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A BIG GOUGE OF THE STATE. ‘The following report of the joint committee, consisting of Thomas W. Allred, W. J. Knott and L. Dawa, ap pointed to examine into the affairs of the Penitentiary of this State, will be read with interest by taxpayers. It shows what becomes of the people's money: To the General Assembly . Your committee, appointed to inves tigate the management of the peniten tiary for the years 1867 and 1868, have completed their labors, and herewith submit their report, together with the evidence taken before them. We have endeavored to conduct the vestigation in a spirit of fairness and justice, and with the sole desire to as certain whether the interests of the State had been properly cared for by those to whom had been entrusted the responsible duties of managing and the reeting this most important institution, and with the determination without fear or affection to present to the Legisla ture, as far as was in our power, a true tement of the condition and work s of the penitentiary for the period of time indicated in the resolution under which we were appointed. At the time of our appointment the very air seeemed filled with rumors of mismanagement and fraud io matters connected with the institution, but no definite charges were brought or well defined basis established upon which we could commence operations in the matter of investigations. ‘The only course, therefore, left us was to summon before us, for examination, such persons as were obtainable, who from their con nection with the institution either di rectly or indirectly were supposed to be best acquainted with its management. This course we adopted, and after a pa ssing of the matter, and a care ful examination of the books of the in stitution, we are forced to the conclu sion, reluctantly we must confess, that the management thereof has been of a most reckless character, and highly det rimental to the interests of the State. Indeed, the penitentiary, and the sup plies purchased ostensibly for its use, seem to have been regarded as the le gitimate prey of almost everybody con nected with it in an official capacity, and in some, if not many instances, fa vored friends were invited into the “ring” to share the spoils. From the evidence we gather the in formation that in addition to furnishing supplies to the prisoners, as legitimately provided by law, the families of nearly all the officials, guards and employes, as also the families of some of the then State officials, and the families of others not connected with the prison, obtained a large portion of their supplies of beef, flour, bacon, corn, hay, wood, coal, etc., from the prison stores. In other words, the supplies purchased for the use of the prison were converted into the stock in trade of an extensive “family groce ry,’’ where most of the necessaries of life were disposed of at low rates, and generally upon exceedingly accommo dating terms. After the general in sight which this investigation has given us into the management of this mercan tile institution, we are free to express the opinion that, had the proprietor been any other than the State of Mis souri, the business of the concern would long since have been wound up under the operations of the bankrupt law, with large liabilities and very few assets. Whilst the concern was in the full tide of success, it appears that, one April morning in 1867, the inspectors awoke with the brave determination in their hearts “to do something’’—and they did it. ‘They issued an order that henceforth the keeping of private ac counts at the penitentiary was forbid den. Now, one would naturally infer from the reading the order that the mer cantile part of the business must either stop, or be conducted upon a strictly cash basis, but the wide awake gentle men who were engaged in running the institution could not see it in that light: they gave it a much more liberal inter pretation, and were sustained in their ideas of the matter by at least some of the inspeetors. The practical conclusion which seems to have been arrived at was, not that business should stop, or that this manner of disposing of supplies should cease, but that no account was to be kept of the articles so disposed of, that if purchasers had heretofore, in some in stances, been charged with articles pur chased, that formality was hereafter to be dispensed with. Now we cannot be ieve that the law even contemplates any such disposition of the prison sup plies, nor can nor will we shut our eyes to the obvious conclusion that the al spectors and officers who permitted it, did it with the full knowledge that they were violating law, and failing to dis charge the duties they owed to the