The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1863-03-14
THE JAIL QUESTION.


THE JAIL QUESTION.
EDITOR News: have been talking to a
number Of the citizens of Lyon county in
relation to the coming vote for Jail here,
and find in some places a strong feeling
against building it. Now. desire to sub
NIT few facts for their consideration. s4d
try to show that it is good financial policy
to vote the amount requisite to the building
of a Jail this spring.
LIST. In the case of Mary J. Haworth, I
am told by our County Clerk that the fees
were nearly one thousand dollars; while, if
we had owned jail at the time, she could
have been kept for about one hundred dol
lars.
Cd. In the case of JOCK Ward, our Clerk
informs US that the expenses were over one
hundred dollars; when, if We had then had
a Jail, we might have kept him for twenty
FIVE dollars.
Sd. In the case of Dick Shannon, alias
Collins. alias Wells, alias anybody else that
was convenient for him to claim to be, Mr..
Parham presented bill Of about one hun
dred and twenty five dollars, of which near
ly one hundred was mileage, which would
have been saved, had there been Jail here.
1t may be argued that the bill has not been
allowed here, and never will be in this case.
On that matter am not so clear; but in
cline to think it will eventually be recov-
cred.
Those cases show that about eleven hun
dred dollars has been lost to the county
for want of Jail.
Then, in the case of the man who MUIR
dered his partner-1 think White, on Rock
creek-he was allowed to bail because we
had no Jail, and by that means to escape,
leaving his securities to pay the bonds, be-
sides being considerable expense to the
county. And at the same time we allowed a
malicious and deliberate murderer to escape
from hanging that he most unquestona-
bly, deserved.
Again: If we had owned a jail last year,
the Anderson boys, in the northwest part
of this county, in all probability would
have been secured, and such a cold blooded
murder as that of Judge Baker would most
likely not have occurred, to shock the feel
ings of the people of our county so long as
the hospitable and whole-souled Arthur l.
Baker shall be remembered.
Another argument in favor of jail, and
a Jail now, is this: We are now engaged in
terrible civil war, which will close some
time, and that class of desperadoes who for
years have infested our cities have for a
long time been following in the wake of our
army; and at the end of the war, having be
come alienated from their old quarters, will
seek some new field to operate in-and we
shall be overrun by a set of awless desper-
ADDE'S, of the Dead Rabbit" order, unless
we have Jail to place them in.
| AS financial measure, there is an argu-
ment of another stripe. That is, there must
be Jail built sometime, and money never
was SO plenty as at present. Scarcely a boy
but can command his dollar. And when
money is plenty is the time to strike.
have not acted in the capacity of sher,
III, here, and cannot speak from personal
knowledge; but in another State l have
acted in that capacity, and found jail very
convenient, and great saving to the coun-
ty. And in a conversation with Elisha
Goddard, our former Sheriff, he told me be
should vote for the JAIL and as an argu
ment, he said that he had been Sheriff Ions
enough to know how much we need such
building.
Now, suppose an Indictment should b.
found against man for some malicious &C
for instance, shooting stock, burning I
house, or some other criminal deed-by tht
grand jury, and warrant issued to th'
Sheriff to take him and have him at thu
next term of court, and he should be unable
to give bail: the expenses would be fou
dollars for every twenty foul hours, which
would be, from one term to another, sever
hundred dollars.
In financial point of view, had We no
better build jail?
WEEKLY SUMMARY OF NEWS.
The bast item of naws this waak wa