both the Superintendent and 
 authorities may congratulate themselves on the 
 great object secured. The entire building will 
 then stand as a monument to his practical 
 wisdom, exclusive devotion, indomitable perse- 
 verance, and unblemished integrity; and as an 
 example of their readiness to trust a faithful 
 public servant, and to do what is required for 
 the public good. 
 
 18 
 
134 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 COMMITMENTS AISTD DISCHARGES. 
 
 It is necessary to a complete history of the 
 Albany Penitentiary, that some particulars should 
 be given respecting those who have been sent 
 there during the eighteen years of its existence. 
 The following statement will show how many 
 were received in each year, their sex, age, educa- 
 tion, habits of life, social state and nativity. It 
 will also indicate, generally, the character of their 
 crimes, the terms of their sentences, and the man- 
 ner of their discharge. From it will be seen that 
 near one-third of the whole number could not read; 
 more than one-half could not write, and not far 
 from ninety out of every hundred were intempe- 
 rate. But fewer still, it is believed, had regularly 
 attended religious worship. While this statement 
 will suggest many valuable thoughts to the patriot 
 and the philanthropist, it will be found essential 
 to the formation of a correct estimate of the 
 management and results of the Institution. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 135 
 
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136 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 Grimes, Sentences, Discharges. 
 CRIMES. 
 
 Crimes against the person, - - - 2,484 
 
 " " property, - - - 3,747 
 
 " " the government, - - 366 
 
 " " public order, - - 10,177 
 
 
 16,774 
 
 SENTENCE S. 
 
 
 Ten days and less than three months, 
 
 - 7,400 
 
 Less than six months, ... 
 
 4,811 
 
 Six months and less than one year. 
 
 - 2,728 
 
 One year and less than two years, 
 
 1,097 
 
 Two years to life, - - - . ■ 
 
 738 
 
 
 16,774 
 
 DISCHARGES. 
 
 
 By order of Court or Magistrate, 
 
 365 
 
 Pardoned by the Governor, 
 
 333 
 
 Paid fines, ...... 
 
 611 
 
 Died, ---.-. 
 
 149 
 
 Transferred to Alms House, - 
 
 22 
 
 " Lunatic Asylum, 
 
 8 
 
 " House of Refuge, 
 
 1 
 
 " State Prison, 
 
 4 
 
 Carried forward, - 1,493 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 137 
 
 
 Brought forward, 
 
 1,498 
 
 Pardoned 
 
 by the President, - 
 
 134 
 
 Disch.arge( 
 
 i by order of President, 
 
 41 
 
 a 
 
 Sec'y of War, - 
 
 179 
 
 a 
 
 " " Navy, 
 
 37 
 
 a 
 
 habeas corpus. 
 
 17 
 
 a 
 
 certiorari, - - - 
 
 58 
 
 Escaped while at work on the grounds 
 
 
 outside, 
 
 
 5 
 
 Discharged by expiration of sentence. 
 
 14,289 
 
 
 
 16,253 
 
 In confinement October 31, 1866, - 
 
 521 
 
 16,774 
 In the first table a summary is given of the 
 nativity of the Penitentiary convicts, but, as only 
 six thousand, seven hundred and sixty-one, or little 
 more than two-fifths, were born in the United 
 States, it will be interesting to know from whence 
 the others came. The records of the Institution 
 supply this information. 
 
 Born in Ireland, . . . _ 7,571 
 " England, - - - - 666 
 
 " Scotland, - - - - 391 
 " Wales, - - - - 23 
 
 Carried forward, - 8,651 
 
138 Albany Penitentiaet. 
 
 
 Brought forward, 
 
 8,651 
 
 I in Canada and 
 
 adjoining pro- 
 
 
 
 vinces, - 
 
 . 
 
 511 
 
 a 
 
 Germany, 
 
 - 
 
 632 
 
 u 
 
 France, - 
 
 . 
 
 104 
 
 iC 
 
 Italy, - - 
 
 . 
 
 24 
 
 u 
 
 Switzerland, 
 
 - 
 
 16 
 
 a 
 
 Belgium, 
 
 - 
 
 15 
 
 a 
 
 Holland, - 
 
 . 
 
 12 
 
 u 
 
 Prussia, . - 
 
 _ 
 
 8 
 
 iC 
 
 Poland, - 
 
 - 
 
 8 
 
 a 
 
 Spain, - 
 
 . 
 
 5 
 
 a 
 
 Sweden, - 
 
 . 
 
 4 
 
 it 
 
 Denmark, - 
 
 - 
 
 3 
 
 a 
 
 Portugal, - 
 
 - 
 
 2 
 
 a 
 
 Hungary, 
 
 - 
 
 2 
 
 u 
 
 East Indies, 
 
 - 
 
 2 
 
 u 
 
 West Indies, 
 
 - 
 
 2 
 
 u 
 
 Mexico, - 
 
 - 
 
 2 
 
 n 
 
 Cuba, - 
 
 . 
 
 1 
 
 a 
 
 Austria, - 
 
 . 
 
 1 
 
 a 
 
 Persia, 
 
 - 
 
 1 
 
 a 
 
 Africa, 
 
 - 
 
 1 
 
 a 
 
 At sea and places unknown, - 
 Total, 
 
 5 
 
 
 10,013 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 139 
 
 Thus it will be seen that, excepting the native 
 born, many of whom were the children of foreign 
 parents, those convicts have come from twenty- 
 five different countries, and from the four quarters 
 of the globe. 
 
 It will be observed by the second table that 
 one hundred and forty-nine of the sixteen thou- 
 sand, seven hundred and seventy-four persons 
 confined in the Penitentiary have died during the 
 eighteen years of its existence. This is less than 
 one per cent of the whole number, a fact which is 
 certainly noteworthy when it is remembered that 
 a very large number of the men and women who 
 have gone there were reduced by intemperance 
 and poverty to great debility, and not a few were 
 the victims of disease. Still the proportion would 
 have been less but for special causes which have 
 operated, more or less, during the last four years. 
 These were the prevalence, in the early part of 
 1863, of the small-pox, and again in 1866, the 
 small pox and typhus fever, both of which were 
 brought here from Washington, and which proved 
 specially fatal among the colored prisoners. The 
 skillful physician, who has had charge of the In- 
 stitution from its origin, said in his report for 
 that year : "Hitherto the Penitentiary has been. 
 
140 Albany Penitentiaey. 
 
 to a remarkable degree, fortunate, in respect to 
 the health of its inmates, and the visitation of the 
 more malignant forms of disease. But during the 
 last year we have had not only a large increase of 
 sickness, but many deaths. The number of con- 
 victs who have died during the year is forty-three ; 
 of whom twenty-nine were colored, and fourteen 
 whites. Thirty-six of these were males and seven 
 females. 
 
 "The condition of the colored people on arriving 
 here was such that the larger number required 
 immediate medical treatment; and nearly all 
 were affected by languor and debility. Under 
 such circumstances, typhus and small-pox, of 
 course, presented their worst aspects. Among 
 them both diseases were marked by a degree of 
 malignity before unknown in my experience. 
 And this class of patients, with only occasional 
 exceptions, almost on the first attack fell into a 
 state of exhaustion, from which it was extremely 
 difficult to restore them." 
 
 It must also be added as another reason for 
 the increased mortality during the last four years, 
 that a considerable number of the other prisoners 
 who were in the army, and served in the southern 
 states during the war, returned, enfeebled by 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 141 
 
 intemperance and disease, subject to chronic 
 diarrhea, and pulmonary complaints which, in 
 several cases, issued in death. In view of these 
 facts it will appear that the sanitary condition of 
 the Penitentiary has been permanently good. 
 
 19 
 
142 Albany Penitentiart. 
 
 RECEIPTS A]S^D EXPEKDITURES. 
 
 A JUST estimate of the results of the Peniten- 
 tiary in reference to these particulars cannot be 
 formed without regarding the hinderance which 
 has continually existed to greater financial success 
 in the very large number of short term prisoners 
 who have been sent there. This has been so 
 influential as to threaten at times not only an 
 absorption of all the earnings of the Institution, 
 but a serious draft on the county treasury. And 
 the belief is entertained that but for the execu- 
 tive skill displayed in the management of its 
 afiairs, this evil would have actually occurred. 
 
 It will be seen by the second table in the pre- 
 ceding chapter that of the sixteen thousand, seven 
 hundred and seventy-four prisoners sent to the 
 Penitentiary, there were seven thousand, and four 
 hundred sentenced for terms varying from ten 
 days to three months. Those, it must be remem- 
 bered, were for the most part convicts whom the 
 contractors would not accept. Consequently ex- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 143 
 
 cept as they were needed to labor on the building 
 or the ground around, they were a tax on the 
 industry of the Institution. 
 
 This hinderance has been deeply felt and 
 deplored by all concerned in promoting its effi- 
 ciency. The Inspectors repeatedly called the 
 attention of the joint authorities to it. In their 
 report for 1852 they said : " That state prisons 
 have sometimes shown a self-supporting ability, 
 is not so remarkable ; hut, that the inmates of an 
 establishment like the Albany Penitentiary, com- 
 posed- of the vilest dregs of society, the rakings of 
 the gutter and the brothel, the profligate, and even 
 the diseased — more fit for the hospital than a 
 work house — destitute, half naked, and sentenced 
 often for a term scarcely sufficient to work off the 
 last debauch — who must be fed and nursed, 
 and sent forth again, perhaps in a few days, fully 
 clothed — that such a class, so circumstanced, can 
 be managed in such a way as to rid community 
 from the burden of their maintenance is certainly 
 a wonderful achievement in political economy." 
 
 In 1855 they said : " Since the enactment of 
 what is termed the prohibitory law, a new crime 
 denominated 'Public Intoxication,' punishable 
 by ten days' imprisonment, has been instituted; 
 
144 Albany Penitentiaet. 
 
 the practical ejffect of which has been detrimental 
 to the pecuniary interests of the Penitentiary. 
 With the law itself the Inspectors have nothing 
 to do, whatever their individual opinion of its 
 merits or demerits may be, it is not their purpose 
 or office to discuss the matter here, except as this 
 feature of it affects the interests of the Peni- 
 tentiary. Since the 9th day of July last, seventy- 
 four persons have been sentenced to imprisonment 
 in the Penitentiary, for ten days each, for the 
 crime of 'public intoxication,' and to this num- 
 ber can be added nearly as many more for the 
 same offense, whose term was extended to one 
 month by the magistrates committing them, for 
 reasons unknown to the Inspectors, but which are 
 doubtless right and proper. 
 
 " Some of these as individuals, and all of them as 
 a class, were formerly committed as vagrants and 
 disorderly persons, for periods varying from three 
 to six months. Now they mostly come as ten-day 
 men, in a filthy, ragged state, merely to be cleansed 
 and clothed. Before they are able to perform any 
 remunerating work, and by the time the effects of 
 their drunkenness are somewhat worn off, their 
 terms expire, and they leave the prison, usually 
 carrying with them some of the public property 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 145 
 
 in the shape of clothing, for they can not be 
 decently discharged otherwise. This is a tax 
 upon the Penitentiary funds without the slightest 
 equivalent. 
 
 "Formerly, this class of persons could and did 
 earn something to compensate for their sub- 
 sistence. Now, they not only fail to earn any- 
 thing, but have to be lodged, fed and attended by 
 the physician, and then cost the county more or 
 less, besides, according to the condition of their 
 wardrobe. 
 
 The following year they spoke again in these 
 plain terms : " Not less than two hundred persons 
 have been sentenced to confinement in the Peni- 
 tentiary during the last year for the crime of 
 public intoxication, for periods of ten, and 
 twenty to thirty days each. Somehow or other, 
 they come in in droves, in the beginning of each 
 month, when the courts are held, and their terms 
 of imprisonment mostly expire before the month 
 is out, and so it goes on over and over again. 
 Were the average struck daily instead of monthly 
 the problem would at once be solved. Not one 
 of these persons can earn a cent, but have to 
 be taken care of at the public expense. No law 
 could have been framed, which could be worse in 
 
146 Albany Penitentiaey. 
 
 its practical effects, than that which sends these 
 people to the Penitentiary. While it incarcerates 
 them ten days in a prison for drunkenness, it 
 neither does them nor any one else any good what- 
 ever. The time is entirely too short for cure or 
 reformation, and as a matter of pecuniary economy, 
 the county might rather place a five dollar bill in 
 the hand of every one of these convicts and tell 
 them to go about their business, than to take 
 them into the Penitentiary." 
 
 As the number of such convicts continued to 
 increase, the Inspectors said in 1857 : " Three 
 hundred and nineteen persons have been sentenced 
 to the Penitentiary during the past year, for terms 
 of ten days each, for the crime of public intoxi- 
 cation, costing the county, while there, at least 
 fifteen hundred dollars in cash, without earning 
 one cent, or being benefited themselves in the 
 least degree thereby. This is, in fact, turning it 
 into an inebriate hospital, without any of the 
 advantages that such an Institution might be 
 supposed to have, for the law discharges the 
 patient before the slightest cure can be effected, 
 or even before it» can be attempted. Some of 
 these individuals have been received and dis- 
 charged eight and ten times during the year, and 
 
Albany Penitentiaey. 147 
 
 scores of them have been in and out from three to 
 six times each." 
 
 Of the one thousand, one hundred and fifty pri- 
 soners received in 1858, four hundred were sent for 
 ten days; a tax of |2,000 for that single year. Of 
 one thousand, two hundred and seven received in 
 1859, five hundred and thirty-seven were of this 
 class; and in 1860, eight hundred and twenty-three, 
 out of one thousand, four hundred and eighty-four. 
 
 At this time the "hinderances and difficulties" 
 thus occasioned, had become so burdensome and 
 threatening, that the Inspectors, in a very decided 
 and earnest manner, told the joint authorities that 
 if they were continued a change of a permanent 
 character in the Institution would he required. 
 They said : " The operation of this law perverts 
 the object for which the Penitentiary was esta- 
 blished. Instead of being as it was, and should 
 ever be, a penal and reformatory Institution, we 
 fear it will become a mere asylum for drunkards, 
 not for their cure or reformation, but simply a 
 place affording them time for recuperation at the 
 public expense and to enable them to sleep off" the 
 effects of one debauch in order immediately to 
 enter upon another. Eight hundred and twenty- 
 three cases of drunkenness, subject (according to 
 
148 Albany Ppnitentiart. 
 
 the present practice) to confinement in the Peni- 
 tentiary, mostly for terms of ten days each, have 
 occurred during the past year; being more 
 than one-half of the whole number of prisoners 
 received during that period, and greater than 
 the whole number of commitments to the Prison 
 in any year previous to the passage of the law 
 referred to. During the first year after the 
 enactment of that law, viz: in 1855, the com- 
 mitments to the Penitentiary for the crime of 
 public intoxication — the penalty, a fine of ten 
 dollars or imprisonment for ten days — were 
 seventy-four; 1856, two hundred; 1857, three 
 hundred and forty-three; 1858, four hundred; 
 1859, five hundred and thirty-seven; 1860, eight 
 hundred and twenty-three. 
 
 "Comment is unnecessary. These are the facts, 
 and when it is understood that a prisoner sen- 
 tenced to the Penitentiary for a period less than 
 three months can not earn sufficient for his own 
 maintenance, or derive any personal or moral 
 benefit whatever, the difficulties of which we 
 have spoken will be very apparent. 
 
 " Nor is this all. A continuous succession of 
 these convicts enters the Penitentiary, generally 
 in a filthy state, often covered with vermin, from 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 149 
 
 which there is scarcely time to relieve them dur- 
 ing their brief stay. Thus, besides the cost of 
 their food, clothes and lodging, the means of the 
 Penitentiary must also be used to procure and 
 pay extra attendants for this special service. 
 The time of the physician is also severely taxed. 
 He states in his report that he has treated one 
 hundred cases of delirium tremens among this 
 class of prisoners during the year. The discipline 
 too of the prison is embarrassed and vfeakened, 
 for these people can not be placed in the dormi- 
 tories occupied by the other convicts, nor in the 
 work shops (even if they could be employed 
 there), or the establishment, in spite of every 
 effort, would be overrun with vermin. Indeed 
 the only annoyance of that nature ever experi- 
 enced in the Penitentiary, has been introduced by 
 this description of convicts. If the existing 
 practice in regard to cases of this kind, is to con- 
 tinue, separate and distinct quarters of ?k 'perma- 
 nent character will become necessary for their 
 accommodation . " 
 
 A glance at these statements is sufficient to 
 convince every individual that the reception of 
 so many prisoners for such short terms must not 
 
 only have caused great inconvenience, care and 
 
 20 
 
150 
 
 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 labor, but have materially lessened financial pros- 
 perity. Notwithstanding, signal success in this 
 particular, has been realized, beyond indeed that 
 of any other penal institution of the kind in this 
 country or in Europe. 
 
 The following statement will show the annual 
 earnings and expenditures of the Penitentiary 
 from its commencement, to October 31, 1866, the 
 close of its eighteenth year : 
 
 Earnings. Expenditures. 
 
 $5,135 90 $8,896 83 
 
 9,810 51 10,261 42 
 
 12,1^1 99 11,138 92 
 
 16,595 71 14,285 65 
 
 18,117 18 15,038 12 
 
 16,300 42 14,755 20 
 
 18,174 25 15,587 72 
 
 18,345 98 15,167 94 
 
 21,098 25 18,945 49 
 
 8,446 85 18,434 36 
 
 18,119 06 13,562 45 
 
 18,387 90 14,316 71 
 
 15,343 33 14,295 26 
 
 18,176 30 14,661 17 
 
 42,048 82 24,524 60 
 
 53,926 44 33,552 99 
 
 67,648 32 46,268 28 
 
 76,975 32 52,562 83 
 
 For year ending 
 
 October 31, 
 
 1849, 
 
 a a 
 
 1850, 
 
 a li 
 
 1851, 
 
 a a 
 
 1852, 
 
 a a 
 
 1853, 
 
 a a 
 
 1854, 
 
 (C a 
 
 1855, 
 
 ic a 
 
 1856, 
 
 a ic 
 
 1857, 
 
 a ii 
 
 1858, 
 
 a u 
 
 1859, 
 
 a ic 
 
 1860, 
 
 a i< 
 
 1861, 
 
 a a 
 
 1862, 
 
 a ii 
 
 1863, 
 
 il iC 
 
 1864, 
 
 a ' ii 
 
 1865, 
 
 ii a 
 
 1866, 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 151 
 
 Total earnings in eighteen years, |454,802 53 
 " expenditures, - - - 356,253 94 
 
 Net balance, - - - - |98,548 59 
 
 To leave the financial results of the Peniten- 
 tiary at this point would neither be satisfactory 
 nor right, for they further indicate an advantage 
 to the county of Albany which may justly occa- 
 sion gratulation and pride. When its establish- 
 ment was first proposed, its advocates thought 
 that if after a few years it met its own expenses, 
 in addition to the care and board of the prisoners 
 from this county, a great object would be achieved, 
 and when this was accomplished the Inspectors 
 justly congratulated the joint authorities on the 
 fact. But the Institution has long since gone 
 beyond this and has been a source of accruing 
 wealth to the county. 
 