State. ‘To arrive at any other conci sion would be to impugn the intel gence of those who were engaged in it. The inspectors are required by law, and paid by the State, to visit the prison at least once a week, and are likewise re quired to keep minutes of their proceed ings, to be signed by them and pre served at the penitentiary. Captain Schueller, the factor, testifies that they met only about twice in two years, and we find no record of any other meeting. And to this almost entire failure of the inspectors to perform their duty, do we ascribe much of the loss which the State has sustained in the management of the penitentiary. Though failing to erform the duties required of them by law, as inspectors, we believe they were entirely prompt in drawing the pay which the law allows them for the performance of such services. It may be some satisfaction to know, however, that the inspectors did not become en tirely oblivious to the fact that there was a penitentiary, and if they did fail in making it profitable to the State, at least one them was not 80 unfortunate in re gard to himself. Mr.Thompson ap pears from the testimony to have been a liberal patron of the institution in the matter of employing convict labor, and has now about his premises enduring monuments of their skill and industry in shape of pavements, stone floors, walls werc. e fined that the total amount charged Mr. Thompson for work done for him by convicts in 1868 was $187 12, whilst in the same year we find that Mr. ‘Thompson presented a bill against the city of Jefferson, for work incidentally done on the streets by|* these same convicts, whilst working for’ him, of about $300, about $200 of which |* was allowed and paid, Mr. Thompson's convict balance], sheet for 1868, would then show a net gain to him of about 812 in cash; an unliquidated claim of about $100 again at the city of Jefferson, and a large amount of expensive work done, which cost him nothing, and this leaving out of the acc count of any other favors which may have accrued to him from his connection with the penitentiary. If the State could only be half as succrssfah in makine tiets profitable an Mr. ‘Thompson ap pears to have done, the penitentiary | ¢ iy pears we have done, the penitemiing|204 ACRES OF LAND {unig bat ree of immense reve~ We AT Aen reer From a careful ‘examination of the ac counts kept of beef purchases of 1867-4, we find that the quantity purchased considerably exceeded two paunida for each convict per day, besides consid able purchases of bacon. Capt. Schuel ler testifies that one pound of beef per day would be sufficient for each con vict, and we have no reason to doubt the correctness of his judgment, his op portunity for correct knowledge in the premises being equal to any man in the State. ‘The army ration is, we believe, one-fourth pound per day, and the perience of those who have been con nected with the army is that the allow ance is more than the soldier neede o consumes. If, them, two pounds per day have been purchased, the question naturally arises whatt has become of the surplus? A careful perusal of the ag ing evidence will throw a flood of light upon the question, and develop the fact that many more mouths than those of convicts have been the recip ients of the beef purchased for the use of the penitentiary. In this one tie of beef alone the State suffered an un necessary, if not criminal, loss of thou sands of dollars during the years 1867-8. We have made a close estimate of the hay and corn purchased and required during these two years, and believe the testimony will bear us out in saying that one-half the hay and two-thirds of the corn purchased for the use of the prison would have been amply sufficient and that the remainder is a clear loss to the State We invite attention to Mr. Swift's (the warden) participation in and management of the hay busines se believe from careful estimates, based upon the best information we eould get that about one-fourth of the coal and at least one-third of the wood purchased during these two years were not needed for the use of the prison, wherefore this amount is a clear loss to the State. It is in evidence herewith that quite a number of prison officials, employes, as well as some of the State officials, and others, have built during this period some very comfortable houses, stone walls, c., procuring most, if not all the stone and brick necessary for main buildings, cellars, basements, cellar floors, c., from the prison quarry and rick yard, and cheerly hauled by pris on teams, a share of the cutting, dressing, and laying of stone and brich, done by convict labor, as well as the digging of foundations, and even the sant nec essary for making mortar and plastering