Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1857-01-01
The Ohio Penitentiary.

fn the Official report Of the Board of Dl::
reetors Of the Ohio Penitenti.ry we 6nGO ,
following sccount of their financial sfairs-
TIE receipts and expenditures of The In
stitution for the past fiscal year. are as fol-
lows:
Total receipts a. certified to the Auditor
of State, sixty-four thousand three hundred
twenty four dollars and foriy-three cents
(S64,s24 zs-isO,) total expenditures, sew
enty three thousand four hundred twenty
one dollars and forty cents (S75,I2l 40 -lou,)
showing an excess Of expenditures over re-
ceipts of nine thousand and ninety six dol
lars sud ninety cents GO .o96. 81 100, }
In referring to preceding official reports"
from this Institution. we find, in quite .
number, an array Of figures presented, to
show that the Prison, instead of being = tax
on the State, is a source of revenue.
Since April 18th, A. D. 1854, all the re-
ceipts of the 1ns ,ituiion are paid into the
State Treasury, and all expenses are drawn
Iherefrom. The account at the Treasury
shows ,hrt since that time there has been
received from the Prison, Sl62 .oS7.64. and
that there has been drawn from the Treas
urY on account Of the Prison, SlSl ,607 .56,
showing that the expenditures have exceed
ed the receipts by si9,52O OF, and that all
but %, 1868 of this excess of expenditure
was previous to November 18th, 1856. and
the balrnce previous to June LIST. A. D.
1856. the time when the present Warden
came into Office.
From June LIST A. d. 1856, to November
let, A. D. 1856, the accounts show a small
balance Of receipts over expenditures, in
cluding repairs, whish hsvs been unusually
large.
The history Of the lnstitutiop, from its
establishment up 10 the present time, shows
that It has been q constant tax upon the
State. If the same system and economy,
with which a good business man manages
his own private affsirs, can be introduced
and enforced Ia the Business Of the prison,
there is no doubt the Institution will SUP
por, itself. and yield small revenue to the
State, alter il 10 put in such state of re-
pars as the interests of the State demand.
It has been our object to introduce and
en- force such q system. Whether We shall
succeed or fail, the future only can deter
mine.
It seems from another part Of the report
which We give below, that the officers OF the
Ohio Penitentiary, by refinement, Of erue J.
ty, have instituted new punishment. The
report goes on:
Unless the institution can be rid of the
rtrmin that infest it, the courts should
shorten the term of sentence, for the pris-
oner 10 not only doomed to hard labor during
the day, but tortured nights BY those "pesis
of humanity" and we are fully of the oPin-
ion that the only way to remedy this evil
will be to supply iron bedsteads in the place
of the rickety, rough beard hunks, the open
Joints of which afford q safe retreat for
breeding plantations.
The experiment of iron bedsteads was
successfully tried during the last summer
but was necessarily abandoned, alter making
about twenty FIVE. for the want of sufficient
means. Another great benefit to be gained
by the use of iron beds,eads. if they are
made 10 turn up at the siee, will be the in
creased room OF the cell.
1t will be necessary also to remove the
loose board floors Of the cells, and put IN
either stone or cement instead.
It 10 enough to be compelled to eorA ai
day, wi,host being forced to scratch al
night.