 Mr. Pruyn and his associate Inspectors esti- 
 mated that the building including the land, origin- 
 ally cost the county |50,000. not reckoning the 
 labor of the convicts who were employed in the 
 work ; if to this amount is added, grants since 
 made to meet deficiencies in income in 1849, 
 1850, and 1858; also, to make improvements in 
 buildings and land, and to pay the salary of the 
 
152 Albany Penitentiaet. 
 
 Superintendent, who, from the first, has been a 
 county officer, $75,000, which is supposed to be 
 beyond the sum, then the entire cost of the whole 
 to the county, with all the property belonging 
 thereto, is $125,000. 
 
 Now what has the county received in return ? 
 The following will show : 
 
 First, It has had kept and boarded, from No- 
 vember 1, 1848, to October 31, 1866, eleven 
 thousand six hundred and forty-two prisoners for 
 the average term of eight weeks, which is a low 
 estimate, at $1.25 per week (the price paid to 
 the sheriff of the county before the Penitentiary 
 was built), $109,143.75. 
 
 Second, It has been saved one-third additional 
 estimated expense, which must have been incurred 
 for medical attendance, salaries of ofl&cers, im- 
 provements and repairs of buildings, $29,105. 
 
 Third, It has the Penitentiary land and build- 
 ings, which are estimated to be worth at the very 
 lowest sum, $150,000. 
 
 Fourth, It has property belonging thereto 
 comprising prison furniture, fuel, oil, horses, 
 carriages, bedding and clothing, provisions and 
 stores of different kinds, stock, tools, machi- 
 nery, the apparatus of the whole establishment. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 153 
 
 debts and cash on hand, the value of all which 
 was, October 31, 1866, |80,4 74.27. 
 
 Total, -■ - - - $368,723 02 
 Amount of county expenditure, 125,000 00 
 
 Present balance in favor of the 
 
 county, _ - - - $243,723 02 
 
 We repeat the words of the Inspectors, uttered 
 several years ago: "Leaving all moral influences 
 and effects entirely out of the question, and view- 
 ing it only as a simple financial matter, the whole 
 project has been a perfect success, and it is doubt- 
 ful if any municipal enterprise here, or any where 
 else, has ever equaled it, or can show similar 
 results." 
 
154 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 SEVERANCE FROM POLITICS. 
 
 It has been truthfully said that : "One feature 
 in the administration of the Albany Penitentiary 
 merits special mention and universal imitation. 
 No political consideration, no merely party ques- 
 tion or motive is allowed the slightest weight 
 in the appointments to office, or in the conduct of 
 the Institution. The total exclusion of party 
 politics from the management of the Peniten- 
 tiary, and personal fitness for the duty in every 
 appointee, were principles, 'settled and resolved 
 upon by the commissioners, before a stone of the 
 edifice was laid.' These views were adopted and 
 fully carried out by the Inspectors, and also by 
 the larger board of supervisors. This was the 
 main cause of their great success." The correct- 
 ness of these assertions has been substantiated by 
 the entire history of the Institution. 
 
 One of the first acts of the commissioners ap- 
 pointed by the legislature to build the Peniten- 
 tiary was to decide "that party politics should have 
 
Alb ANT Penitentiary, 155 
 
 no influence whatever with either of them in the 
 execution of their duties, and to this resolution 
 they rigorously adhered, until they delivered up 
 their trust, on the completion of the work. 
 When it is understood that the majority of the 
 commission was then politically in opposition to a 
 very large majority in the board of supervisors, 
 and in the common council, and that they were 
 likely to remain in that relative position for many 
 years ; and that they were clothed with absolute 
 extraordinary power, rendering them entirely 
 independent of either of these bodies, it is evident 
 their sole object in adopting this course, was the 
 general good irrespective of party considerations." 
 Having made this decision they frankly stated 
 the same to the supervisors and added, "that 
 without their full approbation and assent, they 
 could not consent to retain the ofiice to which 
 they had been appointed by the legislature of the 
 state." On the receipt of this communication, 
 the board of supervisors unanimously resolved, 
 "that they have the fullest confidence in the com- 
 missioners appointed by the legislature in relation 
 to the erection of a Penitentiary." Thus sus- 
 tained, they entered with cheerfulness on their 
 work, and with a rigid determination to maintain 
 
156 Albany Penitentiakt. 
 
 their purpose. They said, reviewing their course 
 of action: "The political preferences of no indi- 
 vidual who aided in the construction of the 
 Penitentiary, was ever inquired into or cared for. 
 It was sufficient alone to know that his terms 
 and services hest subserved the interests of the 
 county and the object in view. In their first 
 report, and before any particular individual was 
 thought of, they advise in substance, that the 
 officer placed at the head of the Penitentiary, 
 should be put beyond the reach of removal on 
 mere political grounds, that he ought to be 
 assured that he holds his office by quite a differ- 
 ent tenure than mere political favor, and, that 
 however unpopular or unpalatable such a recom- 
 mendation may be with warm political partisans, 
 it is nevertheless essential to the success of the 
 enterprise." 
 
 But for the broad and practical recognition 
 of this principle the services of Amos Pilsbury 
 could not have been secured, for his previous 
 experience and matured judgment had assured 
 him of its essential importance. 
 
 When in the year 1818, the Institution passed 
 into the hands of the Inspectors, they resolved 
 that the same rule should be inflexibly main- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 157 
 
 tained. They truly said in their report for 1855 : 
 '•Among the hundreds of subordinates who have 
 received appointments from them, or the Super- 
 intendent, they have never known the political 
 sentiments of a single individual; fitness and 
 capacity were the only requisites necessary. 
 
 "The Inspectors in all their reports have con- 
 stantly kept this great leading rule uppermost 
 before the county government and the public 
 mind, as the sole cause and foundation on which 
 the success of the Penitentiary must rest. As 
 old members, fully satisfied of the value and cor- 
 rectness of this policy, retired from office, and 
 their places in the board of supervisors were 
 occupied by new members, by whom this funda- 
 mental principle was supposed notHo be so fully 
 realized, the Inspectors reiterated their opinions, 
 until they in turn became sensible of their truth 
 and importance." 
 
 In anticipation of appointing a Superintendent 
 on the resignation of Gen. Pilsbury, they said : 
 "At the risk of being thought prolix and perhaps 
 unnecessarily fastidious on this point, the Inspect- 
 ors repeat what was said in their fourth annual 
 report, made December 16th, 1852. 
 
 "In all that constitutes excellence in a prison, 
 21 
 
158 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 both morally and physically considered, so far, as 
 the Inspectors have seen and know, the Albany 
 Penitentiary has not its superior in the world. 
 
 "The cause, the reason, of these beneficial and 
 satisfactory results is plain. When individuals 
 seek and expect success in their private under- 
 takings, they generally use such means as are best 
 adapted to the ends in view, and no other con- 
 sideration is suffered to interpose. Not so, how- 
 ever, in public matters. While none but capable 
 men find employment with individuals, any body 
 is qualified to superintend public affairs. 'Indi- 
 viduals employ the best talents — the public 
 employs the best politicians.' Were private 
 citizens to conduct their business in the same way 
 the public does, it would not only be counted 
 absurd, but would, in most cases, prove ruinous to 
 themselves. 
 
 "That principle, then, which governs individu- 
 als in their aims and pursuits in private life was 
 established and prevails in the government of the 
 Penitentiary. It was settled, and resolved upon, 
 by the commissioners appointed to construct the 
 prison, before a stone of the edifice was laid. It 
 was constantly urged upon the attention of the 
 joint authorities, in every communication ad- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 159 
 
 dressed to them on the subject, and it wisely 
 received their assent and concurrence. It is this, 
 the total exclusion of party politics from the man- 
 agement of the Penitentiary, the fitness of every 
 instrumentality employed for the object it is 
 intended to accomplish, and the perfect capability 
 of those to whom the administration of its affairs 
 is confided; these together, without regard to any 
 thing else, make up and form the principle of 
 action, the strict observance of which, as a car- 
 dinal, fundamental rule, has contributed entirely 
 to the success of the Penitentiary scheme; and 
 so long as it is maintained inviolate, so long will 
 the Institution prosper and be a public blessing, 
 but whenever place and patronage are made the 
 reward of political services, and whenever office 
 in the Penitentiary is held by that tenure, then 
 will it fail and all its usefulness be destroyed." 
 
 In 1858 on the resignation, as Superintendent, 
 of Louis D. Pilsbury, the names of a large number 
 of individuals were mentioned in connection with 
 the appointment; and the Inspectors felt that 
 this great principle they had so long and so 
 thoroughly maintained, might be overlooked; 
 they consequently called renewed attention to it, 
 and to the importance of its decided maintenance. 
 
160 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 They said : " It is unnecessary to remind the 
 appointing power of the settled rule, established 
 and determined on, fourteen years ago, before a 
 stone of the Penitentiary was laid, to the rigid 
 observance of which, all the prosperity that has 
 since attended the enterprise, is justly attributable. 
 That principle, or rule — the total exclusion of 
 party politics from all influence in its affairs — 
 has become the standard of action, and the sole 
 foundation on which the success of the Peniten- 
 tiary rests. It is not a man's opinions on state 
 or national questions of public policy, or his ser- 
 vices in support of them, that qualifies him for 
 place in the Penitentiary; his individual and 
 personal fitness and capacity for the station, and 
 not his political course and conduct, is alone the 
 passport and recommendation to ofiice there, and 
 the Inspectors rejoice that this great and leading 
 principle (which so far has been productive of the 
 best results) has been followed by each succeed- 
 ing board of supervisors with admirable firmness 
 and consistency." 
 
 Another quotation will show how, with advanc- 
 ing experience, their matured judgments honored 
 and commended this rule. These, in^ 1860, were 
 their significant words : " The idea that led to the 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 161 
 
 establishment of the Penitentiary was coupled 
 with the purpose of excluding all partisan influ- 
 ence from its control or direction, and the first 
 act of the authorities at the commencement of 
 the work was to declare that party politics should 
 not be recognized in its management. Succeed- 
 ing boards with a firmness and consistency credit- 
 able alike to their wisdom and integrity, have 
 steadily indorsed this policy, and have invariably 
 acted upon the principle, that the Penitentiary 
 should be conducted in the manner that private 
 individuals find essential to the prosperous advance- 
 ment of their own business, and that fitness and 
 capacity alone should be the passport to office in 
 the Penitentiary, without regard to the political 
 opinions of the individual. By this means the 
 county has hitherto been enabled to secure the 
 best talents, and the services of men who would 
 decline positions of such care and responsibility if 
 subject to displacement merely by the revolutions 
 of the political wheel or the caprices of party. 
 
 " The fruits of this policy are before you and 
 before the public, and whenever it shall be aban- 
 doned, the Penitentiary will assuredly go to swift 
 destruction." 
 
 These quotations have been given to show how. 
 
162 Alba^t PE^^TI:^'TIABY. 
 
 amidst all the mutations of events, the insidious 
 and powerful temptations of party politics, and 
 the predictions of failure by political partisans; 
 this important rule has been maintained in the 
 government of this Institution. Eespecting it the 
 Inspectors and Superintendent have been in per- 
 fect accord. And there has never been at any 
 time the least disposition to disregard it. Though 
 the latter is decided in his political views, yet it is 
 believed he has never in all his extensive business 
 operations and purchases for the Penitentiary been 
 influenced by political friendship, but has consci- 
 entiously sought the fulfillment of his high trust. 
 May this rule be always thus firmly and practi- 
 cally maintained; for if the time should ever 
 come when it shall be disregarded in the govern- 
 ment of the Penitentiary the glory of the Institu- 
 tion will be gone, and its usefulness materially 
 lessened if not entirely destroyed. 
 
 TTould that this rule was thus applied to all 
 our alms houses and penal institutions. It is 
 essential to their good government, and the 
 attainment of their proposed ends. The adoption 
 of the opposite rule has been always, and widely 
 pernicious. And never will those institutions be 
 what they shotild be in economical management. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 163 
 
 discipline, and reformatory power, till it is totally 
 supplanted, by this which is commended hy reason, 
 experience, and the welfare of society. 
 
164 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 THE mSPECTOES. 
 
 A HISTORY of the Albany Penitentiary would 
 be incomplete, and would, indirectly, do injustice 
 to those gentlemen who have been its Inspectors 
 were not a record made of their valuable services. 
 Those services, though often requiring consider- 
 able time and labor, have always been rendered 
 without the smallest pecv/niary reward. They have 
 kept themselves particularly acquainted with the 
 state of the Institution, maintained a constant 
 oversight of its discipline, regularly examined its 
 accounts, advised, when required, its Superin- 
 tendent, prepared its annual reports, and dis- 
 charged, when necessary, other duties, simply for 
 the promotion of its prosperity, and the public 
 welfare. It is, therefore, only just that their 
 names and deeds should be had in remembrance. 
 The reference to them will be made in the order 
 of their appointment. 
 
 Samuel Pruyn was a well known and highly 
 respected inhabitant and merchant of Albany, 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 165 
 
 who, after his retirement from business devoted 
 his attention with great assiduity to the penal 
 and eleemosynary interests of the county. He 
 deeply felt that there was at that time great need 
 of this, for the expenses for crime and pauperism 
 were rapidly advancing in this city and the 
 county towns. 
 
 Being a member of the board of supervisors, he 
 introduced to that body, on the 10th of May, 
 1843, a resolution : "That a committee of five be 
 appointed by the chairman, whose duty it shall be 
 during the recess of this board, to make a complete 
 and detailed examination of all matters relating to 
 the expenses of this county, in order to ascertain 
 if any reduction or reform can be devised con- 
 sistent with the due administration of justice, the 
 protection of property and the just compensation 
 of its executive oflficers; to the end that such 
 measures may be adopted as this board may 
 deem necessary for a more economical expenditure 
 of the public money." 
 
 This resolution was unanimously adopted, and 
 Mr. Pruyn was appointed chairman of that com- 
 mittee. At the next meeting of the board he 
 presented for himself and his associates a report 
 which resulted in an application, from the super- 
 
 22 
 
166 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 visors and common council of the city, to the 
 legislature for the passage of a law authorizing the 
 erection of a Penitentiary. By the enactment of 
 that law, Mr. Pruyn was made chairman of the 
 board of commissioners. His associates were 
 Lewis M. Dayton, Esq., and Dr. Barent P. Staats. 
 But while their aid was constant and of great value, 
 he, having time and inclination, cheerfully took 
 and discharged the burden of the service. He 
 directed the course of investigation preparatory to 
 definite action ; wrote the admirable report which 
 the commissioners submitted to the board of super- 
 visors; selected the location and secured plans 
 and estimates for the building. He watched with 
 deep interest, and untiring vigilance, the progress 
 of its erection, and it is believed that his gratifi- 
 cation on its completion was nearly, if not quite 
 equal, to that he would have felt in the realization 
 of any cherished personal object. His labors in 
 this commission gave entire satisfaction to his 
 associates, and to the authorities of the county. 
 
 It was, therefore, highly proper and desirable 
 that, on the consummation of this trust, and the 
 organization of the Board of Inspectors, Mr. 
 Pruyn should be appointed one of its members. 
 
 This was cheerfully and unanimously done 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 167 
 
 December 26th, 1848, and to this office he 
 brought all the interest and zeal he had previ- 
 ously cherished. Me studied the history of penal 
 institutions ; the different systems of prison disci- 
 pline prevalent in this country ; the objects to be 
 sought by convict confinement ; and he felt and 
 practically manifested, till the very close of his 
 life, something of a paternal interest in the pros- 
 perity of the Penitentiary. To him the Superin- 
 tendent never looked in vain for aid. They 
 worked most harmoniously together, and the 
 latter will never cease to cherish an affectionate 
 remembrance of his service and friendship. All 
 the annual reports of the Institution, up to the 
 time of his decease, which occurred on the 18th 
 of Feljruary, 1862, were written by him. And 
 his associates in the same office have truthfully 
 said : " In whatever concerned the interests of the 
 P<;nitentiary, he was animated by a zeal that 
 enlisted all the sympathies, and which never 
 faltered before the most discouraging prospects. 
 To the business of the Institution his time was 
 most liberally devoted; and the solicitude and per- 
 severance with which he watched over all its in- 
 terests was of the kind which men exhibit in the 
 care of their individual affairs. In his intercourse 
 
168 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 with all associated witli him in the management 
 of the Penitentiary, Mr. Pruyn was uniformly 
 courteous and kind. His surviving associates, 
 looking back upon the many difficulties and 
 embarrassments through which the Penitentiary 
 has made its way, and at the position which it 
 now occupies in the history of American penal 
 institutions, and mindful only of the duty of jus- 
 tice to the dead, desire to record their testimony, 
 that a large share of the success and fame of our 
 Penitentiary are to be attributed to the sound 
 judgment and the disinterested labors of Samuel 
 Pruyn." 
 
 Gilbert I. Van Zandt, of the town of Watervliet, 
 was one of the original Inspectors appointed on the 
 organization of the board. He is a man of amiable 
 temper, sound judgment, untiring industry, and 
 excellent Christian character. His interest in 
 the Penitentiary and devotion to its welfare, 
 never failed, but the distance of his residence 
 from Albany, and for several years past the grow- 
 ing infirmities of age, have prevented him giving 
 to it that constant attention he would otherwise 
 have gladly done. Between himself and Mr. 
 Pruyn, there existed a cordial friendship, and an 
 entire harmony of sentiment, respecting the 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 169 
 
 government of the Institution ; while the Super- 
 intendent cherishes deep respect for his character, 
 and gratitude for his valuable and long continued 
 services. This excellent man, after eighteen 
 years' service, felt compelled, on account of age, 
 to resign his office as Inspector in December, 1866, 
 on which occasion the joint authorities of the city 
 and county adopted unanimously the following 
 resolutions : 
 
 ^^ Resolved, That the thanks of the citizens of 
 Albany county are eminently due to Hon. Gil- 
 bert I. Van Zandt for his long continued and 
 valuable services as Inspector of the Peniten- 
 tiary, and that this joint board desire to give this 
 public expression of their appreciation of his 
 unceasing efforts to carry forward to complete 
 success the Institution with which he has been 
 connected since its foundation. 
 