taken from the prison supplies. A por tion seems to have been paid for, but in proportion to the amount done, there seems to be a large part yet unaccount ed for, and evidently a loss to the State from this source of a large amount of money. Your committee have made a careful estimate from the best obtainable in formation, and have concluded that all the work done upon the new cell-build ing and prison wall during these two years would require but about two-thirds the number of days of convict labor re ported to have been done, even should the convicts work at their usual slow rate. As a specimen of how the inter ests of the institution were cared for your committee call attention to the testimony of A. E. Boaz, who states that on one occasion one of the convicts, who was especially useful in directing the laying of dressed stone, was taken away ald put to work on a wall for a then State official, whilst an incom petent citizen was hired at for dollars per day to take the convict’s place. ‘This your committee are convinced is a true index to the general management of these two years. Someteresting testimony accom panying the report in reference to par don brokerage your committee was un able to make as complete as they de sired, it being impossible t to elicit much direct information upon the sub jects, as parties who were thought to be well informed seemed to be more or less implicated, and were exceedingly cau tious in giving their testimony. But the character of the testimony given seems to indicate that a number of the prison officials and employes were engaged in this nefarious business. Particular at tention is invited to the case of one John Arne, sent to the penitentiary from St. Louis for grand larceny, and notori ously a bad man. It would appear from the testimony that Mrs. Arne, (the con vict’s mother) was an excellent judge of human nature, and estimated at ths full value the power of temptation. Ac tuated, no doubt, by a proper maternal solicitude, she placed in the hands of the warden, (Mr. Swift), for the benefit of her son, a large sum of money, and simultaneously with this act of kindness: on her part, we find the hearts of many others not related to John by ties of blood, warming up in his behalf. Sym pathies not previously developed began to gush forth, and doubts of his guilt arose where it woul seem there had been no doubts before. Briefly, the con viction seized the minds of a number of persons that John was unquestionably a persecuted and wrongfully imprisoned man. Influential parties began to lay plan, and bring influences to hear upon the Governor to effect his release. Leg islative votes for and against Senatorial aspirants are weighed in the balance and thought to be effective. “Fine mares” exchange owners at somewhat fabulous prices, and as a general and final result John one day finds himself on the east ern bank of the Mississippi a pardoned man. But John’s deposit with the Warden, in the meantime seems to have melted away as ‘a snow drift before the rays of a July sun, * and the last scene in the performance proose to have been the sale of a $600 Jefferson City mare at a St. Louis auction stable for the reduced price of $75, and the proceeds going to the payment of an unliquidated board bill of one of John's “disinterested” friends. The rest of the report is devot ed to the punishment and treatment of prisoners, recommendations in re gard to keeping accounts, and suggest ing the establishment of a school of in dustry and reform. FOR SALE, Adjoining the City of Springs on the East, ‘Will be sold In Late bey 9 purchasera, TERMS EASY. JOE NEWTON. GRAND OPENING of Tax MAMMOTH NEW STORE! KEET, MASSEY Co. NAVE REMOVED TO TRIE NEW BRICK BUILDING, ‘West Side of Public Square, SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI, they tea, January 29, 1620, at McGee College, COLLEGE MOUND, MO. REV. J. B. MITCHELL, D. D., President, Lesisted by an elite and fienced Faculty of Ni sisted by szpzricee alty of Nie TUNA Tratitution ie offering young: levies and gentlemen facilities for securing @ totangh education, inferior ty none. Expenses Per Session of Five Months: pe r$2000 to Sab $i De fotromental Musi Tae of Unstrinietstan.. Saral MUR enmue Normal Department, Commercial Tepe Wreatnental Heaucles from. LAH ERE L8F con yereemnerenensee cerrenzeerme LO shonrd par wewie, exclusive OF light witd waste ie Washing and ionog, por bres The Second Lesson Opens on Monday, January Tist, 1870, and closes Thursday, 234 of Jane. The College leanly a few miles from sacksonville, wa the % Sc.hevier ne the If A Bt. Jom 11 ad Macon thction, from which points it ip eyotragy Se for further information, oF a *. aPP he President at College Mound, Min . Rev. JA8. DYSART, President of Board. Rev. HR. Cascurtr, Secretary. Ohn PSTRAY NOTICE, —Taken up 4 miles northwest of SpringGeld, on the 1st day Hedanicary, 1870, nam Stray, a porvel FILLY ihrer Feary obi, 14 hands high, white streak in the fore head, both his feet white wil the frog of the left fore fort, fand leg and the mark of conch round the bam strngot her right leg, Appraised at the sum of $35 in Jan A. Montgomery and James J. Mumphres Take up and appraisers being nig ty Law and the appraisers bei Sian lesthay ve January, 1 and 1 the 4th day of January, 1470, 0 J. K. ALSUP, J.P. DMINISTRATOR'S SALE.