Page:Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham.djvu/98

86 by the government as from April 1, 1878. Mr. J. W. Preston, being appointed Governor at a salary of £510, in place of Mr. Meaden, who had received £450, with certain extras.—See "Dungeon" and "Prisons."

The new County Goal at Warwick was first occupied in 1860.

Gaol Atrocities.—The first Governor appointed to the Borough Gaol was Captain Maconochie, formerly superintendent over the convicts at Norfolk Island in the days of transportation of criminals. He was permitted to try as an experiment a "system of marks," whereby a prisoner, by his good conduct and industry, could materially lessen the duration of his punishment, and, to a certain extent improve his dietary. The experiment, though only tried with prisoners under sixteen, proved very successful, and at one time hopes were entertained that the system would become general in all the gaols of the kingdom. So far as our gaol was concerned, however, it proved rather unfortunate that Captain Maconochie, through advancing age and other causes, was obliged to resign his position (July, 1851), for upon the appointment of his successor. Lieutenant Austin, a totally opposite course of procedure was introduced, a perfect reign of terror prevailing in place of kindness and a humane desire to lead to the reformation of criminals. In lieu of good marks for industry, the new Governor imposed heavy penal marks if the tasks set them were not done to time, and what these tasks were may be gathered from the fact that in sixteen months no less than fifteen prisoners were driven to make an attempt on their lives, through the misery and torture to which they were exposed, three unfortunates being only too successful. Of course such things could not be altogether hushed up, and after one or two unsatisfactory "inquiries" had been held, a Royal Commission was sent down to investigate matters. One case out of many will be sufficient sample of the mercies dealt out by the governor to the poor creatures placed under his care. Edward Andrews, a lad of 15, was sent to gaol for three months (March 28, 1853) for stealing a piece of beef. On the second day he was put to work at "the crank," every turn of which was equal to lifting a weight of 20lbs., and he was required to make 2,000 revolutions before he had any breakfast, 4,000 more before dinner, and another 4,000 before supper, the punishment for not completing either of these tasks being the loss of the meal following. The lad failed on many occasions, and was fed almost solely on one daily, or, rather, nightly allowance of bread and water. For shouting he was braced to a wall for hours at a time, tightly cased in a horrible jacket and leather collar, his feet being only moveable. In this position, when exhausted almost to death, he was restored to sensibility by having buckets of water thrown over him. What wonder that within a month he hung himself. A number of similar cases of brutality were proved, and the Governor thought it best to resign, but he was not allowed to escape altogether scot free, being tried at Warwick on several charges of cruelty, and being convicted, was sentenced by the Court of Queen's Bench to a term of three months' imprisonment.

Garibaldi.—At a meeting of the Town Council. April 5, 1865, it was resolved to ask Garibaldi to pay a visit to this town, but he declined the honour, as in the year previous he had similarly declined to receive an offered town subscription.

Garrison.— Though a strong force was kept in the Barracks in the old days of riot and turbulence, it is many years since we have been favoured with more than a single company of red coats at a time, our peaceful inland town not requiring a strong garrison.

Gardens.—A hundred to 150 years ago there was no town in England