Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1859-01-26
OHIO PENITENT1ARY.

Germany 81 England 20, Virginia 81.
K "ruckv 2l
No. OF convicts who were intemperate. 3ls
'' who We're temperate, lIs
who We're moderate drinkers, 1877
No. of convicts who are married, 2r9
who were unmarried, 374
who are wi.Iow.rs. 25
who We're widows.
The R"por OF / 8 ~, of the Warden o.
hr Pen ten larry, says:
OF the whole number examined $50
-ony 10 mad anN regular employmrnr
leaving 80 to wander vaguely aboll, OF
ID >it IN idleness. likeness has been
styled 1.-The DEVILS work shop" and he
- no wand+rs about without business. l.
like the Devil, 'going about seeking
whom he may devour."
Let the Christian church once be
come as jealous in behalf of the i'll
an wandering the homeless aud orphan>
vi out ldI'i. AZ " 10 Dt-iinii pi On
h-aIhen, and the current OF crime tia
runs 81 rapidly. will be checked. Look
tho, al The connection ot inremperrnc,
with crime. Oui of $50. 80 mad in en-
-pertIe fathers, 1871 were Intemperale.
I28 were intoxicated at the time Ih..
or me wa. cnm'niIird, for which they are
>uiferiug and I19 admit that drunkenness
vas the Im.n-dIaie or r-mlte cause Uf
.heir confinement. Here then we have
= d,s'inci canse for more than one half
OF the crime cnnmitted. and tiat prope'
~u'iecI toi legislatIin.
FJr the continuance or intemperanc.
All slavery Ihrr'. isa fearful responsible
ny somewhere. Dprs it rest on tn.
Church. or the Sstf, ,r boihs There l.
nmoIher thing worthy of note. althoug h
80 report themselves "a having attended
S.bb,ih school, and II As having, for a
tim, been regular attend ants IF some
CHURCH, yet. only %. out Of the 35J
continued 10 observe the sabbath, aud
tend church up to the time of their ar
r, ST. Two things arr shown by these
facts: fist, that a regular attendance
unon religion worships retains from
crime. ani f.vors vitur; AMI second.
tnai there are, il our own land very many
ho are The proper subjects of christian
sol'ci'ndr, and phiIanthropic exprtion.
Every cell ia the O1in Penrtentiary is
now occupied. Crime in Ohio is on th-
Increase, and either a new prison musl
>oon be built. or the present one enlarged.
The great influx If foreigners is one
Cause OF The increase of crime, bu anolh-
er Cause il The number of avenues which
our criminal practice opens for the escape
of the offender who has The money IN EN-
pov able counsel. Jnries look os;onish
ed al fading a prisoner a,qriued whom
taev believes to be clearly guilty. merely
on account Of some technical subtlrty,
which to their unlearned judgments musI
have appeared an obsardity. Prosecu-
Tors have the modification OF seeing The
offender acquitted from some cause irre-
s~Ptive of the merits. The hardened of
fender thus acquitted by a ''flaw in the
Indictment or ''defecl in the mittimus, -
exults in his success, laughs a, his judges,
his jury, his prosecutor, and quits the
court, more determined than ever 10 con
tinue his swindling and trade OF crime
Another reformation, the abolition of
fines is necessary. Ii Ohio, tor % much
Poney so much crime may be expiat.d.
If the prisoner is rich, the penalty is
noihing-he pays the fine, and is ready
10 commit the same or worse crime. If
the offender is poor, he cannot pay his
fine, he cannot give bail, he must be sent
to Jail; if he is rich, he is allowed his
liberty, he struts, laughs at law, for he
has bought criminal license, WHAT
LAWSI
He, who passes a counterfeit banh
mole, if convicted, cannot be imprisoned
in The Penilenliary for less than three
years. but he who mains. or di>figures
another, Nth intent to Kill, can Be sent
10 the PenitenlIary for one gear A
horse ih'ef is punished with greater
severity than he who commits manslaugb.
ter. These are o6surdities, and cannot
be explained.