 ^^ Resolved, That we learn, with regret, that so 
 estimable a man and valuable official has signified 
 his intention of retiring from the position he has 
 so honorably filled, and that we extend to him 
 the assurance that in whatever capacity he may 
 hereafter serve his constituents, he will most cer- 
 tainly enjoy, as he deservedly merits, the confi- 
 dence and respect of the people at large." 
 
170 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 William W. Forsyth, of Albany,, was also 
 another of the original Inspectors appointed with 
 Messrs. Pruyn and Van Zandt. To the extent of 
 his ability he cordially cooperated with his asso- 
 ciates, but bodily sickness proved a serious hinder- 
 ance to his efforts. He resigned his office in June, 
 1853, fourteen months before his decease. His 
 associates bore this testimony to his worth and 
 labors. Mr. Forsyth "had been in office since 
 the time of the present organization of the Peni- 
 tentiary. His position in society, and the experi- 
 ence he had acquired from personal investigation 
 on this special subject, eminently qualified him 
 for the place he held ; but his declining health, 
 and his contemplated absence from the country 
 for an indefinite time, seeking its restoration, 
 made it indispensable for him to retire from the 
 office. The valuable and gratuitous services of 
 Mr. Forsyth, his great usefulness, and the deep 
 interest he manifested in the affairs of the Peni- 
 tentiary, deserve the gratitude and thanks of the 
 community." 
 
 At the next meeting of the authorities, the 
 following resolution was unanimously passed: 
 
 "Resolved, That this joint board deeply regret 
 that the Hon. William W. Forsyth has been com- 
 
Albany Penitentiaet. 171 
 
 pelled, by reason of impaired health to withdraw 
 from the office of Inspector of the Penitentiary; 
 that they highly appreciate the intelligence and 
 zeal with which he has always discharged the 
 duties of his office, and that they cordially con- 
 gratulate him on the distinguished reputation and 
 usefulness of the Institution, to the success of 
 which his counsels and labors have so much 
 contributed." 
 
 Mr. Forsyth's resignation took place in the 
 middle of the year, so that the other Inspectors, 
 under the authority given them, selected John B. 
 James to fill the vacancy for the unexpired term. 
 Subsequently in commending their selection to 
 the joint authorities for approval, they said : 
 "The reasons for their previous choice, and for 
 their present recommendation are, that Mr. James 
 is a large landholder and taxpayer in Albany. 
 He is a gentleman of wealth and leisure, and 
 can therefore afford to devote his time to this 
 object, gratuitously. His education, intelligence, 
 practical knowledge, and inclination, fit him pecu- 
 liarly for the office ; and further, the undersigned 
 [Messrs. Pruyn and Van Zandt] difliering from 
 Mr. James politically selected him for that very 
 reason as their associate, that they might evince 
 
172 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 by their acts the sincerity of those professions 
 which have so frequently led them to admonish 
 the county government against allowing party 
 influences to control, or enter into the manage- 
 ment and direction of the Penitentiary. They 
 are satisfied that although Mr. James is as de- 
 cided in his political views as they themselves 
 are, yet he will cooperate thoroughly with them, 
 in not suffering any feeling or bias of that kind 
 to have the least effect in the discharge of the 
 duties of the Inspectorship." 
 
 This action of the Inspectors was entirely satis- 
 factory to the joint board, and Mr. James was 
 unanimously appointed an Inspector for the term 
 of three years. 
 
 He entered on his duties with cheerfulness and 
 zeal, was ever ready to render any service that 
 was necessary, and greatly commended himself by 
 his urbanity and devotion, to his associates and 
 the Superintendent. He did not, however, live 
 to serve through this official term. His death 
 occurred on the 22d of May, 1856. His col- 
 leagues bore the following earnest and honorable 
 testimony to his excellent qualities and official 
 worth : " The undersigned now discharge a 
 painful duty in officially announcing the decease 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 173 
 
 of their late colleague, John B. James. They 
 had been connected with him in the oversight of 
 the Penitentiary for nearly three years. He pos- 
 sessed noble and generous qualities, and it was 
 always pleasant to be associated with him in any 
 business, whether of a public or a private nature. 
 In the necessary and familiar intercourse of the 
 undersigned with Mr. James, he won their esteem 
 and regard. Traits of genial and amiable cha- 
 racter, constantly shone forth. Although unob- 
 trusive, and undesirous of a foremost place, he 
 was always ready to be employed, and on several 
 occasions by his innate tact, courteous manners 
 and kindly disposition, gained concessions for the 
 Penitentiary interests, from those, whom mere 
 matter of fact, business men could scarcely ap- 
 proach. 
 
 " Nor is this a mere conventional formality on 
 the part of the undersigned, made for the occasion, 
 but a sincere and honest tribute to his worth and 
 memory. 
 
 "Faithful to the rule they themselves helped to 
 
 establish, as the cardinal principle on which the 
 
 success and high standing of the Institution 
 
 must ever depend — a rule excluding all political 
 
 considerations and partisan influences from any 
 2.3 
 
174 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 control in its government — the undersigned sought 
 amongst those holding a different political creed 
 from themselves for a successor to Mr. James — 
 for one whose opinions on questions of state and 
 national policy were decided and well known, and 
 which differed from their own, but who neverthe- 
 less would entertain their own views and unite 
 with them in maintaining the special policy which 
 has hitherto prevailed, and thus far proved so 
 successful in the management of the Peniten- 
 tiary." 
 
 Subsequently the joint board unanimously 
 adopted a resolution deploring the death of this 
 excellent man which deprived the Penitentiary of 
 the services of a highly qualified Inspector, ■■and 
 the commiuiity of an amiable and esteemed 
 citizen."' 
 
 Occurring as this event did in the midst of the 
 official year, the other Inspectors were again called 
 to exercise the authority invested by the rules and 
 regulations in them. They accordingly selected 
 and. appointed William A. Young, late recorder of 
 Albany, to fill the vacancy until the joint autho- 
 rities should direct otherwise. A more suitable 
 appointment could not have been made. He 
 possessed all the qualifications required, and has 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 17-5 
 
 honored the office he fills. The Inspectors in 
 announcing to the joint board this action said : 
 " To introduce him to the joint board, except as 
 a formality, is needless. As a citizen, as recorder 
 of the city and a judge of its municipal criminal 
 courts, he and his services are already as widely 
 known as they are favorably appreciated by the 
 public. His experience in criminal matters and 
 long acquaintance with the theory and discipline 
 of the Institution, his social position, inflexible 
 integrity and lofty independence of character, all 
 qualify him peculiarly for the place; and the 
 undersigned [Messrs. Pruyn and Van Zandt] felt 
 quite sure in making the selection, that they were 
 only forestalling the action of the joint authorities 
 in the matter. In this view they need scarcely 
 ask that their doings may be ratified, or that the 
 appointment of Mr. Young may be continued for 
 the next succeeding term. 
 
 The anticipation cherished when this appoint- 
 raent was made has been happily fulfilled. Mr. 
 Young has rendered highly valuable service to 
 the Institution, and it is earnestly hoped he will 
 be spared and enabled to do so for many years 
 to come. 
 
 In December, 1862, Robert Babcock, of the 
 
176 Albany Penitentiaet. 
 
 town of Bethlehem, was appointed Inspector by 
 the joint board to fill the vacancy occasioned by 
 the death of Samuel Pruyn: and in December, 
 1864, he was reappointed for the term of three 
 years, and still worthily fills the ofl&ce. 
 
 At the last meeting of the board, held Decem- 
 ber 14th, 1866, Eli Perry was appointed Inspector 
 for the term of three years from the first of 
 March, 1867. As Mr. Perry has been for several 
 years mayor of the city, is well acquainted with 
 its public business, and has long shown an interest 
 in the prosperity of the Penitentiary, this appoint- 
 ment has gratified many of its friends, and pro- 
 mises good to the Institution. It unquestionably 
 demands and deserves the warm and disinterested 
 devotion of every one officially connected with it, 
 and, this given, in the future as in the past, its 
 career of signal prosperity will continue and 
 increase. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 177 
 
 THE PHYSICIAN. 
 
 The sameness of the duties required from year 
 to year, of a physician to an Institution like the 
 Albany Penitentiary, allows but little room for 
 remarks of a general historical character. The 
 same diseases generally appear from time to time, 
 and the same course of treatment must be pur- 
 sued. And though there may be varieties in both 
 which would deeply interest the professional man, 
 their presentation would fail to engage the public 
 mind. There are, however, some peculiarities in 
 the present case, which must not be overlooked. 
 
 Dr. Barent P. Staats, was one of the commis- 
 sioners appointed by the legislature to locate and 
 build the Penitentiary. In that position he dis- 
 played a most commendable interest and devotion. 
 Its duties were faithfully discharged ; the service 
 he rendered was valuable and appreciated, and 
 since its completion he has always evinced a 
 practical concern in its prosperity. 
 
 On the organization of the board of Inspectors, 
 
178 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 he was immediately "appointed the Physician of 
 the Institution, and from that time to the present, 
 a period of more than eighteen years, he has 
 filled that position to the satisfaction of the In- 
 spectors, the Superintendent, and other officials. 
 His promptness in attending to its calls has 
 been unfailing ; his fidelity has been exemplary ; 
 and his skill has been indicated in the compara- 
 tively small number of deaths which have 
 occurred there during this protracted period. 
 
 During the existence of the Penitentiary, it has 
 been visited six times with malignant diseases. 
 These were cholera, shjp fever, small-pox and 
 typhus fever. But though a large number of 
 prisoners were afflicted thereby, only eighteen 
 died. And some of the latter would have re- 
 covered but for the debility or disease previously 
 existing and consequent on their intemperate habits. 
 This is a circumstance which indicates both medi- 
 cal attention and ability. 
 
 This event suggests also the mention of another, 
 and more serious, difficulty with which the doctor 
 has had constantly to contend in his practice at 
 the Penitentiary. Of the sixteen thousand, seven 
 hundred and seventy-four persons sent there, four- 
 teen thousand, seven hundred and ninety-two 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 179 
 
 have acknowledged themselves to be intemperate. 
 Very many of these have gone there in a drunken 
 state, and not a few either were at the time, or be- 
 came soon after, subject to delirium tremens. In 
 one of his earlier reports, he designated this as 
 the most formidable of all the diseases that have 
 prevailed there, and it has continued so until 
 within two or three years. The number of such 
 cases has been very large, but of them only 
 twenty-one have died. This evil, together with 
 the doctor's consistent adherence to temperance, 
 has led him, in almost every one of his reports, 
 to protest against the general use, as a beverage, 
 of intoxicating drinks. He says : " The inmates 
 of the Penitentiary, with few exceptions, consist 
 of men and women whose constitutions have been, 
 in a great measure, destroyed by the inordinate 
 use of intoxicating drinks, and consequently a 
 large proportion of them require medical attend- 
 ance before they are in a condition to commence 
 labor, and in some cases their sentences are so 
 short that their time expires before they can com- 
 mence work at all." 
 
 Again : " The number of commitments for the 
 past year has been larger than during that which 
 preceded it. and the number of sick has been cor- 
 
180 Albany Penitentiaey. 
 
 respondingly great. The phases of their ailments 
 have been equally varied, and consequently my 
 duties no less onerous than before. Were it not 
 for the previous intemperate use of alcoholic 
 drinks, among the subjects of my charge, the 
 medical duties in the Penitentiary would be light 
 and easy. But this is not the case." 
 
 Again: "As usual, the most trouble I have 
 had has arisen from the previous excessive use of 
 alcoholic drinks by the convicts. I have pre- 
 scribed in about thirty cases of delirium tremens 
 during the past year, and though many were bad 
 cases I have lost none by death. That so much 
 of ^^is should constantly occur, is not to be won- 
 dered at. Out of nearly one thousand who have 
 been in the Penitentiary during the past year, 
 some twenty-five of them, only, claim to be tem- 
 perate ; and even a few of these confess that they 
 had been in the habit of taking two or three 
 glasses per day." 
 
 In a later report he says : "Most all of the con- 
 victs sent here are addicted to the intemperate 
 use of alcohol, consequently they are in a very 
 debilitated state of body and mind, and a large 
 portion of them are attacked with delirium tremens 
 immediately after their arrival. I have had one 
 
Albany Penitentiary.. 181 
 
 hundred cases during the past year, and the f^ues- 
 tion naturally arises, is there no jn-cmatlvef 
 
 Still another difficulty the doctor has had, espe- 
 cially of late to meet, and which has rendered his 
 practice less successful than otherwise it would 
 have been, has been the enfeebled and diseased 
 state of very many convicts who served in the 
 army, and who, from intemperance and exposure, 
 were subject to rheumatism, chronic diarrhea, or 
 affections of the lungs. A large number, also, of 
 the colored prisoners sent here from Washington, 
 have come in a debilitated and diseased condition. 
 He says : "This class of patients, with only occa- 
 sional exceptions, almost on the first attack fall 
 into a state of exhaustion, from which it is 
 extremely difficult to restore them." In conse- 
 quence they have in a number of instances con- 
 tinued to decline till removed by death. 
 
 These facts will show, not only the skill and 
 faithfulness of the physician, but that the inmates 
 of the Penitentiary have had as good medical 
 attention as the more favored classes in society, 
 and very much better than they would generally 
 have been able to procure for themselves. 
 
 24 
 
182 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 THE CHAPLAmCY. 
 
 One of the cardinal requisitions that the origin- 
 ators of the Albany Penitentiary urged in con- 
 nection with its establishment was : " That such 
 moral and religious instruction should be provided 
 as would be a powerful auxiliary in producing 
 amendment and reformation." This indicated 
 their deference to divine acquirements, and their 
 regard to the moral and spiritual wants of man- 
 kind. For of all the attributes of man, the moral 
 and religious are the most important and influ- 
 ential. They, by divine arrangement, have the 
 precedency. They are designed to be the main- 
 spring of thought and action — the director of the 
 whole man. Let them, therefore, be neglected, 
 debased, or treated as of secondary importance, 
 and the whole system will be deranged. Eeadjust> 
 ment and reformation will be impossible. There 
 may, indeed, be induced, under the power of seclu- 
 sion or physical force, a servile fear; perverse 
 passions may, for a time, be checked, and the 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 183 
 
 developments of a depraved will may be stayed ; 
 but let these appliances be removed, and it will 
 soon become apparent that instead of promoting 
 reformation they have induced spiritual hardness, 
 recklessness and hate, and made the man a more 
 inveterate slave to his passions and a greater 
 injury to the state. The moral and religious im- 
 provement of convicts should, therefore, be the first 
 and constant aim. Our efforts should be directed 
 to the sanctification of the springs of feeling and 
 action ; and this secured, by the energy of the 
 gospel, under the benediction of God, the objects 
 of our solicitude will go forth to exemplify in 
 virtuous lives the wisdom and utility of our 
 efforts. 
 
 Daniel Webster, that eminently sagacious law- 
 yer, statesman, and observer of men, said : " Man 
 is not only an intellectual, but he is also a moral 
 being; and his religious feelings and habits 
 require cultivation. Let the religious element in 
 man's nature be neglected ; let him be influenced 
 by no higher motive than low, self-interest, and 
 subjected to no stronger restraint than the limits 
 of civil authority, and he becomes the creature of 
 selfish passions or blind fanaticism. The cultiva- 
 tion of the religious sentiment represses Keen- 
 
184 Albany Penitentiaey. 
 
 tiousness, incites to general benevolence and the 
 practical acknowledgment of the brotherhood of 
 men, inspires respect for law and order, and gives 
 strength to the whole social fabric ; at the same 
 time it conducts the human soul upwards to the 
 author of its being." 
 
 But while these general principles are admitted, 
 there are persons who contend that the regular 
 preaching of the gospel in our penal Institutions, 
 by officially appointed Chaplains, is of questiona- 
 ble utility, and that good libraries will meet this 
 demand. They, however, practically fail to recog- 
 nize both the requirement of God, and the deep, 
 abiding m.oral wants of men ; they overlook the 
 lessons experience, in all Christian countries, has 
 taught, and which show, that however low the 
 estimate some may entertain of these services, 
 they cannot be dispensed with, but are essential 
 to effective discipline, and spiritual comfort and 
 culture. 
 
 In estimating the utility of these services, such 
 persons do not apprehend the peculiar and power- 
 ful hinderances to success found in the strength 
 of those vicious dispositions which many criminals 
 inherit; in the inveteracy of long indulged de- 
 praved habits; the continued love of self-indulg- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 185 
 
 ence in some of its most pernicious forms ; and 
 in tJie Iwstility of heart whicli is indulged against 
 society for sufferings which are regarded as the ex- 
 pression of power, not of justice. They do not, 
 moreover, think of the obstacles to usefulness 
 which exist in the uncertainty associated with 
 the* administration of justice ; the short sen- 
 tences inflicted on very many convicts ; the 
 expectation so extensively indulged of executive 
 pardon ; the prevalent and regnant spirit in our 
 penal Institutions which practically regards exter- 
 nal submission and pecuniary profit, far more 
 than spiritual reformation and the gain of godli- 
 ness; and in the habits of society which often 
 operate, as convicts well Imiow, either as powerful 
 hinderances to good, or strong temptations to evil. 
 Above all, those persons forget the utter ignorance 
 of revealed truth in which a large number of our 
 criminals have lived; their inaptitude and che- 
 rished insensibility to divine impressions ; and the 
 fact that there can be no real and saving reforma- 
 tion without the transformation of the soul, which 
 is not within the compass of human power. This, 
 said the Great Teacher, is "not of blood, nor of 
 the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but 
 of God." 
 
186 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 There is another class of individuals who cor- 
 dially favor the appointment of Chaplains, and 
 the maintenance of religious services, but who 
 think the hinderances to the production of 
 spiritual good, are so great that very little indeed 
 will be accomplished. To both these classes the 
 subsequent facts are commended, for they are hot 
 the expression of an easy credulity, or extrava- 
 gant feeling, but of discriminating judgment, and 
 actual experience. 
 
 So convinced was the Superintendent, by his 
 previous experience, of the importance of regular 
 religious service, with prisoners, that in April, 
 1846, as soon as the north wing was finished, and 
 men were placed in its cells, long before a Chap- 
 lain was appointed, he engaged a clergyman to 
 ofiiciate among them every Sabbath day. The next 
 year as soon as the south wing was finished, and 
 women were confined therein, he had religious 
 service held with them also. So that for some 
 time, before the building was completed, two 
 weekly religious services with the convicts were 
 maintained. 
 
 When the board of Inspectors was organized, 
 the clergyman, who had previously officiated, the 
 Kev. Thomas K. Rawson, was appointed as the 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 187 
 
 Chaplain of the Institution. He had by that 
 time obtained some experience in this department 
 of ministerial labor; had commended himself to 
 those officially connected with it by his diligence, 
 prudence and fidelity ; and he evidently cherished 
 warm practical desires for the spiritual good of 
 those committed to his care. His reports and 
 labors during the period of his incumbency 
 afforded the most satisfactory proof of this fact. 
 
