Winfield 1893 Slate
WINFIELD 1893 SLATE (See also SHOTGUN, WINFIELD REPEATING ARMS COMPANY) The Winfield 1893 Slate shotgun leaves behind the lever-action many have become familiar with for the pump-action that allows for shots as fast as the handler can release the shell and shoot. Made with a solid frame and a magazine that holds five rounds, the production of this bottom-loading shotgun only lasted a few years before stopping due to its solid barrel design. Because of the barrel and the action, the shotgun was unable to handle the pressure of the new smokeless shells that began being produced around the same time.
Records, Pelican Island Prison
Handwritten notes
Author: Handwriting match for Solomon Jabez
Date: December 8, 1893
The best way to induce Ego-Dissolution, to make a puppet out of a man, is through drugs and pain. The drugs leave the participant in a state that makes them more vulnerable to coercion and the pain will make them do anything for it all to stop. To best make the participant open to coercion, it is recommended to use a Laudanum tincture that is double or triple the dose of opium normally used to treat pain. This causes the patient to not only see hallucinations but amplifies anxiety which can cause the very act of torture to have a deep psychological effect. Inmate No. 57 Jenkins was given 2 doses of laudanum and has been whispering about undead men that attacked his family. It seems he's still using the same alibi for his murderous rampage. I will ask some of my men to give him another dose and remove his fingernails in an hour. Let's see what he says then.
Date: March 23, 1894
We have lost four participants to our experiments with Ego-Dissolution with very little results. I have tried everything; beatings, whippings, half-drownings, and even flaying the lower extremities. But they all stay themselves even as they take their last breath. Inmate No 33 Simeon almost got out of the basement and even started yelling to warn the others about what was happening down here. Smith ended up grabbing the first gun he could find, a fine Winfield Slate, and shot at No. 33's kneecap. The blow made the leg fall right off and the shock made No. 33 go comatose then die. A pity, No. 33 was an interesting challenge to break
Date: August 4, 1894
I've been struggling to find a proper candidate to undergo experiments. The rest of the prison population is fully aware of what happens here in the basement, and that has caused a sort of Ego-Dissolution in them all. They are all perfectly submissive, none of them willing to attract attention to participate. However, the other day I heard something strange coming from the cells. The newest guard Curtis made No. 47 Ernst laugh, something I hadn't heard in these walls for weeks. There's still something left to take in No. 47, that should be enough to work with.
Medical Report, Pelican Island Prison
Author: Solomon Jabez
Recipient: Dr. Phillip H. Jones
Report #41
August 6, 1894
I regret to inform you that after many careful considerations, our personnel have concluded that subduing participants only through mental experimentation has been proved to be fruitless. If we are to support you and your father in your endeavors, Dr. Jones, we need a more efficient approach than what had been previously approved by the board members of the Louisiana State Asylum at Jackson. In that regard, I humbly ask you to read this report and consider my requests carefully.
In the light of my recent findings and arguments of many philosophers and physicians who studied the matter, I believe that the key to one s soul lies somewhere on the incontrovertible correlation between the body and the mind. Thus, expecting a satisfying result on the mind while ignoring the restrictions the body presents is nonsensical. Having discussed the subject with my personnel, I took the liberty of resorting to an unconventional method on December 8, 1893.
Although initial results bore no success, our new approach we proudly call Ego-Dissolution proved its effectiveness even in the least expected situations, so much so that not only the participants themselves, but also the prisoners in their cells displayed erratic behavior after only a few months of experimentation.
Due to excessive amounts of stress, insomnia, and ceaseless exposure to multiple stimulants, a synaptic irregularity has occurred in the Broca's area of the brain in many prisoners who haven't been subjected to the new methods. As a result, they partially lost their ability to speak which lead them to express their confusion through cell walls instead of paper, using whatever they can find to write.
One such prisoner, overwhelmed by insomnia and paranoia, bit his nails to the point where the flesh around his fingertips was exposed, and the prisoner used his finger like a soft pen to spread his blood on the walls. What started as ominous, crimson writings eventually turned into incomprehensible, shallow scratches once the flesh was gone, as the prisoner continued carving symbols on walls using his exposed finger bone
I believe these behavioral changes are enough to prove you the potential of success our methods present. In that regard, I hereby ask for the board's permission to continue our research, and more funding to acquire the necessary equipment