—By virtue of am or order of the Probate ane Common Meal Court of visvena county, Missouri, made at the Novembar vhjourmed term, 1802, the aderaignet, erministra tor of the estate of W. W. Carter, deceased, will (see the purpose of paying the indebted news of the malate) sell at private sale (until the mid of February, 1870) the following described real estate, to wit South half of southwest quarter ib eretion 13, town ship 23, range 38; and if not not ie sale by the sale of February, 1870, the same will be sold at , public sale on the day shore mentioned in front of the Court House is Springfield not during the sit ting of the court. CHESLEY CANNEFAX, an Administrator, ae FEO Sart I Bevin White and Daniel Mathews. Sow at the plaintiff, by her attorney, maul 1 Appearing to the matinfaction of the Court that the defendant, W.C. White, can not be summoned in this action. It is ordered by the Court that publicn~ then be made notifying him that an action was been commenced against him by petition in the Circuit Court of Laclede county, in the State of Missouri, founded on a note for the sum of ninety dollars, ‘sted February 21a, 1851, and payal date with internet at the rate of tem “annie new point on beinvl Two links west of the east point of block seven to the town of Lalanon: thence worth thirty-seven ad ones fourth degree of parallel with Walnut street five ted and forth a division line die ing the land y. M. Applings thance in a southernly line along anid Line five bun diresk and one links to the north. boundary of vid block seven; thence east with aaid boundary tue to the place of beginning. containing all the groanila that I have ever been OF are now occupied on the Aratemy grounds, and supposed to contain three nd one-half acres, more or leas; and wulesa he be and appear at the next term of this Court, to be holden at the Conty House in Lebanon, in the coun ty of Laclede, on the third Monday after the fourth Sontag in February, 1820, aml on or befhre the thinl day thereof (if the tart shal eo tong cantina, if not, then before the end of the tara), sinl_ plead, ewer or demur to plaintif's petition, judgment as rendered againat him and his property sold fo antiafy the same, dhs farther, onisend that «copy hereat be pub pated in shin SprEADER, tirw isted naa tunes aren cera a, let Insertion thermof in be at least four weeks ber fore the commencement of the next term of rid. Court STATE OF MISSOURT, 4 COUN OF Lactana, 1, 4, T. Talliaferro, Clerk of the Circuit Court, in and for sail county, hereby certify that tbe above is thue copy of the original order of publication in the cater therein named an the name appeary of record in my office. Witness my hand ae Clerk and the seal of sail Ts 8 county. Denn at offen in Lebanon this Tein day of January, Ie. tn J.T. TALLIAFERRO, Clete, Tarenee fully prepares to eer to their odd Petrone aid the Publis wenerally A Splendid Aner giment of DRY GOODS CLOTHING, Boots and Shoes, CROCERIES, Hats Queensware, AT Lower Prices for Cash ‘THAN ANY OTHER ESTANLIANMEST IX ROUT ‘WERT MIBSOURT We are selling a first rate article of Rio Coffee Four Pounds for One Dollar, and all other articles proportionately cheap. We cordially invite everybody owiing to Springfield, to pay us visit and examine our Stock and Prices. Merchants in the country will find it to their interest to give us a call, as we in tend not to be beat in low prices west of St. Louis. Come everybody. REET, MASSEY Co. HAVE RE-OPENED wit An Entire New Stock ~or— CLOTHING, Boots Shoes, Hats and Caps, anD FURNISHING COODS. Buying for Cash enables us to sell Cheaper than ever. All we ask is, “com fare neinws ered W. A. JOHNSTON Co. HAVE RE-OPENED —with— An Entire New Stock CLOTHING, Boots and Shoes, Hats and Caps, AMD FURNISHING GOODS, axing for Cashanebles or to sell Chesser tare overs” All we sell, 00 1 pare prices, + W. A. JOHNSTON Co
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Springfield Leader
Springfield, Missouri, US
Thu, Jan 20, 1870
Page 2
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Barb W.
NA, 03 Nov 2025
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