 The chapel was dedicated in January^ 1848. 
 It was forty-eight feet wide and thirty-six feet 
 long. It had three tiers of seats, one of which 
 was separated from the other two by a high parti- 
 tion and was reserved for the female prisoners. 
 It would seat about three hundred persons, all of 
 whom could see the speaker, and be within his 
 view. 
 
 The order of service is similar to that which 
 prevails in non-liturgical churches, and is re- 
 stricted to one hour. The preaching has ever 
 been of an unsectarian and catholic character, 
 confined to the essential truths and duties of Christ- 
 ianity. It is required of all who are in health 
 to attend, and there is not only a uniform willing- 
 ness, but a desire to do so ; indeed it is generally 
 esteemed a pleasure. And while there are doubt- 
 
188 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 less some who feel thus because it is a relief from 
 the solitariness of their cells, there are many 
 others who are influenced by higher motives, and 
 who love the service because of the spiritual 
 instruction and refreshment it affords. Certainly 
 their attention is at all times exemplary, and that, 
 it is believed, not simply because of the excellent 
 discipline which prevails throughout the Institu- 
 tion, but from the personal interest felt therein. 
 
 In connection with preaching the gospel, it is 
 required of the Chaplain that he should visit the 
 prisoners at their cells for personal conversation 
 and instruction on religious subjects, that their 
 improvement and his usefulness may be pro- 
 moted. This has always been faithfully done on 
 the Sabbath and at other times, and these visits 
 have often been occasions of spiritual interest and 
 promise. Many a convict has then freely dis- 
 closed his course in sin, his objections to the 
 religion of the Bible, or his anxiety for salvation, 
 as otherwise he would not have done, and has 
 received counsel which was attended with per- 
 manent good. 1 
 
 The following extracts from the former Chap- 
 lains' reports will show the conviction, which, after 
 prolonged observation, he entertained of the use- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 189 
 
 fulness of these services. In liis first report he 
 said : "As to the results, or the effects produced 
 upon the minds of the multitudes who have here 
 been brought under the gospel influences, much 
 might be said, were it expedient to enter into the 
 details of particular cases, or trace the history of 
 individuals ; for it can not be doubted but that 
 many souls have here received permanent impres- 
 sions through the truth, sufficient to guide and 
 encourage their future good conduct. 
 
 " The Sabbath-breaker, the profane swearer, 
 the spendthrift, the licentious, and the inebriate, 
 and some of every class I firmly hope, will here- 
 after be better citizens, and better men, for having 
 found in this prison reliable friends, ready to sjmi- 
 pathize in their sorrows, and direct their anxious 
 inquiries after spiritual wisdom. 
 
 " There have been five, who have expressed 
 hopes of having been converted to God in prison, 
 and three others who had once been professors of 
 religion, gave evidence before they left of their 
 sincere mind and purpose to walk worthily here- 
 after." 
 
 Again : " Allow me to add that, from month to 
 
 month, I have received some cheering evidence 
 
 that the instrumentalities which have here been 
 24 
 
190 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 employed for the moral improvement and reforma- 
 tion of the prisoners, have been blessed in pro- 
 moting their good in various ways. 
 
 "And, in respect to a few of these, we might, 
 perhaps, relate better things than such as grow 
 out of fair promises of amendment of life, and 
 good resolutions, for we desire, with devout grati- 
 tude, to magnify the truth in its divine influences 
 to turn the sinner from the error of his ways, yet 
 we would not indulge too confident hopes in cases 
 of persons of this description, however flattering 
 at first may be the appearances." 
 
 In his seventh report, he used this decisive 
 language: "Most of the prisoners seem well 
 inclined to read the scriptures, and diligently im- 
 prove the opportunities afforded them in doing 
 so. And occasionally I have met with instances 
 of devotedness to this employment, manifesting a 
 most exemplary spirit of perseverance and of 
 solicitude to understand the teachings of that 
 sacred volume, none of whose inspired pages can 
 be thus perused, from day to day, without deeply 
 impressing the conscience of the reader. 
 
 "Thus, in various ways, much good has been 
 accomplished, the ignorant and erring have been 
 induced to look upon the holy things of religion 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 191 
 
 in a better light. Their frequent acknowledg- 
 ments of its adaptedness to heal and save the 
 lost, abundantly evince the convictions they have 
 felt of its claims to their obedience. 
 
 "I cannot doubt but that numbers of the prison- 
 ers have, from month to month, gone from these 
 walls with clearer views of the will of their 
 Maker, and, consequently, with a better sense of 
 their dependence upon him than they had ever 
 before entertained ; and from time to time, there 
 has been pleasing evidence that not only the way- 
 ward and the wanderer have been checked in 
 their downward course, but that they have 
 resolved to turn their feet unto the testimonies of 
 the Lord. 
 
 "I would, therefore, with feelings of humble 
 gratitude, acknowledge the sovereign goodness 
 and mercy which has been vouchsafed to these 
 means of grace, and rendered them successful in 
 awakening to serious contemplation the thought- 
 less mind, and consoling the penitent with the 
 blessings of pardon and hope." 
 
 These are certainly most gratifying facts. Their 
 occurrence in connection with ministerial service 
 in any church would be encouraging, but in the 
 Penitentiary, among the class of persons who are 
 
192 Albany Penitentiaey. 
 
 usually met there, they are both stimulating and 
 promising. They show that God will everywhere 
 honor the ministry of his own word. 
 
 In February, 1856, the present Chaplain was 
 appointed, and, having accepted the position, he 
 assumed its duties on the first Sabbath of the next 
 month. Though he had never before been en- 
 gaged in prison ministrations, yet having been for 
 fifteen years occupied in ministerial and pastoral 
 service, he had seen enough of human nature in 
 connection with this work, to moderate his expect- 
 ations of usefulness, to assure him that good 
 impressions are often evanescent, that sincere 
 purposes to amend frequently fail of fulfillment, 
 and that patience and caution must be exercised 
 in estimating cases of spiritual transformation. 
 
 This experience has constantly influenced him 
 in his estimate of the good accomplished by his 
 ministrations at the Penitentiary. While expect- 
 ing its appearance, he has been careful to test its 
 reality. While thankful for its promise, he has 
 waited for the practical fruit. And it is alike his 
 duty and pleasure to say that such fruit has, with 
 every subsequent year of service, been more or 
 less realized. Though many of the convicts were 
 unable to read, and profoundly ignorant of the 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 193 
 
 doctrines of the Bible ; though they were deeply 
 debased by long indulged pernicious habits; 
 though in many instances they cherished senti- 
 ments which had almost destroyed their moral 
 perceptions and made them incapable of forming 
 an intelligent and correct opinion of personal, 
 spiritual, religion; and though in thousands of 
 cases the short period of confinement necessarily 
 limited the prospect of good results, yet hardened 
 and vicious women, stolid and degraded men, 
 have been aroused to thoughtfulness and con- 
 cern. They were compelled to feel that they had 
 been recreant to their own interests, and had will- 
 fully debased their highest attributes and nature. 
 Though many of them failed to nurture those 
 impressions, and returned again to their evil 
 course, there is good reason to believe that he, 
 who "drew near to him the publicans and sin- 
 ners," who did not repel the contrite Magdalene, 
 nor deny the prayer of the dying thief, has made 
 his word, to some of them, the power of God to 
 salvation. Particular personal illustrations of 
 this might easily be given, but the following brief 
 extracts from the present Chaplain's reports must 
 suffice. In the report for 1860, he said : "I have 
 also watched the conduct of several after their 
 
194 Albany Penitentiart. 
 
 period of confinement has expired, and it gives 
 me pleasure to say that they have afforded gratify- 
 ing evidence of reformation, and in some instances 
 of devotion to Jesus. I am constrained by this 
 observation to think that a much larger number 
 are benefited by the discipline of the Penitentiary 
 than is generally supposed." 
 
 Again in 1861 : "I am thankful to say that 
 through the year now ending the religious services 
 at the Penitentiary h'ave been sustained with 
 regularity, and as much of interest as during any 
 previous year of my connection with the Institu- 
 tion. They have been attended, I believe, by 
 the greater number of convicts, not by constraint 
 only, but of a ready mind. The ministrations of 
 the gospel have met a respectful, and in very 
 many instances, an earnest attention. And in 
 my subsequent conversations with individual pri- 
 soners, I have frequently been cheered by their 
 voluntary remarks and inquiries respecting what 
 they heard, or had read from the sacred word. I 
 know that many there heard truths, and were the 
 subjects of impressions, which, to them were en- 
 tirely new, and which, had they been known and 
 cherished in the germinating period of life, would 
 have saved them from criminality, punishment 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 195 
 
 and disgrace. I have during tliis, as in previous 
 years, watched the conduct of several after leav- 
 ing the Penitentiary, and I mention the fact with 
 gratitude to God, they are ncrw doing well, Jionora- 
 hly filling their station in society, and in some 
 instances they are giving proof of true piety. I 
 believe there are those now in it icJio will whsn 
 liberated do likewise." 
 
 Again, in 1864 : "Several instances of hopeful 
 conversion^ have, I am encouraged to believe, 
 occurred during the year; and among the men 
 who have left the Penitentiary within that time, 
 three are known to me as giving abiding proof of 
 Christian character. One has been admitted to 
 membership with a church in Western Virginia, 
 another in Maryland, and a third is about to unite 
 with a church in this state." 
 
 The following is from his last report : " I have 
 gone from Sabbath to Sabbath to meet the convicts 
 with a cheerful and grateful heart, for I felt my 
 object was in harmony with the divine mind, with 
 the great plan of human salvation, and with the 
 enduring happiness of the hundreds to whom I 
 ' am accustomed to preach. 
 
 "It is a pleasure to me to say that I have, with 
 every returning service, had a very attentive, and 
 
196 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 apparently, interested congregation. Indeed, their 
 earnest and inquiring looks, while addressing them, 
 have often afforded me great interest and hope, 
 and enabled me to speak more directly to their 
 hearts. 
 
 "My visits to the prisoners in their cells on the 
 Sabbath and at other times, have invariably been 
 agreeable, and not unfrequently been gladly wel- 
 comed. "Very many deeply interesting conversa- 
 tions have been held with them respecting their 
 previous character and conduct. 
 
 "That spiritual good has been accomplished, I 
 have no question. Decisive proof of this has been 
 afforded by some now in the Institution, by the 
 correspondence and intercourse had with others 
 who have left, and by the intelligent scriptural 
 hope expressed by others who have entered the 
 eternal state. I mention it with thankfulness to 
 the Giver of all good, that except in seasons of 
 special religious interest, I have never, in either 
 of the three pastoral charges previously sustained, 
 witnessed more frequent and hopeful indications 
 of permanent usefulness." 
 
 In view of these facts, and the wants of the 
 Penitentiary, it is to be regretted that the Chap- 
 lain's whole time has never yet been engaged. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 197 
 
 It only remains to speak of the alteration which 
 has just been made for attending religious service. 
 On the reception, in September, 1862, of a large 
 number of United States prisoners from Washing- 
 ton, it became necessary to alter the chapel for 
 their accommodation. Consequently the high 
 partition which had divided and hidden the 
 women from the men, was removed, and even then 
 the room was too small to admit all the male con- 
 victs. From that time, therefore, two religious ser- 
 vices were statedly held every Sabbath morning, 
 the first with the men, the second with the women, 
 and not unfrequently the Chaplain conducted a 
 third with those who could not be admitted to the 
 first. This occasioned increased anxiety and 
 labor ; and how to secure the necessary accommo- 
 dation was to the Superintendent a long and 
 wearisome study. At length the way to do so 
 occurred to his mind, and there being in the 
 earnings of the Institution the promise of suffi- 
 cient funds to defray the expense he determined 
 in August, 1866, to commence the work. The 
 alteration involved, as previously stated, the 
 addition of forty feet in length to the centre of 
 the building, from the foundation to the top. 
 
 This secures needed accommodations, as well as 
 25 
 
198 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 an enlarged chapel. The latter is now forty-eight 
 feet wide, and seventy-six feet long, and is in every 
 respect a fine commodious room. It is light, well 
 ventilated, and, with neatly frescoed walls, plea- 
 sant to eye ; adapted to excite healthful feelings 
 in connection with divine worship. It has a 
 gallery across the east end, which is appropriated 
 to the women, and will comfortably seat six hun- 
 dred persons. It was dedicated to the worship of 
 God, on Sabbath, April 21, 1867. In the morning 
 the Chaplain preached from Psalm cxxii, 1. "I 
 was glad when they said unto me let us go in the 
 house of the Lord." And in the afternoon, ad- 
 dresses were delivered by clergymen and gentle- 
 men of different religious denominations. A large 
 voluntary choir were present, and by their tasteful 
 and impressive singing, greatly added to the 
 occasion. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 199 
 
 CASES OF REFORMATION. 
 
 [From the OTiaplaMs ifecorrf.] 
 
 The Chaplain has been accustomed to keep a 
 record of the more decided cases of reformation 
 which have occurred during his incumbency, and 
 the following are extracts therefrom. They are 
 for convenience arranged according to priority, 
 and alphabetically, and are given with much 
 brevity. 
 
 A. Soon after entering on the duties of the 
 chaplaincy, this man particularly arrested my 
 attention. His vicious course had brought on 
 him ppverty, imprisonment and great spiritual 
 wretchedness. Compassionating his situation, an 
 earnest effort was made to convince him of the 
 folly of his course, the injury he had done to him- 
 self, and the sin he had committed against God. 
 After some time it appeared that the conversation 
 had with him, the reading of the Bible, and the 
 preaching of the gospel, had been blessed to the 
 
200 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 renewing of his soul. Some months after he left 
 the city for his home, he wrote to the Chaplain, 
 expressing his earnest thanks for the instruction 
 and advice he here received. He said : "It has 
 caused a blessed change in my feelings, and in 
 turning my mind from the evil way in which I 
 have gone. It has been the means of my leaving 
 that way and seeking the salvation of my soul. 
 I hope I continue to live in the fear of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ." 
 
 He added : "I have a brother in his thirteenth 
 year, who was almost as wicked as myself. I 
 have endeavored to show him the evil which fol- 
 lows such wickedness, and have persuaded him to 
 cast off the chain which binds him to the adver- 
 sary. Now, instead of roaming the fields on the 
 Sabbath, we see him going to church." 
 
 B. Was a young man of robust frame, and 
 determined will, and had been notorious in the 
 place of his residence for his unblushing wicked- 
 ness. He was sentenced to the Penitentiary for 
 six months. Soon after his incarceration he heard 
 a sermon from the text: "As Moses lifted up the 
 serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of 
 man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 201 
 
 shall not perish but have eternal life." This truth, 
 it is believed, was blessed by the Holy Spirit to the 
 renewal of his soul. From that time he became, 
 in the estimation of those who watched over and 
 conversed with him, an altered man. His spirit 
 was subdued and chastened. His former conduct 
 was deplored. He was thankful for his confine- 
 ment. The Bible and religious books were his 
 delight, and were diligently read. His interest in 
 divine service was strong and abiding. His reli- 
 ance on Jesus was intelligent and entire, and his 
 hope of salvation appeared scriptural and sound. 
 His conduct as a prisoner was very commendable, 
 and he left the Penitentiary determined by divine 
 help to serve the Lord. 
 
 G. "Was of English birth, and about twenty 
 years of age. His unsettled disposition led him 
 to wander to different parts of the world, to 
 mingle with dissolute companions and conse- 
 quently to feel that the way of transgressors is 
 hard. He listened attentively to the faithful pro- 
 clamation of the truth, sought conversation with 
 the minister, and disclosed a heart painfully dis- 
 appointed by Satan and the world, oppressed with 
 a consciousness of guilt, and fearful before God. 
 
202 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 His past life presented so dark a scene and sug- 
 gested such painful forebodings, that he shrunk 
 from the review. Bitter were his denunciations of 
 himself, and the course he had run, and mournfully 
 did he speak of wasted mind and opportunities. 
 
 Still the dishonor he had done to God was not so 
 deeply felt ; and there was much self-dependence 
 mingled with his expression of hope. Again and 
 again he was reminded of the importance of hav- 
 ing a well grounded hope, shown what that hope 
 is, and warned against trusting in any but Jesus. 
 At length it pleased the gracious Spirit to lead 
 him, as we trust, to see the heinousness of sin, as 
 committed against a righteous and beneficent God, 
 and the utter ruin and helplessness it brings on 
 man. On his perception of these truths, he ex- 
 claimed with astonishment : " How mistaken I 
 was ! Now I see that Jesus is all ! " 
 
 After this several months elapsed before the 
 expiration of his sentence, during which time his 
 conduct as a prisoner merited commendation. On 
 his release, he sought a residence in a Christian 
 family and soon after joined the Congregational 
 church in . 
 
 Not long after the commencement of the war in 
 1861, he joined the army and honorably discharged 
 
Albany Penitentiaey. 203 
 
 his duties as a soldier during the three years for 
 which he enlisted. The following letter addressed 
 to the Chaplain, will show the spirit he cherished 
 in February, 1866 : 
 
 " My Dear Mr. Dyer : 
 
 I know it will do your kind heart good, when 
 this reaches you, to hear from one in whom you 
 have taken so great an interest, and for whom 
 you have done so much, and I assure you that, 
 although my long silence might well cause you to 
 think that I had forgotten you, yet many times 
 when the pressure of duties and surrounding 
 temptations have led me to neglect, and almost 
 forget the Savior whom, in days gone by, you 
 taught me to love ; the remembrance of those 
 teachings have led me back to think of you, and 
 calmly look the evil in the face, and turn with 
 fresh resolve and courage to battle against them. 
 
 " I speak of this that you may see that the bread 
 you cast upon the waters will return, although it 
 might be after many days, and the seed which 
 you sowed broad cast will spring up at sometime, 
 even though in many cases it bears no fruit. 
 
 " Many times, a word, an old familiar hymn 
 tune, or a text of scripture has brought me back 
 
204 Albany Penitentiaky. 
 
 in imagination to the place where I first heard you 
 preach, and the thought of it has humbled me. 
 No, I have never forgotten you, sir, or the word 
 which I heard you preach, nor do I think it pos- 
 sible for me ever to do so ; and whilst I am speak- 
 ing of this, I will just mention, what I think is an 
 illustration and a proof of the power of religious 
 training. 
 
