, 1865-02-15
OUR SPRINGFIELD LETTER,
Evidence in the Penitentiary
SNindle.
How the Lease Bill was Carried
Through the Legislature.
From our own Correspondence

srR1SGTHLD. Feb. Ii, 1856.
Iyestcrday sent you handsome allotmer
Of the extraordinary evidence and develo,
ments elicited before the P.nitentiary Con
mittee of the House Of Representatives: 4,
ring their Investigation into the affairs :
that institution. add few more oxtraci
from the evidence, ofa like character:
TESTIMONY or NE. &. PowK1L
,ba SSa aa,e with
ApgWer-1 told Gov. Yntes In June. 1sGs fh,t
would fnEntsh him with fncontestable evidenc
thai Df: oueR !. .s w acting - commissioner au
contractor At fns same time. and that he ought t
turn him ont. Gov. Yates replied that he coui
not do II; tnat he wanted to be made Unfte
and 5 e. ND +1 hat L 4 he turned him out
Senator. Gov. Yates said he would writc to d.
nacF b.e p e9ns to Springfield Immediately md tel
o1Ser nm hnas a9 9a9 said about hun. DO not know
OF the matter again. Dr, Buck rema,ned IN HI
position Is Commissioner for ten months amer
| when he resigned,
a SUDDEN CONVERSION.
Ar: lawrence. Representative In the Gen
efai Assembly from Boone county. In 1858
and gentleman Of marked intelligence and
integrity, was summoned before the Peniien.
l1aiy committee, and among other things
testified to the following:
44e@toH. From your experience In Legislative
nodiet, etate whether yuu saw evidences at fhAi
nme tdpans session Of 1851 to induce you to be.
aese taat there was an effort made to induce
members to vote against Whit had been their prc-
lions JUDGMENT as I'd The right and policy or lie
Ans,cer. There were certain thi inps which
aroused my fuspicions. In rhe early part Of fhe
sessaon report had been made by the Commie-
sons5s &C @ of the Penitentiary strongly condemning
companied by bill, In accordance with the views
aataneea n thnt respect. Ny attention was called
70 t1e bn! naii BY D. Baek one Of the Commission
him that had read it md approved 1t. ana yoIt1a.
tarily sald to him II should have nv SUPPORT:
VIII which he seemed to be much satisfied Ii
into the House and my seat being next the aisie
he etopped and informed mo that be had come to
rs conclusion that he had better let that bill
had produced this sudden change I think be
nade no reply. :! informed him that my opinions
had been formed in 1857, and that they could IN
reasons Mr- F. A. Eastman's scat was near mIne
ard be voted for the lease bill. At this I was
greatly surprised, as IN many conversations had
to Be OPPOSED to tie biil. IL Eastaa1, vas Cd. ap.
pointed by Gov Yates Commissioner OF the Pcn1-
tentary few days after he gaye that vote.
might add that there were several other
sudden conversions on tho final pdssage ofthe
bill. What produced them may be Inferred
By The initial list which went into the hands
Of Chal1es II. Reed. Esq, OF your city, about
Which{he testified before the Committee.
~" 1AE EAE17lA.A1uRE WAS CARRIED FOR TEE
LEASE BILL. ..
james Lowe, Of Quincy, ILL.,, who was, dur.
Ing the pending Of the lease bill In the Cen
cru Assembly IN !s65, the clerk and conf
-aent'al lraend OF ~. P1tman, and at the
grf ssfng clerk Of the Senate, gave his tcsti-
mony before the Penitentiary Committee,
~, uous VI WHICH eeno you
z; sate what you may know, II ifanything, In re-
Eafd M 70 Improper o. corrupt influences beng used
ytay sny R.ieoa Or persons toward members Of the
+ commonly known asl the Ftman PeuItentisry
Lease Elll!
A. l know from admissions made to me- by
Jamcs \. Pisman. during the session, thar he had
to employ considerable amount or money to
h;M IN order TO procure the passage Of the
q. state for what pu.pose he said he t,a mad
the money! ''| ~ : - 40'e :
Htman 4unng The pending q the Bill, he gave
@ ne 70 una @ ersand that he had e pay certain mem
oe1s 2 g.s, sne dos ne passage o. the bill.
to anF contrscs Iii; ES nr u seeasa
Fitn1n ~ n,,r othar na.so - ~ oeLmeen ss1a