Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1846-03-14
LOUISIANA pGNfrENrIARY.
Baron R6uGE, January let, 1919.
To HIS ExcsIIensy ALEXANDER MourtN,
Governor of Louisiana,

VI 1855
The Board Of Directors Of the L,uisiani
Peniientiary. in conformity with the 9Th sec
ton Of an act, approved 25th Mlrch 1914, on
titled tan act TO provide FOR tho better admin
~istfation Of the Louisiana penitentiary, y boz
leave most respectfully TO submit tho follow
ing report !:
A large portion Of the labor OF the ~eonvieti
since The prison was transferred to the lee.
sees up to the present time, has been spent ii
making the alterations aud improvements re-.
CURED under the present system of manage
nent it is therefore itnpossibls 10 state will
any degree of certainty, what the amount o
protta a~coruing TO the l]essees would have
been, bad the ]conviots all been employed du
ring that time in the different branches o
manufacture, which are now established II
this institution as provided for by the law.
For the amount Of profits actually a]ccruins
to The lesBees during the year, ending on the
Both of SEPTEMBER, ls45, amounting 10 Sl2,
407 90, the Board Of Directors, refer your Elk
celIenoy to the accornp tnying documents
marked A as being a statement Of receipts
and expenditures in the various departments
The documents, marked NJ. / and 9, ant
accompanying this report, contain The reports
submitted by The Physician and Chaplain
hith Tag dObaliACbh hH' hBh ANB' ~ 10 n bUil%
densed statement of he number of c%onvicts
received aud discharged also, the number
Of deaths that occurred In tho prison during
the year, ending on the ooh Of September,
1915, which is more fully SET forth In the de-
Ia led statements contained in the aCgompan-
ying documents, marked A. B. G. and n.
The document marked E.. ia a list of con-
viCts remaining in the prison at the end Of the
WAR which tnru1inafpI M the 1lTt, ~ g.
tomber last, including their names and ages,
the places Of their nativity, the nature Of
their crimes, and the Courts before which
they we're convicted, together with the
dates Of their convictions and the length of
time for which they are sentenced TO impris.
onmout this document is a correct trans.
cript from a register kept at the Prison for
that purpose.
BY reference to document A., and 10 SINH
lar documents Of previous years, it will be
seen that the number of ]conviCts received here
from the city Of New Orleans, has been great
ly diminished within the last two years, and
it Is believed from good reasons, that this de.
crease is not caused by any diminution in The
number Of convictions before the Criminal
Court Of Now Orleans, but by the course
which has been pursued for some time past
by the judge Of that Court, In sentencing a
large portion of criminals to Imprisonment in
the Parish Jail, who have been convicted Of
crimes which are punishable by Imprisonment
at bard labor in the Penitentiary.
The Board Of Directors, consider it their
duty 10 call the attention Of your Exceti3nry
to this fact, because, if this course should be
pers s'ej IN by the criminal court of New Or.
leans, aud adopted by other co1rts of Grimm.
al jurisdiction throughout the State, The law
by which the PEN e~Btiary system for tie
punishment OF crime in our State was adopted
and provided for, will be in a great degree
frustrated, and this institution will b. dspriv-
ed OF q large proportion Of the labor of con.
vIcts to which it is by Ilw entitled ; besides
the ]Conyicts thus sentenced are supported
during The time Of their imprisonment at The
expense Of the state, and no person whatever IL
benefited oxceptthe keeper Of the parish prison
whereas, they nigh. and ought TO DO kept in
tho Penltentiary, without any expense to the
public whatever. They would there labor
for their support the PeHitenliary would re-
Ceive any benefit which might accrue from
their labor, and they, instead Of acquiring ha-
otis of idIenoss by lying unemployed for
months and in many instances, for years, in a
parish Jail, would be kept constantly employ
ed at some useful branch Of industry. They
would acquire Industrious habits and be more
likely TO become useful citizens after The ex-
plratlon Oflheir imprisonment.
In conformity with an act passed at the last
sasslon of the Legislature, the c0Iored cot
Victs, lbs in NUMBER, who had formerly been
employed Oh the public works Of the stale,
" lere on the 18th OF last March, returned to
the Pelit5ntlary, and they are now employed
here az provided for by said act.
The lessees as authorised by an act Of the
last Legislature, have enlarged the Prison
yard by building a new wall on the east side,
about l20Neet btck,lrorB the place where The
cd wall stood, and extending ths north and
south walls, SO as to connect herewith. The
new walls are 26 feet high from the surface
of the ground, and the old walls have been
raised to a corresponding height.
The whole length Of the new wallerected
is 607 feet, and it contains about 10000
bricks, including the bricks which were used
in raising the north and south walls. The
amount Of labor and materials furnished by
The lessees for the erection of these walls has
not yet been accurately estimated, and the
incurred by this improvement, Is
not fully ascertained. The work has been
under the immediate inspection OF
The board Of Directors, and the N 1teriaIs and
workmanship are Of the very best quality that
could be procured.
A brick building 2S7 feet in length and 10
wide, has been commenced in the area
in by extending the prision yard in
which 1t is contemplated TO carry on the man.
lfacture of bagging and rope;b but til being sol
as to be susceptible Of being con.
'erted into a cotton factory, or cell room, if it
houId be found necessary at any future time
Q do SO. Fl
The lessees have recently received from 4
he North, and are now erecting in the cotton [
a quantity of machinery which cost
hem $3.50 90. They are also, putting up 8
new steam engine of 80 horse power, and
steam pipe for heating the cotton and wool.
en- factories, which when completed, will 2
cost them the sum Of $500 90. This (
machinery and steam engine, amounting in
TO the sum OF $5,400 90, were purchased I
urtng he last year, but do not appear in the y
nnual account, as they were not received at y
he prison until after the expiration of the
ear, ending at the 3Ofh of September last. i
nd were not therefore taken into the account n
f expenditures for that year. =
The document marked f., is an account h
urrent and distracted, showing the amount n
monies received and disbursed by the clerk
the Penttentfary, during the year ending i
the 3lst of December last, [IS45l from Il
'hich it appears, that during the past year, he v
as paid to sundry persons for debts due the f.
enitentiary, the sum of S6,66O 81 :,
n the warrant of the Chap a
lain for books as All. hor- n
lied by law, 300 90
o discharged conYicts, the |,
sum of gao 20 q
0 the Iessees by order I,
ofthe Board of 3