 "It is conceded by all, that here, in the army, is 
 the place where a man's true character is brought 
 out, and I fully concur in the opinion; therefore 
 we would think that it is just the place for one 
 who not only professes to be godly, but acts up to 
 it, to be reviled ; yet I can assure you, sir, that I 
 never knew a single instance, where a truly good 
 man was jeered or reviled at, since I have been in 
 the army, but on the contrary, he is always re- 
 spected and trusted, and that too, more amongst 
 the privates than the officers. Another thing, 
 tracts, religious papers, etc., are in most cases read 
 with avidity, and & favorite pastime, at least in 
 our regiment, is to sing Tiymns. 
 
 "This, I think, is the result of early religious 
 training, which to say the least of it, can have no 
 other influence but for good ; for I can say, that I 
 have to meet the first true Christian yet, who was 
 
Albany Pbnitekttjaet, 205 
 
 a coward, or lias ever been amongst the skulkers 
 in the rear, in time of action. I never knew the 
 power of Christianity before I came in the army. 
 
 "This evening is a dark, rainy evening, and 
 being in my tent alone reading, I laid the book 
 down and looked over my 'Christian account' for 
 the past month, which left me all debtor, my 
 'faith' even counting 'nothing,' being 'without 
 works.' During my reverie, the thought came 
 into my head, what would Mr. Dyer say if he 
 could see me as I see myself? from this I had to 
 look, where I know you would have pointed me, 
 and ask what does Christ think of me, who sees 
 hetter than I do myself? The thought,. you might 
 well know, abashed me, but I have learnt to think 
 less of myself than I used to, and since I came in 
 the army I have determined to know no defeat 
 but when defeated by sin,, to buckle on the pro- 
 mises, and renew the contest with still greater 
 vigor. 
 
 " One thing I have found that I lack most, is 
 
 stability of purpose. Oh, how I wish I had the 
 
 constant, stubborn determination, which General 
 
 Grant shows he has, then I should not so often 
 
 wander from Christ! And now, Mr. Dyer, I 
 
 would ask you, -vVhen, in your closet?, you are alone 
 26 
 
206 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 with Christ, wrestle for me, pray that he will 
 give me that tenacity of purpose, to cling to him 
 through all this surging sea of life, that hereafter 
 we might meet all safe from those storms ! " 
 
 D. On his release from the Penitentiary, called 
 on me for conversation, and to solicit aid to take 
 him home. Some time after, he returned the 
 money, saying : "You will remember me as the 
 poor individual who called on you some time 
 since for advice, and whom you so generously 
 assisted. Accept my grateful thanks for your 
 kindness. I have delayed writing to you so long 
 only because I could not repay your friendly loan. 
 In temporal things my condition is low indeed ; 
 but I thank God, I can say and feel 'I am less 
 than the least of all his mercies,' and that where 
 sin abounded, grace doth now much more abound. 
 
 "The vows of a Christian profession have been 
 on me for twenty-five years ; but the circumstances 
 in which you knew me gave me a surprisingly 
 clear and minute remembrance of the past, and 
 forced me to taste the bitter dregs of long forgot- 
 ten sins. Oh, how nauseous to memory were the 
 sweet morsels of a careless, sinful life! I strive 
 to feel grateful for the mercy that has spared me. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 207 
 
 and that has, to some degree, renewed my hope. 
 My frozen heart sometimes thaws a little, but 
 often, I fear, there is more of selfish satisfaction 
 in it than melting gratitude. 
 
 "The first discourse I heard you preach was from 
 the text, 'Men ought always to pray and not to 
 faint.' That was to me like a flood of sunshine, 
 and sent my fainting heart with renewed courage 
 to the throne of grace. Another was from the 
 text: 'All Scripture is given by inspiration of 
 Godj' and that gave me renewed confidence in 
 the sure word of prophecy. Others seemed to be 
 special messages of mercy to my soul. Indeed, 
 mercy has marked all the path of my way- 
 wardness. 
 
 " ' Oh ! to grace how great a debtor, 
 Daily I'm constrained to be — 
 
 May that grace, Lord, like a fetter, 
 Bind my wandering heart to thee.' " 
 
 ,E. A young man who had grievously wandered 
 from the path of virtue, but had been hopefully con- 
 verted by the blessing of God, on the instruction 
 received, said, after his liberation : "I have thought 
 of your kind instructions a thousand times, and 
 will never forget them till my heart shall cease to 
 
208 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 beat. They have often deeply affected my mind. 
 There have been times when my conscience has 
 upbraided me with the severest reproaches. I . 
 have been led to review my past life, and to reflect 
 on the sinfulness of my conduct in abusing every 
 privilege, in opposing the dictates of conscience, 
 and in so long persisting to walk in the way of 
 transgressors when I found it so hard. I saw that 
 my sins were as the sand on the sea shore innu- 
 merable, and I thought there was no mercy for 
 such a sinner as I had been. These reflections 
 agitated my mind from day to day, till my heart 
 was truly awakened to a- sense of my situation as 
 a sinner before God. Then the truths I had 
 learned in the Sunday school came afresh, and 
 with power to my mind. I was enabled to go as 
 a poor sinner to Jesus for pardon and grace, trust- 
 ing alone to his mercy and committing my soul 
 to his care. My Bible is now my chosen compa- 
 nion, and the books, tract? and papers you have 
 given me, have been of great use. I shall have 
 to bless God for them through eternity. I must 
 say that I never found tru^ happiness till I fled 
 for refuge from the wrath to come, to the Lamb 
 of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. 
 0, that as I have sinned much, I may love the 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 209 
 
 Savior much, and serve him wholly ; and may I 
 hope, that all my sins are buried in the ocean of 
 his love, so that they may be no more found 
 forever!" 
 
 F. The following letter was unex|)ectedly re- 
 ceived from a young man who gave evidence of 
 saving benefit from the services to which he 
 referred : 
 
 "It is in accordance with the dictates of my 
 heart, that I address these lines to you, and con- 
 fessing my unworthiness before God, I desire with 
 heartfelt gratitude to bless him for preserving; 
 my life, and for showing me by his Spirit and 
 word the way of everlasting life through the 
 mediation of his dear Son. I express to him my 
 warmest thanks for your earnest efforts to instruct 
 my mind, to lead me to Jesus, and to make me 
 content and dutiful in iny present unfortunate 
 situation. You have at different periods poured 
 on my heart a flood of consolation, from the pre- 
 cious encouragements of the gospel, and have 
 clearly shown me by scripture and my own expe- 
 rience the connection which exists between sin 
 and suffering, and the effects of a disobedient and 
 profligate life. By your unwearied ejiertions the 
 
210 Albany Penitentiaet. 
 
 word of God is no longer a sealed book to me, and 
 for these and every other act of kindness I have 
 experienced at your hands, I feel sincerely grate- 
 ful. . While I lament my former misconduct, and 
 misfortunes, and trust I have abandoned the vices, 
 previously indulged, I earnestly implore divine 
 grace to enable me to submit in a proper manner, 
 and do all things as unto Christ." 
 
 G. Another individual, who was hopefully res- 
 cued from the destructive path of sin through the 
 blessing of God on the religious services attended, 
 said : " I thank God that he has opened my eyes 
 to see my sins, and led me to seek his favor while 
 it may be found. When I think of my past trans- 
 gressions, I bless him I am not in hopeless misery. 
 It makes me shudder to think of my course and 
 danger. How very thankful I ought to be ! '0, 
 Lord, I will praise thee, though thou wast angry 
 with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou 
 comfortest me ! Behold, God is my salvation, I 
 will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord Jehovah 
 is my strength and song.' Oh, it is heaven in the 
 soul of a poor sinner, deserving eternal misery, to 
 be able to say and feel without hesitation, ' God is 
 my salvation!' I do thank and praise his holy 
 
Albany Penitentiaet. 211 
 
 name that he has opened a way for me to be 
 saved. Through his mercy I can- say with the 
 hymn : 
 
 " ' Yes, though of sinners I'm the worst, 
 I cannot doubt thy will ; 
 For if thou hadst not loved me first, 
 I had refused thee still.' 
 
 "My wish and prayer is, that I may always be 
 found meek and humble at the Savior's feet. I 
 do hunger and thirst after righteousness,, and trust 
 that God will enable me to show forth his praise. 
 I feel my ignorance and weakness, but I look with 
 hope to Jesus. I sincerely thank him for the 
 great good I have received through your instru- 
 mentality. I trust through grace to persevere in 
 this good way, and I believe I shall have cause to 
 praise God to all eternity for the favor here 
 received." 
 
 H. It was early on a pleasant morning during 
 the summer of 1862, an individual called at 
 the Chaplain's house and expressed a particular 
 desire to see him. -Some surprise was felt when 
 the message was delivered, and curiosity as to the 
 object of so early a call. On meeting him he 
 
212 Albany Penitentiaey. 
 
 stretched forth his hand in a very cordial manner, 
 and indicated, by his hearty shake, unusual 
 warmth. Not being immediately recognized, he 
 said, with somewhat of disappointment, "You do 
 not remember me ! " And it was so, for when 
 Before' seen it was in the Penitentiary attired in a 
 convict's dress, whereas now his appearance and 
 deportment were every way respectable. 
 
 He then mentioned his name, and said, "I have 
 not an hour to stop in Albany, but I have longed 
 to see you, and I felt I must if possible do so ; for 
 the preaching I heard, and the counsels you gave 
 me at the Penitentiary, made, by the blessing of 
 God, an impression on my mind which can never 
 be effaced and for which I trust I shall praise him 
 to all eternity. On leaving that place I went 
 
 to where I found immediate employment, 
 
 and am now comfortably settled. My family 
 which was broken up is now together. My wife 
 is a Christian woman. We are both members of 
 the church, and have hope of interest in Christ. 
 Life has altogether changed with me, I am now 
 happy, and I wanted to tell you and thank you 
 for your kind endeavors to lead me to Jesus." 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 213 
 
 I. Was a young man of good temper, generous 
 heart, and respectable connections. But fond of 
 company and social gratification, he fell into vice 
 and crime, and was sent to the Penitentiary. 
 Through the influence of friends he obtained a 
 pardon for his first offense which seemed to 
 increase his boldness in sin. He was soon after 
 convicted again for the serious offense of grand 
 larceny, and was sent to the Penitentiary for two 
 years. During his confinement there this time, it 
 pleased God to bless the preaching of Christ to his 
 soul. He evidently became a changed man, and 
 when he left that Institution it was with the firm 
 determination to live a Christian life. 
 
 The Sabbath after his return home, he went 
 into the Sabbath school, and not long after was 
 received as a member of the church. In the 
 course of a few months the conviction gained an 
 ascendency in his mind that he ought to prepare 
 for the gospel ministry. After a thorough exa- 
 mination of his motives by his pastor and other 
 friends, he was encouraged to do so. He was 
 
 introduced to the seminary in to prepare 
 
 for college, which, being done, he left with the 
 expectation of soon entering on his collegiate 
 course. A clergyman who was daily conversant 
 
214 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 with him during that period, says : " He was a 
 diligent student, and, as a Christian, more than 
 barely exemplary. Indeed he was a model of con- 
 sistency and won the regard and esteem alike of 
 teachers, and his fellow students. Ever intent on 
 doing good, cheerful and communicative, he found 
 ready access to all, and left a deep impression of 
 the fervor and sincerity of his own piety, even on 
 those who were not moved to imitate it. No one 
 who knew him and was conversant with his daily 
 life, doubted of his being a disciple of the Master 
 whom he professed to serve. 
 
 " When the Tenth, or as it was subsequently 
 called, the One Hundred and Seventy-seventh regi- 
 ment was called into service, he, with three fellow 
 students determined, under a conviction of duty, 
 to join it for the defense of the country. Speak- 
 ing of this in a letter to a friend when at 
 
 he said, ' I do not think I did it rashly. For some 
 time before I expressed my feelings to any one, 
 my mind was exercised in regard to enlisting. I 
 had fears lest I had caught enthusiasm from my 
 fellows, instead of its being a sense of duty from 
 God. Finding no light thus, I went to the Kev. 
 
 Messrs. who spoke in favor of it; then, 
 
 after getting the consent of my mother, I enlisted. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 215 
 
 Until now I have not regretted the step I have 
 taken. Although my plans have been often 
 thwarted, yet my duty seems to be in this direc- 
 tion. The field here presented for labor to the 
 Christian is great and trying. I feel it, and to 
 some extent have had experience of it. Four 
 ministerial students, with several students for 
 other professions, are in the same company. Will 
 you pray for me, dear sir ? Also I would have 
 the prayers of those with whom I used to meet, 
 and take sweet counsel together. 
 
 " 'After I return, if I do, I hope eagerly to resume 
 my studies for the glorious work of the ministry, 
 which seems more precious to me, and much more 
 to be sought after. Pray for us that we may not 
 become corrupted, but that we may do good, and 
 honor the religion of Christ.'" 
 
 He was never permitted to return home. His 
 military duties in connection with his voluntary 
 religious service for the benefit of others were too 
 much for his strength. His body sunk under the 
 pressure, while his spirit joyfully arose to glorious 
 service on high. 
 
 J. Was among the prisoners who were brought 
 here, in 1862, from Washington. He was an 
 
216 Albany Penitentiaet. 
 
 intelligent and well informed young man, and the 
 only son of an estimable colored preacher. His 
 parents diligently sought to bring him up in the 
 nurture and admonition of the Lord, but he fear- 
 fully set at nought all their counsels, and despised 
 their reproofs. His father was anxious to give him 
 a good education, and prepare him for the ministry, 
 but he was determined to pursue a course of folly 
 and sin. He did so, and became awfully bold 
 and hardened in impiety. He said : "I cannot 
 describe my wickedness, in characters black 
 enough. I was the companion of the worst 
 class of men." At length he was arrested for 
 crime, and sentenced to the Penitentiary for two 
 years and six months. But, it is grateful to add, 
 that while paying this penalty to the law of men, 
 God graciously made him, as there is good reason 
 to hope, the possessor of spiritual freedom and life. 
 This occurred within a few months of his coming 
 here; and from that time till the expiration of 
 his sentence he was a most exemplary prisoner, a 
 diligent student of the Bible, and a cheerful Christ- 
 ian man. "While he naturally desired release, it 
 seemed to be chiefly that he might do something 
 to repair the moral injuries he had inflicted on 
 others. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 217 
 
 The knowledge of this change excited the most 
 gladdened feelings in his aged father's heart. He 
 said in a letter to the convict son : " I take my 
 pen to transmit a few lines to let you know that 
 although you are the son of misfortune, and have 
 caused me to shed many a tear, and have many 
 an aching heart, you are, notwithstanding, my son, 
 my only son. Upon you I had fixed my future 
 hopes. Eespecting you I had thoughts like these : 
 I thank God for the gift of a son. I will strive to 
 bring him up to honor. I will educate him and 
 prepare him for whatever sphere God may call 
 him to. But I thought, as I had but one son, 
 my preference, if it were allowed, would be that 
 after I was gone to my grave he might perpetuate 
 in honor my memory by going through the land, 
 holding up a risen Savior to a ruined world. This 
 is what I ask of you, and what I have asked God 
 to grant if it be his will. Should I realize this 
 before I die there will be no other earthly good I 
 shall desire. Then, old Simeon-like, I shall depart 
 in peace. 
 
 " Dear son, there is not anything which could 
 have given me so much joy as to hear of your 
 conversion. May God give you grace to stand to 
 the end of your life. When I read your letter I 
 
218 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 was overcome with. joy. I thouglit to myself, can 
 it be so ? Oh ! is it so ? Thank God for the return 
 of my only son. Now, inasmuch as you say ycu 
 have passed through this great moral change, strive 
 to let all with whom you have to do see it in your 
 life and conduct. Eead the word of God, and 
 walk by it, then you will do well, and be sure of 
 heaven." 
 
 Some time after his return home, where he was 
 lovingly received, he wrote to the Chaplain, say- 
 ing, I rejoice to tell you that I am still striving to 
 enter in at the straight gate ; and I feel, and trust, 
 that by the help of my Father who is in heaven 
 I shall yet adorn the doctrine of God my Savior, 
 and walk worthy of the gospel. Pray for me that 
 I may be led in that way which shall the more 
 conduce to the glory of God and the good of his 
 kingdom. I have experienced what you told me 
 about the temptations of Satan. I have found 
 truly that he is sometimes transformed into an 
 image of light. Pray for me, dear sir, that I may 
 take the whole armor of God; fight the good 
 fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal life. That 
 in all things I may act for eternity, and become a 
 chosen instrument in God's hand of honoring him. 
 This young man has since joined the church, of 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 219 
 
 which his father is the pastor, and continues, so 
 far as we know, to honor his profession. 
 
 K. Was also a prisoner sent from Washington 
 to the Penitentiary. He was a young man, the 
 oldest son of highly respectable and devotedly 
 pious parents. He was the child of many prayers, 
 and had been trained with much care. But while 
 in the army he yielded to temptation, and sub- 
 jected himself to the penalty of the law. After 
 he had been incarcerated about twelve months, 
 during which time he had been frequently ad- 
 dressed on the subject of personal religion, he one 
 day said to the Chaplain, whom he saw conversing 
 with a sick man. "I shall be glad to have some 
 conversation with you, if you please, sir, when 
 disengaged." 
 
 The opportunity was soon given, and in an 
 intelligent and decided manner he expressed the 
 hope that he had experienced that change which 
 had been so often urged upon him, and which the 
 scriptures designate as "bom again of the spirit." 
 On being asked what were the grounds of his hope, 
 he referred to the spiritual light which had beamed 
 on his mind ; to the different views he now had 
 of sin, of his moral state, of the Bible, of Jesus, 
 
220 . Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 and of religious duties. He said, that notwith- 
 standing all he had heard and read, these subjects 
 were dark to him before ; but now the truths and 
 duties of religion were clear and attractive. He 
 wondered he had not seen them so before, was 
 astonished at his own blindness, and condemned 
 himself on its account. He denounced his pre- 
 vious impenitence and impiety ; and in answer to 
 the question, if he would accept of liberty was it 
 offered on the condition that he should live as he 
 had done, he said decidedly, "I would not." 
 
 This young man, some months after, was par- 
 doned ; and, in a letter, subsequently received, his 
 father spoke of him thus : " I have been intending 
 for some time past to write you, but a pressure of 
 cares and labors has prevented me until now. I 
 do not regret the delay, however, since it enables 
 me to speak with increasing confidence respecting 
 the change which we hope and believe has come 
 over my son. I have felt that the test of time, 
 and of actual contact with temptation, was neces- 
 sary to establish my confidence. He still appears 
 well. He has been steadily at work the whole 
 time since he came home. I told his employer 
 frankly his past history, and he seemed willing 
 to take him notwithstanding. He goes to work 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 221 
 
 before breakfast and remains until eight or nine 
 in the evening. He stipulated for Thursday 
 evenings that he might attend our weekly prayer 
 meeting. At our last communion season, he 
 remained and seemed deeply interested. I did 
 not urge him to unite with the church, but I 
 think he will be inclined to do so at the next 
 opportunity. 
 
 "I cannot but hope that the great change has 
 come upon him, and that he has in all respects 
 begun a new life. My heart tells me that 
 I am not grateful enough for so great a 
 mercy, and yet I feel that I could not find 
 words sufficient to express my gratitude and 
 
 joy." 
 
 L. The following communication was received 
 a few months since from a young woman whose 
 misconduct led her to the Penitentiary, but 
 whose course for some time past has encouraged 
 the hope that she has experimentally found the 
 Savior. "I feel to-day that I cannot any longer 
 hide my feelings. I must speak of Jesus who 
 died to save me. Although I have turned 
 from him, and gone with the world, yet he 
 
 has shown himself an infinitely kind and loving 
 
 28 
 
222 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 friend. I remember the loving counsel of my 
 dear father and mother in regard to my soul, 
 but I despised it, and left them, and went like 
 the prodigal, far from them; but now I see 
 the end of it. Instead of being to-day a comfort 
 to them, I am a convict in the Albany Prison, a 
 poor outcast. But, dear sir, I have one hope ; it 
 is that there is a friend in heaven who will not 
 reject me, no matter how vile. On this friend I 
 now lean for help and support, and I know he 
 will hear my cry. 
 
 " The last letter I received from home, my sister 
 begged me to think of my soul, and reminded me 
 of the words of Jesus : ' Though your sins be as 
 scarlet, they shall be as white as snow." " Come 
 unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, 
 and I will give you rest." Think of this beauti- 
 ful invitation the Savior gave to a wretched 
 sinner like me. 
 
 "I can never forget the last prayer my mother 
 offered for me. At the time I made such fun of it 
 that she had to rise from her knees and leave the 
 room; but now I pray God in mercy, to forgive 
 me. If it had not been for hearing you talk so 
 about the Savior, I would have been lost forever ; 
 but I hope that now I have found him. God 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 223 
 
 grant I may continue so. I can say from my 
 heart : 
 
 " ' One there is above all others, 
 
 Well deserves the name of friend; 
 His is love beyond a brother's 
 Costly, free and knows no end.' " 
 
224 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 LETTERS FROM DISCHARGED PRISONERS. 
 
 The following letters addressed to the Superin- 
 tendent by discharged prisoners, are selected 
 from a large number of like character. They 
 show the spirit and manner of the treatment 
 received at the Penitentiary, and express a grate- 
 ful remembrance of the care and attention 
 experienced. They have been altered only in 
 their orthography and grammatical expression. 
 
 Nov. 20, 1866. 
 General : As I was well aware my natural 
 sensitiveness would not allow me to express to 
 you personally how grateful I am for your many 
 acts of kindness to me, during my confinement 
 in your Institution, I take this method of return- 
 ing you my sincere, my most heartfelt thanks, for 
 each and every kind word and act that has been 
 so overwhelmingly bestowed upon me by yourself 
 and family. Words are inadequate to express but 
 a small portion of the gratitude I feel ; for my 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 225 
 
 imprisonment, as far as yourself and family were 
 concerned, was more like a residence among kind 
 friends, than a compulsory confinement. The 
 publicly expressed gratitude of my whole life 
 will be but a poor recompense, but as you know 
 it is all I have to give in exchange, I know your 
 heart but too well when I say that I feel it will 
 be accepted as a full return. 
 
 A regularly hired official might be proud to 
 boast of the confidence you have reposed in me ; 
 what then can I say in regard to your confidence 
 towards me, both public and private? Simply 
 nothing, except to reiterate to you how justly 
 proud I am to be the recipient of them. 
 
 That I am not insensible to the kind wishes 
 expressed in my behalf by Lady P., I believe you 
 are aware ; pray convey to her the assurances of 
 my deepest gratitude for the sympathy and advice 
 so generously bestowed upon me, and of my deter- 
 mination to endeavor with my whole strength to 
 profit by them in the future. You will no doubt 
 be glad to know that amid all my anxieties I 
 have hitherto refrained from the "cup." In fact 
 I have not touched a drop of whisky since I left 
 you, and have refused innumerable invitations to 
 imbibe. 
 
226 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 That the Almighty in his infinite mercy may 
 ever bless and protect yourself and family will be 
 the constant prayer of 
 
 Your most sincere 
 
 and devoted servant, 
 
 * 
 * * 
 
 Sept. 9, 1864. 
 
 General : Pardon me for this liberty I am tak- 
 ing in thus addressing you, whom I have never 
 seen ; but I have something I wish to say to you, 
 and fearing I was never to have the privilege of 
 looking into your face and telling you the great 
 thankfulness I feel, I can not do otherwise than 
 give expression to my thoughts in this way. 
 
 I am indeed living a lonely, desolate life, now 
 that my husband is an inmate of your prison 
 walls, but the thought that he is kindly treated 
 and cared for by those in charge, makes the 
 sorrow less crushing in its weight. Words are 
 feeble, but I assure you that had I not felt that 
 you all were so considerate of his extreme distress 
 and situation, it would be the last drop in the cup, 
 the last feather to weigh me down. 
 
 I thank you all ; more, I bless you. That you 
 will continue to cheer and encourage him in this 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 227 
 
 awful suspense witli which he is aflflicted I am 
 sure. Your mission is indeed a trying and respon- 
 sible one ; but that he whose eye is upon one and 
 all, will make your crown brighter in that land of 
 the dim unseen where we shall all meet one day 
 I am certain. 
 
 Hoping God, our Father, will bless you in this, 
 and in all things else, I am 
 
 Yours with deepest gratitude, 
 
 * 
 
 July 2ith, 1866. 
 
 Sir : Having arrived in Concord agreeable to 
 your request, I now write to you. After leaving 
 you and going to "West Troy, I found myself 
 unable to travel until Monday, but liberty and 
 change worked in my favor, and I now feel nearly 
 as well as ever. 
 
 I am already tired of idleness, and wish to go 
 to work as soon as possible : I think that my expe- 
 rience with you will be a life-long lesson, and I 
 shall do my best to follow the Kev. Mr. Dyer's 
 precepts. I can trace in my past life faults that 
 looked at the time trivial, but now assume a serious 
 aspect. I feel deeply obliged to you, and to him, 
 for your uniform kindness ; I owe to it the good 
 
228 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 that is in me ; the bad is in my own evil disposi- 
 tion : although I suffered some, I shall ever look 
 back with something of pleasure, though not 
 unalloyed. If my future life ever makes any- 
 thing of me, it will be owing to my confinement 
 under your superintendence, and to the earnest 
 labors of Mr. Dyer. In conclusion, allow me to 
 thank you for your kindness, and that of your 
 ofiicers. I remain very respectfully 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 * 
 * * 
 
 July 6, 1865. 
 Respected sir : With pleasure I sit down to 
 write you a few lines, letting you know how I got 
 home. I arrived safely, and thank kind heaven 
 I found all my family well. I acted as engineer 
 from , on account of an accident to the engi- 
 neer, whom I knew : I made five dollars by it, 
 which came very good at this time. General, I 
 thank you for your kindness to me while in your 
 power, and likewise when I was released. Give 
 my respects to Mrs. Pilsbury, and thank her for 
 the sjrmpathy she showed me the afternoon I was 
 released. Please answer if convenient ; I want to 
 hear from you : I hope you and all your family 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 229 
 
 may live long and enjoy good health, and at last 
 scale the mount of God, and enjoy the celestial 
 city " where the wicked cease from troubling and 
 the weary are at rest." Give my love to Mr. 
 Dyer, the chaplain; tell him I ask his prayers 
 that I may grow in grace daily, and at last meet 
 him in that heavenly place which the good Lord 
 has prepared for all that love him. 
 
 August 10, 1864. 
 
 Honored sir : With the greatest pleasure and 
 
 with feelings of the deepest gratitude I sit down 
 
 to fulfill my promise to you. I arrived here safely 
 
 last evening, after a rather tiresome journey : my 
 
 coming was unexpected and took my mother by 
 
 surprise; our meeting can be much better imagined 
 
 than described. My father is not at home yet, and 
 
 I hope to take him by surprise. My sisters are 
 
 also away on a short visit, so that I shall have the 
 
 pleasure of our meeting extended. As far as I 
 
 can ascertain, the people here seem to feel very 
 
 kindly towards me, and I have no doubt that I 
 
 shall get employment in a day or two ; as soon as 
 
 I do, I will write to either yourself or sons, and 
 
 give you the full particulars. Everything that I 
 
 see and hear goes to strengthen my good resolu- 
 29 
 
230 Albany Penitentiakt. 
 
 tions, and I can already see the wisdom of your 
 advice to me about coming home. My mother 
 sends her warmest thanks and best wishes to you, 
 Mrs. Pilsbury and your sons for your kindness to 
 me, and for jour influence in obtaining my 
 pardon. 
 
 I have the honor to remain, 
 
 Yery respectfully jours, 
 
 June 15, 1866. 
 
 Dear sir : I saw Mr. yesterday, for the first 
 
 time since his liberation from your benevolent 
 Institution. He has been at my office two or 
 three times, but absence prevented my meeting 
 him. He is in excellent health and spirits, and 
 his expressions of gratitude and respect for you 
 were so strong, that I deem it an act of justice to 
 communicate his sentiments to you, especially as 
 they are so entirely in accordance with my own. 
 
 Mr. says he cannot claim in a single instance 
 
 that you relaxed the usual discipline in his favor, 
 and of which he does not complain, but that j^our 
 treatment of him was so tempered with gentleness 
 and kind expressions of feeling and sympath}', 
 evinced in manner rather than words; that he 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 231 
 
 feels he owes you a debt of gratitude, and you 
 will ever command his warmest respect. 
 I have the honor to be, respectfully, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 * 
 
 Washington, May 12th, 1865. 
 Dear sir : I have just received a telegram from 
 Charlie, dated Jersey City, May 12th, by which it 
 appears he left your hospitable roof yesterday the 
 11th, which I suppose was by virtue of an order 
 mailed to you from the War department on the 
 19th. I have the honor to tender you my sincere 
 regards and thanks for the fatherly care and con- 
 sideration bestowed upon my son, under the 
 unfortunate circumstances which placed him 
 under your charge. Your son also has a place in 
 my heart (the heart of a father) stamped in the 
 most durable colors, he has my best wishes for 
 a long and happy life. The Deputy Warden with 
 whom I had no opportunity to become well ac- 
 quainted, I have the authority of Charlie's testi- 
 mony to hold in equal esteem. I shall ever hold 
 in my memory the history of my son during the 
 past three months as the most important of any 
 portion of my life, for the effect upon me has been 
 

 Albany Penitentiaet. 
 
 fully equal to his sufferings ; I cannot estimate its 
 true value. I liope that time will restore me 
 much of the happiness I have lost. 
 
 Mjr Sabbath in the chapel, the sermon of the 
 Kev. D. Dyer, the appearance of the convicts, the 
 personal appearance of my crippled son amongst 
 them, and all the incidents connected with that 
 interesting hour ai-e indelibly impressed upon my 
 memory. I must say that I could not, under the 
 benign precepts of him who was then addressing 
 us through his minister, feel that there was an}' 
 difference between us, for according to the standard 
 of Christian purity there was " none good among 
 us, no, not one." May God justify us by faith, 
 and make us all — convicts, officials, minister and 
 myself — the willing subjects of his law, and the 
 recipients of his saving grace. 
 
 I am happy to subscribe mj^self 
 Your much obliged and obedient servant, 
 
 Oct. 27, 1862. 
 Dear sir : My brother arrived safe yesterday 
 morning. He desires me to write you and return 
 his earnest thanks for joux kindness and gentle- 
 manly treatment while under your care. My 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 233 
 
 motlier requests me to state that she feels very 
 grateful to you for the mild and humane usage 
 bestowed upon her erring son ; and that she will 
 remember you with the kindest feelings all her 
 life. 
 
 My brother speaks in the highest terms of the 
 discipline and management of the Prison under 
 your care. 
 
 Again returning you the thanks of a grateful 
 
 family, 
 
 I am, very respectfully, 
 
 Your obedient servant, 
 
 June ^th, 1866. 
 Dear sir : I reached home about seven o'clock 
 the morning after I left you : about one hour 
 after my family had learnt that an order for my 
 release had been granted by the secretary of war. 
 I have no language to describe the scene which 
 followed my entrance once more among those who 
 have always been so dear to me ; you can under- 
 stand better than I can tell it; God grant that 
 you may never be called upon for a personal 
 realization of a like scene. For twenty-eight 
 months separated ignominously from all I held 
 
234 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 dear on earth, with a sentence hanging over me, 
 which cut off all reasonable hope or expectation 
 of ever again crossing the threshold of my home. 
 I tell you. General, the transition from disgrace to 
 the full realization of my most cherished hope, was 
 almost too much for me. But enough of this ; I 
 am with my family once more, and feel that I am 
 as much a man, as though I had not been stamped 
 as infamous by a military tribunal of summary 
 justice. Many of my friends have called on me, 
 and all express sympathy, and all treat me with 
 greater cordiality than ever before. As I told 
 you General, when I left you, I am sincerely a 
 better man than when I was placed under your 
 charge, and for this I am greatly indebted to you 
 and to your sons. I will tell you in what way. 
 When I entered your prison, I was not only broken 
 in health from the nature of the service in which 
 I had been engaged, but smarting under a sense 
 of the foulest ingratitude of the government, which 
 had paid me for my money, time and health, with 
 the ignominy of a ten years' sentence, which was 
 ruin to me, and disgrace to those whose honor was 
 dearer to me than life. I expected to have met 
 from you and your subordinates, the same heart- 
 less treatment I had met from other officials 
 
Alb ANT Pexitentiary. 235 
 
 under whose charge I had been placed : I felt it 
 was to be a life of abject degradation or death. 
 I preferred the latter to your frowns and the 
 huxniliation I felt 3'ou would force upon me — 
 don't think I contemplated suicide, I mean under 
 such treatment I had no courage to take care of 
 myself — that I should have preferred death to 
 a life such as I expected to have been forced to 
 submit to. But thanks to your generous heart, 
 the first sight I had of your face, and the first 
 word you uttered to me, told me plainly you did 
 not regard me as the miserable thing my sentence 
 implied, and that so long as I observed, or mani- 
 fested a disposition to comply with, the discipline 
 of your Institution, I might expect kind treatment 
 instead of harshness and contempt. This gave 
 me courage and I at once determined to survive 
 mv imprisonment, if bj- cleanly and proper care 
 of myself I might do it. Every facility to this 
 end was given me, and this, together with the 
 peculiar cleanliness which distinguishes the Peni- 
 tentiary over all institutions of a like character in 
 the United States, and its regularity and admira- 
 ble discipline, enabled me to accomplish the reso- 
 lution I had formed. During the tweuty-two 
 months I was confined under your charge, I was 
 
236 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 not sick one hour, always clean and entirely free 
 from vermin. I have no recollection of ever 
 meeting with a frown or an unkind word from 
 either you or your sons. I am authorized by 
 each member of my family to convey to you, 
 your sons and Mr. Dyer their profound gratitude 
 for the sympathy, kindness and consideration 
 with which you treated me while a prisoner 
 under your charge. General, I speak the senti- 
 ments of my heart, when I tell you I feel under 
 lasting obligations to you and them for the condi- 
 tion I find myself in, after so long an imprison- 
 ment. Please say to the Eev. Mr. Dyer that I 
 also feel under great obligations to him for his 
 instruction and for the sympathy he expressed for 
 me and mine while there : I was greatly benefited 
 by his teachings, and still feel, as I expressed to 
 him, that although I protest entire innocence of 
 the crime with which I was charged, yet I have 
 no doubt, but what even that was all for the best. 
 I look upon the position you occupy. General, 
 as one involving responsibilities of no enviable 
 character ; and from what I have seen of your 
 management during the last two years — perhaps 
 the most eventful of your life as a Warden, I am 
 inclined to think you are eminently entitled to 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 237 
 
 the enviable reputation you have, secured with the 
 people of the United States. I suppose this com- 
 mendation from me is entirely uncalled for and 
 out of place ; if you think so, please excuse it, 
 and believe it arises only from a sense of gratitude 
 for your kindness to me, and to the unfortunate 
 men in the hospital, who have come under my 
 observation ; and from your efforts for the comfort 
 of all under your charge. Please remember me 
 
 kindly to your sons. 
 
 EespectfuUy, etc., 
 
 August 16, 1866. 
 Dear sir : I was an inmate of your Institution 
 for twenty months. I was pardoned out on the 
 4th of July, last, and, sir, I thank God that I was 
 there; for it has made a man of me. I am a 
 sailor ; I was in for deserting from the navy. I 
 led a wild and reckless life. Before I went there, 
 I had no respect for myself, nor any one else. 
 what a blessing it was I went there, for I experi- 
 enced the great change there, which Christ spoke 
 of when he said, " Ye must be born again ! " 0, sir, 
 the joy I felt in that place, when Jesus washed 
 
 my sins away ! 0, if all found such a blessing as 
 30 
 
238 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 I did, that go there as prisoners, they would say 
 with me that they never knew what happiness and 
 joy was till they found it in prison ! Sir, I thank 
 you with all my heart for your kindness to me and 
 all others who are under your charge. I remember 
 last Thanksgiving day the kind and encouraging 
 words you used to us. You spoke to us as a friend 
 and father. 0, sir, my heart was full whilst you 
 were addressing us ; and may God bless you, sir, 
 in this world and the world to come, is my prayer ! 
 Dear sir, I find that religion is good out of pri- 
 son as well as in prison. I find pleasure now in 
 going to prayer meetings and to church, more so 
 than I ever found in rum mills and other places 
 which sailors resort to when they get on shore. 
 I have been to sea on a short voyage since I got 
 my liberty ; and now I intend to go on a long 
 voyage as soon as I can get a ship. I think I 
 shall be able to go to sea again next week. Give 
 my love to Mr. Dyer. Accept the love and thanks 
 of your humble servant. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 239 
 
 A VIEW OF ITS PRESENT STATE. 
 
 IFi'oin tJie 23(2 report of the State Prison.' Association of New York.] 
 
 It is now something over twenty-one years since 
 the buildings of this Institution were commenced, 
 under the superintendence of General Amos Pils- 
 bury, as agent of the building committee. This 
 was in the year 1845. In the following year, 
 1846, a few prisoners were received; but the 
 Institution was not regularly organized and opened 
 as a Penitentiary until 1848, when General Pils- 
 bury was unanimously elected by the city and 
 county authorities of Albany, Superintendent of 
 the same ; a position which he has held ever 
 since,^ by successive elections every three years. 
 Under his able and vigorous administration, the 
 Albany Penitentiary has attained a celebrity, 
 which has made it a point of attraction and study 
 for the whole country. "Within the last six years, 
 its character and objects have undergone a mate- 
 rial change. On the breaking out of the great 
 
 1 With tte exception of a brief period. — D. 
 
240 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 rebellion, in 1861, the building which had been 
 previously used for a Penitentiary in the city of 
 Washington, was required for military purposes. 
 Under the pressure of this necessity, the United 
 States government entered into an arrangement 
 with the Albany Pehitentiary, by which the latter 
 engaged to receive all the prisoners sentenced for 
 crimes and misdemeanors in the District of Colum- 
 bia, on condition of receiving the avails of their 
 labor and a certain stipulated amount per week for 
 the board of each. This arrangement has been 
 found mutually advantageous. The authorities at 
 Washington are at considerably less expense for 
 their convicts than when their own Penitentiary 
 was in operation, and the convicts themselves are 
 under a far better regime; while the county of 
 Albany enjoys the benefit of their labor, and has 
 a very considerable money revenue from their 
 board. During the progress of the rebellion, this 
 Penitentiary was, also, the receptacle of large 
 numbers of prisoners of state. It is through the 
 events and negotiations above recited, that a 
 mere local Institution has risen, in effect, to the 
 dignity and consideration of a United States 
 Prison. 
 
 General Pilsbury, who presides over its admin- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 241 
 
 istration, and has done so during its entire history, 
 commenced his career as a prison officer forty-two 
 years ago, and, with the exception of two brief 
 intervals, each less than a year in duration, his 
 service in that capacity has been uninterrupted 
 to the present time, and there is good hope that 
 he may complete a full half century in this im- 
 portant department of public labor. He was first 
 appointed in 1824, at the age of nineteen, as a 
 guard in the New Hampshire State Prison, under 
 his father, Moses C. Pilsbury, the Warden of that 
 Institution, and the most eminent prison officer of 
 that day. Here he immediately developed such 
 rare ability in the care and management of pri- 
 soners, that on the following year, he was raised 
 to the position of Deputy Warden, the second 
 office in the Prison, and scarcely inferior in 
 responsibility to the first. In this position he 
 served acceptably and successfully till the close of 
 1826, a period of two years. In 1827, the father 
 and son were invited to take charge of the new 
 State Prison then just erected at Wethersfield, 
 Conn., the former as Warden, and the latter as 
 Deputy Warden. 
 
 Mr. Pilsbury, senior, already advanced in years, 
 had consented to accept the Wardenship for only 
 
242 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 two years, for the purpose of starting the new 
 Prison, and getting it properly and effectively 
 organized. Having continued his service for a 
 year beyond the stipulated period, he retired in 
 April, 1830, and the son, then only twenty-five 
 years old, was unanimously chosen by the board 
 of directors to succeed the father as chief officer 
 of the Institution. This appointment, with some 
 misgivings on account of the youth of the candi- 
 date, was made chiefly on the ground of his 
 familiarity with the discipline of the Prison, and 
 his success in administering it, although at that 
 time he was unacquainted with its financial con- 
 cerns. Very soon, however, by his energy, his 
 industry, his rare judgment, his courage, and his 
 unremitted personal attention to all the duties of 
 his office, he demonstrated to the directors, the 
 legislature and the public, that his youth was no 
 disqualification for the responsible position to 
 which he had been called. His administration 
 not only sustained, but advanced the reputation 
 which had been won for the Prison by that of his 
 father. The discipline maintained by him, though 
 strict, and even rigid beyond what, in the present 
 advanced stage of prison reform, would wholly 
 meet our approbation, was nevertheless, there 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 243 
 
 can be no doubt, in point of mildness, humanity, 
 and the moral elements introduced into it, a 
 great advance upon that practiced at the time of 
 which Tve speak, in all prisons established on the 
 Auburn plan. The distinguished commissioners 
 from France. De Beaumont and De Tocqueville, 
 who visited the Wethersfield Prison about that 
 time, did not hesitate, in their report to the 
 French government, to assign to it the first place 
 among American Prisons, commending it in terms 
 warmer than those used in reference to any other 
 similar Institution in the United States. 
 
 A difficulty occurring with one of the directors 
 soon after his appointment, resulted in Mr. Pils- 
 bury's removal from office in September, 1832. 
 Charges, to the number of a half dozen or more, 
 were preferred against him to the legislature. The 
 allegations were, on his own demand, thoroughly 
 investigated by a joint committee of the body, and 
 the investigation resulted not only in a complete 
 acquittal of the accused, but in furnishing additional 
 evidence of his fitness and capacity for the office. 
 So well satisfied were the legislature of Mr. Pils- 
 bury's innocence of the charges brought against 
 him, that they voted to defray all the expenses 
 of the defense, and appropriated S-iOO to reimburse 
 
244 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 him for his loss of time in conducting it. Just 
 nine months after his removal, that is, in June, 
 1833, he was reappointed to the Wardenship by 
 the same authority that had ejected him. But 
 he found the Prison in a very different state from 
 that in which he had left it. All discipline was 
 at an end. The prisoners passed and repassed, at 
 pleasure, from shop to shop, communicating freely 
 with each other. Newspapers, in which the affairs 
 of the Prison were discussed, were to be found in 
 every work shop and cell. Traffic was freely car- 
 ried on between officers and convicts, the latter 
 using for the purpose money earned by over-work. 
 Contractors could get little work out of the men, 
 except as they bribed them with pastry, fruits and 
 other luxuries, in direct violation of the Prison 
 rules. The prisoners were bold, noisy and tur- 
 bulent. They openly declared, and flung into 
 the very face of the directors, their determination 
 not to submit to any control, unless they were 
 heard in the selection of a Warden. Indeed, the 
 prison was on the very verge of open revolt 
 and rebellion. 
 
 In the midst of this state of things, Mr. Pils- 
 bury was reelected Warden, and directed to 
 resume the reins of government. The day before 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 245 
 
 he was to enter anew upon his office, he visited 
 the Prison for the purpose of taking a survey of 
 it, and learning its condition by actual inspec- 
 tion. When he came on the ground and was 
 about to pass into the shoe shop, a kind-hearted 
 colored convict, who had been under him before, 
 came to him and desired a word in private. He 
 entreated him not to go into that shop, for the 
 men there had determined that he should not be 
 Warden, and had avowed the purpose of prevent- 
 ing it by murdering him, if that should be neces- 
 sary to the attainment of their object. Gen. 
 Pilsbury says that the prospect of presenting him- 
 self before men who entertained such feelings and 
 had expressed such a purpose was by no means 
 a pleasant one, but he felt that he must go then 
 or never. Accordingly, despite the entreaties of 
 the negro to the contrary, he immediately ascended 
 the stairs and entered the room, which contained 
 scores of men who had avowed that they would 
 have his life sooner than that he should assume 
 the reins of power over them. On the instant, they 
 gathered around him in large numbers, ,armed 
 with knives and hammers, and, in vociferous 
 tones and with menacing gestures, demanded 
 that he should immediately retire. He folded 
 
246 Albany Penitentiaey. 
 
 his arms, and, standing erect and self-poised in 
 tlie midst of that infuriated crowd of felons, he 
 calmly replied : " Men, I have no authority over 
 you to-day ; I shall have to-morrow ; but I shall 
 not leave this room until every one of you has 
 returned to his bench and resumed his work." 
 He had no weapon but his dauntless courage and 
 the glance of his piercing eye. But they were 
 enough. One by one, those bold, bad men went 
 each to his bench and his work, and when order 
 was completely restored, the brave young governor 
 withdrew in triumph. 
 
 The task of recovering the Prison from the dis- 
 order and ruin into which it had fallen, both in 
 its discipline and its finances, was not an easy 
 one. On the contrary, it was attended with great 
 difficulties and discouragements. But the work 
 was achieved within a year, so that the directors, in 
 their next annual report, declared the Institution 
 to be, in all respects, in a "prosperous condition." 
 For a period of twelve consecutive years from the 
 time of his reelection, that is, from 1833 to 1845, Mr. 
 Pilsbury remained "Warden of the Wethersfield Pri- 
 son, in spite of all the adverse influences, political 
 and otherwise, which were, from time to time, 
 brought to bear uponhim with a view to his removal. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 247 
 
 In 1845, as already stated, Gen. Pilsbury was 
 called to Albany, and from that time to the pre- 
 sent, he has been at the head of the Penitentiary 
 in that city and county, with the exception of a 
 brief period, during which he held the position of 
 governor of Ward's island, and chief of police in 
 the city of New York. We have thought this 
 brief sketch of his career due to the oldest Prison 
 officer in the United States, and certainly one of 
 the oldest and most distinguished and successful 
 in the world. We, by no means, consider the 
 General's administration as perfect or incapable 
 of improvement, and we shall feel called upon to 
 criticise it, to some extent, in the present paper j 
 but this does not blind us to his preeminent 
 ability and merit in the service to which he has 
 given, with a rare devotion, the energies of a long, 
 honorable and useful life. 
 
 Prison Premises and Buildings. 
 These were pretty fully described in last year's 
 report, from which we reprint the following brief 
 extract: "The Penitentiary is situated about 
 half a mile from the Capitol, amid surroundings 
 far more sightly than those to which convicts are 
 usually accustomed. Twelve acres of ground. 
 
248 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 beautifully grassed, with here and there a bril- 
 liant plot of flowers, or a charming garden spot, 
 furnish the frontispiece of this illustrative book 
 of human depravity, and its swift following pun- 
 ishment. An amphitheatrical undulation of the 
 ground in front, as regular and symmetrical as 
 though formed by the forced pressure of an 
 immense bowl, is a remarkable addition to the 
 landscape, and, with the smooth and closely cut 
 grass covering the slope, cannot fail to impress 
 all visitors (whether voluntary or compulsory) 
 with a great admiration of the external beauty 
 of the Prison's location. The building itself is 
 of the castellated order, three hundred and fifty 
 feet long and seventy-five in depth, including the 
 wings, which latter contain the cells, the centre 
 being occupied for business and domestic purposes 
 by the Superintendent. There are few, if any, 
 Prisons in the state, whose outward appearance 
 is so imposing and attractive." 
 
 Important improvements were in progress at 
 the time of our visit, which are expected to be 
 completed and ready for use in the spring. These 
 improvements are, in brief, as follows : The main 
 centre building is to be extended forty feet in the 
 rear. This will double the size of the cook room 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 249 
 
 in the basement, and add several rooms in connec- 
 tion, viz : a bakery, bread room, store rooms, etc., 
 etc. In the principal story the guard room will 
 be more than doubled in size, and other rooms for 
 the use of the officers and the family of the Super- 
 intendent, will be added. In the second story the 
 male and female hospitals will be increased to more 
 than twice their present dimensions, and in other 
 respects so improved as greatly to add to the 
 facilities and conveniences for taking care of the 
 sick. In the third story the chapel will be so 
 enlarged that its dimensions will be seventy-six 
 feet by forty-eight and twenty-eight feet high, in 
 place of the present chapel, which is forty-eight 
 feet by thirty-six, and only twelve feet high. 
 The elevation of the room will be effected by 
 putting on a French roof When finished, we 
 have no hesitation in saying that the new chapel 
 will be the model Prison chapel of the country. 
 
 When the improvements in progress shall have 
 been completed, it is in contemplation to make a 
 considerable addition to the end of each wing, so 
 that there shall be a sufficient number of cells to 
 obviate the necessity of placing more than one 
 prisoner in a cell, if not in all time, at least for a 
 long time to come. 
 
250 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 The authorities have given Gen. Pilsbury carte 
 hlanche to add and improve ad libitum, provided 
 the cost of such additions and improvements does 
 not exceed the surplus revenues received from the 
 labor of the prisoners. 
 
 The drainage is good, but not perfect. The 
 opportunity for draining is excellent, and there is 
 no good reason why the point of absolute perfec- 
 tion should not be reached. 
 
 The number of cells exceeds three hundred; 
 the exact number we cannot state. They are 
 seven feet long, four wide, and seven high, with 
 open-work doors, two feet wide by six feet six 
 inches high. The cell-block is surrounded by a 
 spacious corridor. The cells are well lighted by 
 day, and at night sufficiently lighted by gas to 
 enable all the prisoners to read by sitting near 
 the door. The gas is kept burning full head on 
 till half-past seven o'clock, p. m., in winter, so that 
 the prisoners have about two hours for reading. 
 
 There are three modes of heating, viz : partly 
 by furnace, partly by steam, and partly by coal 
 stoves. The Prison is kept comfortable in the 
 coldest weather. 
 
 The ventilation is very fair, much better, to say 
 the least, than in most American Prisons. There 
 
Albany Penitentiaey. 251 
 
 is a ventilating tube from each cell, terminating 
 in the roof. The wings are well provided with 
 large windows, and there are circular holes in the 
 wall near the floor, similar to those already de- 
 scribed in the Penitentiary of Monroe county. 
 The windows are kept open both above and 
 below, in winter as well as summer. This, after 
 all, is the best ventilation : for there is nothing 
 that keeps a building so pure as abundance of 
 fresh air direct from the heavens. 
 
 Water is supplied from the city waterworks, 
 and from two cisterns. There is a short time in 
 summer when the water is not of as good a 
 quality as it is during the rest of the year. The 
 supply is sufficient for all ordinary purposes. 
 
 There is a large bathing room for the men, con- 
 taining eight bath tubs. All are required to 
 bathe once a fortnight. Most of them regard it 
 as a luxury ; a few reluctate against it. In the 
 female ward there is a bath room with two tubs. 
 They are required to bathe once a week. 
 
 Tlie Prison Staff. 
 The Prison staff at present consists of a Super- 
 intendent, Deputy Superintendent, Physician, 
 Chaplain, Clerk, Hall Keeper, eight Overseers or 
 
252 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 Assistant Keepers, six Watclimen, and three 
 Matrons. 
 
 Government. 
 
 The supreme governing power of this Peniten- 
 tiary is lodged in the mayor and recorder of the 
 city of Albany, and the board of supervisors of 
 Albany county in joint meeting. Intermediate 
 between the supreme power just named and the 
 authority charged with the immediate administra- 
 tion of the Prison, is a board of three Inspectors. 
 These are appointed, one each year, by the 
 mayor, recorder and supervisors, in joint meeting; 
 two of them must be from the city, and one from 
 the country. 
 
 The Superintendent of the Penitentiary is 
 appointed by the joint board, as above explained ; 
 the Physician and Chaplain by the Inspectors; 
 and all the subordinate ofiicers by the Superin- 
 tendent. These hold their positions solely at his 
 pleasure, the absolute power of appointment and 
 removal being in his hands. 
 
 Beyond the functions already stated as apper- 
 taining to the Inspectors, they visit the Peniten- 
 tiary as a board, once every three months, examine 
 and audit the accounts of the Superintendent, and 
 
Albany Penitentiary, 253 
 
 examine into the general condition and manage- 
 ment of the Institution. Individualh", they visit 
 the Prison at their pleasure; sometimes weekly, 
 sometimes monthh- ; in general, the Superintend- 
 ent says, not so often as he would like to have 
 them. 
 
 Party politics have never been a disturbing 
 element in the administration of this Prison. 
 From the very first. Gen. Pilsbury declined to 
 accept the position offered him. unless politics 
 should be excluded from any and all influence 
 and control o^er its government. And this 
 imderstandiug has been faithfully observed ever 
 since, by all the parties to it. As a proof, it may 
 be stated, that the majority of the appointing 
 board has been about half the time of one politi- 
 cal party, and half the time of the other ; and 
 A et Mr. Pilsburv has been eight times chosen to 
 the office of Superintendent by a unanimous vote. 
 In appointing his subordinates, the Superintend- 
 ent never inquires into the party creed of any one 
 who applies for a position in the Prison, and of 
 coui-se he never removes an officer on any such 
 ground. He knows nothing of poUtics' in the 
 administration of the Penitentiary. There are 
 
 officers now with him, who have served eight, ten 
 31 
 
254 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 and twelve years ; and lie always retains a good 
 oflficer just as long as he is willing to stay. He 
 avows that, without being a politician, he has his 
 own political views, that he holds them firmly, 
 and acts upon them conscientiously, in the sphere 
 to which they belong ; but he declares that, as a 
 Prison officer, he ignores the whole thing. He 
 attributes the success of the Institution, in great 
 measure, to this utter repudiation of party poli- 
 tics from its government and administration, and 
 believes that its history would have been very 
 different, had this influence, healthy and benefi- 
 cent when confined within its proper sphere, but 
 always pestilent and often disastrous when it 
 reaches beyond that sphere, been permitted to 
 obtain a controlling power over its afiiairs. 
 
 Discipline. 
 As would readily be inferred from what has 
 been said of Gen. Pilsbury in our sketch of his 
 career as a Prison officer, the discipline in the 
 Albany Penitentiary is strict and inflexible. In 
 passing through the work shops and viewing the 
 men at their labors, one seems to be looking at 
 machines rather than at human beings, so regular, 
 steady, uniform, and apparently almost uncon- 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 255 
 
 scious are all their movements. Many admire 
 this precision, this absolute mastery of one human 
 will over such a multitude of others ; and, no doubt, 
 in themselves considered, this power and its results 
 are worthy of admiration ; especially when it is 
 considered that they are attained almost wholly 
 by moral agencies, as very little physical force is 
 employed, and not an ofl&cer in the Institution, at 
 least of those in immediate charge of the prison- 
 ers, from the head down, ever goes armed. But 
 the impression which the system makes upon us 
 is not, we are constrained to acknowledge, an 
 agreeable one. It is too hard, cold, unsympa- 
 thetic, repressive. It works against rather than 
 with nature, and therefore, so far as the higher 
 end of imprisonment, reformation, is concerned, 
 it must work to a disadvantage, and must conse- 
 quently often fail where a more kindly and 
 natural system would succeed. And yet General 
 Pilsbury possesses one of the kindest and most 
 tender natures we have ever met ; though this is 
 united with a firmness of will and a tenacity of 
 purpose that know neither change nor wavering. 
 These qualities, in combination, probably afford 
 the true solution of the fact that, in the earlier 
 stao-es of his Prison administration, his methods 
 
256 Albany Penitent: aky. 
 
 were more considerate and humane than those 
 commonly adopted in Prisons on the Auburn 
 plan; while, in the later periods, they retain a 
 rigidity and rigor which have elsewhere yielded 
 to the growing conviction that prisoners, as they 
 still retain, though fallen, all the attributes of our 
 common humanity, must, without allowing our- 
 selves to give way to the impulses of a sickly and 
 feeble sentimentalism, be treated more like other 
 men, if we would win them back to goodness and 
 virtue. 
 
 But despite his vigor of will and firmness of 
 purpose, there can be no question that Gen. Pils- 
 bury has within the past few years, yielded not a 
 little, in point both of conviction and practice to 
 the milder ideas of the times in respect to Prison 
 discipline. The dietary of the Prison, by the 
 testimony of the Physician as well as of himself, 
 has been greatly improved of late, particularly in 
 the way of furnishing to the prisoners, a supply 
 of fresh vegetables in their season, whereby their 
 health as well as their comfort have been greatly 
 promoted. The Chaplain of the Institution, the 
 Eev. David Dyer, on whose declaration the most 
 implicit reliance may be placed, testifies : " In 
 the course of ten years, I think I can truthfully 
 
Albant Penitentiary. 257 
 
 say that I have not heard more than a score of 
 prisoners utter a complaint of any kind." For a 
 number of years past, the General has regularly 
 attended the chapel services; and sometin;ies, 
 though rarely, on these occasions, he addresses 
 the prisoners in a very kind, persuasive, paternal 
 manner, much to their gratification and advan- 
 tage in many ways. He placed in the hands of 
 the committee a large package of letters received 
 from discharged prisoners, which we read with 
 gratification as well as interest. They all breathe 
 an excellent spirit, and bear testimony to the kind 
 care and attention bestowed upon them, during 
 their incarceration, by the Superintendent and 
 his family. 
 
 Prisoners, on their committal to the Peniten- 
 tiary, are not kept for any time in solitary con- 
 finement, but are put immediately to work, 
 previously to which, however, the rules of the 
 Institution are fully explained to them, either by 
 the Superintendent or his Deputy. Every man is 
 given distinctly to understand that the rules are 
 rigid, but that if he obeys, he will get along 
 pleasantly. Not oiily are the rules explained, 
 but their rectitude and necessity are set forth and 
 strongly impressed on every convict. As a mat- 
 
258 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 ter of fact, three-fourths to seven-eighths of the 
 prisoners do obey cheerfully and fully, and are 
 never subjected to punishment or admonition. 
 
 The Superintendent claims that reason, justice, 
 firmness, uniformity and humanity are the founda- 
 tion principles on which the discipline of the 
 Penitentiary is conducted. 
 
 The commutation law, in the main, is found to 
 work well. On prisoners, however, who are sen- 
 tenced for three years and over, it does not 
 operate as powerfully as upon others with briefer 
 sentences. They all know the amount of time 
 which they have earned by good conduct, and it 
 is very seldom, indeed, that any portion of it is 
 forfeited by subsequent bad conduct. 
 
 No further privileges or indulgences are allowed 
 on public holidays than as follows : On the day 
 of annual Thanksgiving, public religious services 
 are held, and a good dinner is provided for the 
 prisoners. A better dinner than usual is also 
 given them on the Fourth of July. 
 
 The ordinary punishment is the dark cell with 
 short rations, but this is seldom continued over 
 night. Showering is resorted to in the case of 
 men, the subject being always in a standing posi- 
 tion to receive the water. The lash is also held 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 259 
 
 in reserve as a last resort, but it is very rarely 
 found necessary to use it. In all cases, punish- 
 ment is immediately suspended on promise of 
 obedience. Tobacco is given as a reward for 
 good conduct, and, of course, wben it is with- 
 drawn, it is felt as a severe privation. 
 
 All punishments are recorded. 
 
 The most common offenses are attempts to com- 
 municate and making noise. 
 
 The power of punishing is confined to the Su- 
 perintendent and his Deputy; and even the latter 
 never punishes without reporting the case to the 
 Superintendent, when he is present. 
 
 The rule of silence is very rigidly enforced in 
 this Prison, except where prisoners are duplicated 
 in the cells, which has often of late been a neces- 
 sity. In such cases, no attempt is made to enforce 
 it with strictness. Except in these cases, it is not 
 believed that communication between prisoners 
 can be carried to the point of mutual contami- 
 nation. 
 
 Whenever prisoners have, or conceive that they 
 have causes of complaint against ofl&cers (though 
 this is very seldom), they are always at perfect 
 liberty to bring their complaints to the Super- 
 intendent. In the investigation of such cases, 
 
260 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 the statements of the prisoners are always 
 patiently heard, and the proper weight is given 
 to them. 
 
 The parti-colored prison dress and lock step are 
 in use here. A portion of the prisoners dislike 
 these usages, and feel degraded by them; their 
 self-respect is wounded thereby ; but the majority 
 have no such feelings. 
 
 Almost all the prisoners from Washington are 
 looking for pardons, and a portion of the others 
 have the same hope. This hope is found to pro- 
 duce a restless and uneasy state of feeling in the 
 convicts, and interferes with their reformation. 
 It would be better (so thinks General Pilsbury) 
 for the interest of the convict, as well as for the 
 discipline of the Institution, if the prerogative of 
 pardon were more sparingly exercised. By the 
 governor of the state, the character and conduct 
 of the convict during his prison life, are inquired 
 into before granting a pardon ; by the president 
 of the United States, never. 
 
 The Warden of one of our State Prisons, after 
 spending a day at the Albany Penitentiary, re- 
 marked to the Superintendent, at its close, that 
 he had discovered the secret of his success. "Ah, 
 replied the General, "what do you conceive it to 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 261 
 
 be?" "It is simply this," said the Warden; you 
 have no fear of being removed by politics, and 
 you do not think either of resigning or dying." 
 We will venture to suggest another element of 
 his success. It is this : he is never absent from his 
 post. Year after year passes away without his 
 sleeping away from the Prison a solitary night. 
 If there ever was a man thoroughly devoted 
 to his business, and whose whole heart and soul 
 were in his work, that man is Gen. Pilsbury. 
 
 Instruction — Religious and Secular. 
 The present incumbent in the ofl&ce of Chap- 
 lain to this Institution, is the Rev. David Dyer, 
 who also holds the position of Superintendent of 
 the Albany City Tract and Missionary Society. 
 Mr. Dyer has served the Albany Penitentiary in 
 the relation of Chaplain for the last eleven years. 
 He is a gentleman of much ability and learning, 
 and a minister of earnest and devoted spirit, who 
 enjoys in a high degree at once the respect of the 
 ofl&cers and the confidence and affection of the 
 prisoners. He is, emphatically, "the right man 
 in the right place," and the only thing to be 
 regretted is, that his time and strength are not 
 wholly given to his Prison work, and not only so, 
 32 
 
262 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 but that this work is made quite subordinate to 
 that of liis other office, to which his thoughts and 
 energies are mainly devoted. 
 
 Mr. Dyer at present preaches twice every Sab- 
 bath morning, viz., once to the men and once to 
 the women^ and twice a month he holds three 
 services. Besides these public offices, he visits at 
 his cell and converses with every male prisoner 
 once in the course of each month, devoting at 
 least an hour to this work every Sabbath after 
 public service, and as much time during the 
 week as may be necessary. Whenever any 
 female prisoners desire conversation with him, 
 they indicate their wish by remaining in their 
 seats after service. Quite a number have done 
 this, particularly of late. These labors (the 
 Chaplain reports) are uniformly received by the 
 prisoners, both male and female, with cheerful- 
 ness and gratitude. 
 
 When the new chapel is completed, it will not 
 be necessary to hold more than one service, as all 
 the prisoners can be accommodated at the same 
 time, which is now impossible, the women being 
 placed in a gallery so constructed that neither sex 
 will be able to see the other. This will, happily 
 give the Chaplain more time for pastoral labor. 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 263 
 
 Sick prisoners are visited in the hospital, prayed 
 with and suitably instructed and counseled at 
 least once a week. 
 
 There is no Sabbath school in the Prison, nor 
 any daily service of prayer. Both, judiciously 
 conducted, would no doubt be effective instru- 
 ments of good ; and in this view, as the commit- 
 tee understand, the Chaplain himself cordially 
 concurs. With the operation of both, the Super- 
 intendent must be well acquainted from his expe- 
 rience as Warden in the Connecticut State Prison. 
 It is to be hoped, and the committee would cer- 
 tainly earnestly recommend, that on the comple- 
 tion of the new chapel a Sabbath school will be 
 instituted, and the voice of prayer be daily heard 
 by the inmates. 
 
 All the inmates of the Penitentiary are provided 
 with Bibles by the Albany county Bible Society. 
 They are also all furnished with Hymn-books. 
 The prisoners make much use of their copies of 
 the scriptures ; often express a lively interest in 
 their perusal ; and frequently ask questions grow- 
 ing out of their contents. 
 
 There is no prison choir. The Chaplain him- 
 self leads the singing, and the prisoners very 
 generally join in it. He considers the influence 
 
264 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 of sacred song upon these fallen men and women 
 highly beneficial, as tending to soften their feel- 
 ings, to elevate their moral tone, and so to 
 cooperate in the work of their reform. 
 
 Religious tracts are freely distributed among 
 the prisoners, not less than three thousand to four 
 thousand being so used every year. Of the Ameri- 
 can Messenger and Tract Journal, one hundred 
 copies are given out monthly. 
 
 Many of the convicts, Mr. Dyer thinks are 
 making good progress in religious knowledge, and 
 he firmly believes that not a year has passed 
 during his incumbency, in which there have not 
 been some cases of genuine conversion ; proof of 
 which, entirely satisfactory to himself, is afforded 
 by intercourse with them while in Prison, and by 
 letters from and reports of them, received after 
 their discharge. But even when the gospel does 
 not take effect to the extent of working a saving 
 change, he has, so he states, abundant proof that 
 moral reformations do continually occur. At the 
 same time, it cannot be disguised that that hap- 
 pens here, which happens in every other prison 
 in the United States (unless possibly the Eastern 
 Penitentiary at Philadelphia may be an excep- 
 tion), viz., that reformation is not the regnant 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 265 
 
 object and spirit of the Institution; although, at 
 the same time, Mr. Dyer is quite convinced that 
 the aim in this respect has decidedly improved 
 within the last five years ; and this has been par- 
 ticularly the case since the Superintendent has 
 habitually attended the main chapel service on 
 Sunday morning, which has been the case during 
 the period named. 
 
 The general conduct of the prisoners, as far as 
 it falls under the notice of the Chaplain, he 
 reports as good, and this is especially true of their 
 demeanor during divine service. He says that it 
 is a real pleasure to preach to them, for that 
 every eye is fixed upon him, and every ear atten- 
 tive to his utterances. Conversations afterwards 
 held with them, show that they give their minds 
 to what is said by the preacher. 
 
 The Chaplain is not accustomed to have special 
 conversations with the prisoners, either on their 
 reception or their liberation, an omission much to 
 be regretted, but necessarily resulting from his 
 non-residence at the Prison. Great good might be 
 effected by such interviews, and it is our convic- 
 tion that it should be made a part of the regular 
 duty of all Prison Chaplains to hold them. It is 
 of the utmost importance that the best counsels 
 
266 Albany Penitentiary. 
 
 should be given to convicts, both on their entrance 
 into, and their departure from prison. 
 
 No secular instruction is imparted to the pri- 
 soners here, an omission which we grieve to 
 record. Nevertheless, all prisoners who so desire, 
 are furnished with spelling books, and quite a 
 number, especially of the colored convicts, learn 
 to read, and take great pleasure in learning. 
 
 The prison library contains some seven hun- 
 dred volumes. Books of a general religious tone 
 and character predominate; next comes history, 
 biography, etc. There are a few scientific books. 
 The privilege of the library is greatly prized, 
 and the books are much read. The books are 
 exchanged every Sabbath morning. The prisoners 
 have considerable time for reading, viz., an hour 
 at noon, except what time they are eating, from 
 six to half-past seven in the evening, and all day 
 Sundays. The Chaplain regards the library as an 
 excellent aid to other reformatory agencies, but 
 thinks, and in this opinion we concur with him, 
 that it will not do as a substitute for them, and 
 particularly not as a substitute for the labors of a 
 Prison Chaplain. 
 
 We repeat the conviction, strongly felt by the 
 Prison Association, and expressed in former 
 
Albany Penitentiary. 267 
 
 reports, that this Prison should have the full ser- 
 vices of a resident Chaplain. General Pilsbury 
 himself is of the same opinion, but he is husband- 
 ing the resources of the Institution for the pur- 
 pose of completing the important, and we admit, 
 much needed improvements mentioned as in con- 
 templation in a previous part of this report. We 
 can appreciate this feeling on the part of the 
 worthy General, but we cannot agree that the 
 important objects to be gained by the appointment 
 of a full Chaplain should be postponed to any 
 such considerations, and we earnestly trust that 
 the purpose expressed by him to the committee of 
 acting in accordance with his own conviction, as 
 well as ours, may not be long delayed. 
 
APPENDIX 
 
 The following letter referred to on page 105, was 
 written by General Pilsbury, on resigning the Super- 
 intendence of the Metropolitan Police. 
 
 Ofpioe op the Superintendent of Police, ") 
 
 No. 413 Broome street, New York, Feb. 23, 1860. j 
 
 To the Hon. the Board of Police Commissioners : 
 
 Gentlemen : In May last your board saw fit to confer 
 upon me the office of General Superintendent. This 
 was a surprise to me, and I did not conclude to accept 
 the position without mature deliberation and frank 
 consultation with the Commissioners, then, as now 
 (with a single exception), composing the board. My 
 experience in executive duties had taught me that a 
 department lijse the police could not be effectively 
 governed otherwise than by a single and controlling 
 head ; and, as a preliminary to any consideration of the 
 matter, I stipulated that I should be invested with " all 
 power consistent with law." Had any dissent been 
 expressed at that time, from the bestowal of such power 
 upon me, I would have relinquished all idea of under- 
 taking the heavy responsibilities with which you pro- 
 posed to clothe me. But as the declaration of one of 
 your number (Mr. Bowen), at an informal interview 
 held on the day subsequent to the election, that " you 
 33 
 
270 Appendix. 
 
 would load me down with power," seemed to meet 
 with entire acquiescence from his associates, I regarded 
 that point as definitely settled. Still I took the pre- 
 caution to embody that condition in my final letter of 
 acceptance, that your records might show that I had 
 not consented to take charge of so important a branch 
 of the public service, without such assurances of confi- 
 dence and support, on your part, as would enable me 
 to act according to the dictates of my best judgment, 
 in promoting the discipline and efficiency of the force. 
 It was at the urgent solicitation of members of your 
 board, and of other citizens of the highest respectability, 
 that I, after several weeks' deliberation, sent in my letter 
 of acceptance, and I was much surprised at finding the 
 two members of your board (Messrs. Bowen and Stra- 
 nahan) who, more than any others, had urged my 
 acceptance, and made the most liberal promises of sup- 
 port, then objecting to that part of my letter which 
 stated the conditions of my acceptance. I had then 
 resigned my previous position, and made all my 
 arrangements to take charge of the police department, 
 and as the board, by a vote of five to two, sustained my 
 views, I felt that I could not recede. I regarded the 
 action of a majority of the board as a pledge that I 
 should not be trammeled by its interference with nay 
 plans for the government of the department, so long 
 as I faithfully discharged my duties and adhered to 
 the letter and spiiit of the law. From the day upon 
 which I sent in my letter of acceptance to the present 
 time, I have not received from the two members of 
 your board already mentioned, either advice, encou- 
 ragement, or support, and I had hardly been in the 
 service long enough to acquire a famiUarity with its 
 duties and requirements, when I felt myself seriously 
 
Appendix. 271 
 
 embarrassed by my want of power to make such dis- 
 posal of members of the force as the exigencies of 
 circumstances demanded. In one instance I had, for 
 misconduct, sent back from detail to ward duty, an 
 officer who was subsequently convicted and sentenced 
 to be reprimanded for the offense, but I had no sooner 
 returned him to post service than ward politicians, 
 whose services he had been engaged in, besieged me 
 with importunities to rescind my order. I peremp- 
 torily refused, and they then appealed to the president, 
 who yielded, and proposed that their demands should 
 be complied with. To have surrendered the point 
 would have been to give up the administration of 
 the department to the pressure of outside personal 
 or political influences, consequently I i^emained firm, 
 though by so doing I was obliged, much to my i-egret, 
 to take issue with the president. Upon the advent of 
 the new mayor, he claimed the right to select the men 
 who should do duty at the twenty-sixth precinct. I 
 expressed a willingness to extend all due courtesy to 
 that officer, but I could not, without sacrificing my 
 self-respect, virtually surrender to him the control of a 
 considerable detachment of my command. It would 
 have been sanctioning a dangerous precedent, to assent 
 to a rule that every incoming mayor should be permitted 
 to use the police department to reward such of its 
 members as were his personal or political friends and 
 supporters, by assigning them to favorite places, or to 
 punish those to whom he had a disUke, by removing 
 them from posts of duty for which experience had spe- 
 cially qualified them. Accordingly I decUned to com- 
 ply with the mayor's sweeping requisition. Forthwith 
 he appealed to the board, and the result was the adop- 
 tion of the resolution of January 16th, transferring an 
 
272 Appekdix. 
 
 important part of the executive power of the General 
 Superintendent to a committee of the board. No 
 charge had been preferred against me that I had 
 abused the confidence of the board, or acted without 
 exclusive reference to the real interest of the depart- 
 ment. It can not be truthfully said that I have in a 
 single instance been governed by personal or political 
 influences. For any dereliction of duty, I am subject 
 to trial and dismissal, and therefore there was no 
 necessity for adopting any indirect method of visiting 
 censure and reproach upon me. Since the power 
 taken from me has been exercised by a committee of 
 your board, men who were removed by me for cause 
 have been restored to detailed positions; men have 
 been taken from wards where, in my judgment, they 
 were needed, and placed in precincts where they were 
 already as many men as were required. Some have 
 been taken from positions for which their knowledge 
 and past experience peculiarly fitted them, to make 
 room for men whose chief claim seemed to be their 
 personal or political relations and services. Under 
 these circuni stances I can not but regard the course 
 you have pursued as indicative of a purpose to wound 
 my self-respect,, by placing me in the embarrassing 
 position of being responsible for the proper govern- 
 ment and efficiency of the police force, without pos- 
 sessing the authority that is indispensable to enable me 
 to accomplish these objects. When the resolutions to 
 which I have referred were adopted, my impulses 
 led me to tender at once my resignation ; but, apart 
 from the objection that such a course might be deemed 
 hasty and inconsiderate, I thought jiroper to await such 
 farther action as your board might take when its num- 
 ber was full. Being now satisfied that I can not, by a 
 
Appendix. 273 
 
 longer continuance in this office, be as serviceable to 
 the public as will be expected, nor command the 
 proper respect of the force under my charge, nor pre- 
 serve its discipline and good order, unless I am its actual 
 as well as its nominal head, a just regard for my own 
 reputation leaves me no other alternative than to tender 
 to you, as I now do, my resignation of the office of 
 General Superintendent. 
 
 Very respectfully, yours, 
 
 AMOS PILSBUBT. 
 
i 
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