Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-02-28
THE PENITENTIARY.
Report OGthe Legislative Committee
Testimony Of Ex-Warden Hull.

REPORT OF THE JOINT COMMITTEE.
The Joint Committee on the Penitentiary
submitted the following report to the SEN
ate yesterday:
Mr.. SPEAKER The Joint Committee on
the Pententiary, 10 whom was recon-
miIted Executive message No. 3, with the
memorial of Messrs. Ward * Briggs, sue
cessors TO Messrs Hyatt & Briggs, lessees
Of the convict labor Of the State prison,
asking an abatement Of time and the re
commentator OF the State Directors in .
dorsed thereon, together with the "instruc-
lions 10 inquire and report as to the origin
Of the fire which burned a portion of the
penitentiary workshops on the Dist ODD
of June last, and all circumstances con
nected with said fire, and also how much
property OF lhe State aud Of the Iessees
and its value, and what insurance was
laid'on the property destroyed by fire."
beg leave TO report, in addition 10 their
former report, that they have taken the
testimony under oath, Of the State Di-
rectors, Messrs. Hare, Shankland and
Mills, Of Col. J. S. Hull, former Warden,
Charles HOdshire night guard, aud John
Ward, master mechanic and foreman Of the
work shops, in reference 10 the origin of
The fire and value of the property burned.
From all the evidence produced before
the committee, they have unanimously in
structed me 10 report that they believe
the fire TO have been the work Of an
incendiary convict or cOnvic.s, stimulated
by the hope Of escape during the confusion
consequent upon a great fire, in which
they failed, partly owing 20 the presence Of
the United States troops encamped near
Ly, and called on by the Warden TO assist
in guarding the prison during the FIRE, and
also from the fact, a. proved by the testi-
mony, that the means used 10 fire the other
wing did not ignite, and the match which
burned the east wing took fire an hour OF
two earlier than was calculated. The
evidence la relation 10 the value Of the
machinery, manuiactury and material be-
longing 30 the lessees, varied from 500 900
Ia 81 5000. The loss of the State consisted
Of an old building which had been and was
used a. a cooper shop, with cracked walls.
The highest value placed upon il by any
Of the witnesses Was $4,000, upon which
the State had no insurance.
The committee examined Messrs. Ward
X Briggs under oath, AN reference to the
amount which they recovered from the
underwriters, and herewith submit the
cancelled policies, showing $1,000, all
of which is respectfully submitted, with
the evidence taken, for the consideration of
the Legislature And they would further
and most respectfully report back their
former resolution for the adoption of the
Legislature ard AJAX TO be discharged from
the further consideration of the subject
matters Of this report.
w. Y. ELLIOTT, Chairman.
G. C. BEAN, Chairman House Com.
The following is the resolution reported
by the committee:
Resolved by the General Assembly OF the
State. of Tennessee, That the Directors Of
the State penitentiary be, and they are
hereby authorized 10 allow Ward 4 Briggs,
the lessees OF the penitentiary, an ahate-
meut in the settlement for convict labor
from the 22d Of June, the date of the fire,
until the lst day Of January, 1868.
THE CAUSES OF THE FIRE.
The committee examined the following
witnesses under oath: Samuel 4. Hare,
Judge VIM. Mills, A. b. Shankland, J. J.
Night Guard, John Ward, Master Me
chanic, and Col. Hull, late Warden. The |
testimony Of Col. Hull, given below, vas
oorroborsted by the other witnesses:
TESTIMONY or COL. ). s. HULL, LATE WAR
DEN.
J. ). Hall being sworn, stated | was |
present ~ Warden Of the penitentiary |
when the fire occurred on the I'D of June, |
1867. The prison had Just been closed and |
We had convened the prison court 20 de- |
termine the punishment 10 be given TO |
prisoners for some ohenses aud about eight |
O'Clock the alarm Of fire was given, when |
Judge Swiggert and myself rushed ont TO |
the scene Of the FIRE A soon az / reached |
the shops | found that the fire was
IN the upper room. ran up the
outside steps 10 see if the fire could be eK-
tinguished, and found the volume OF smoke
SO dense that no one could reach the fire.
| then ordered some buckets, and COM
menced drawing water from the wells snd
cisterns. We had two wells and one Gle
tern available. The wells were very deep
from forty to tihy feet saw from the
progress which the Ere made that with
our means we could not be able 10 check
the ERE, and We sent three runners 20 the
city for the fire engines, aud also a request
a
infantry 10 come down and guard the pris- |
oners ia the event We should have 30 va |
cate the prison, which thought probable. |
The FIRE engine came promptly, and We |
found IL impossible 20 save the wing an |
which the IRE originated, bnt succeeded in |
stopping il ss the foundry. Had il not |
been for the engine the entire prison |
would have been consumed. In about ten |
minntes after / discovered the tire | took |
all the prisoners (abont 1907 ont 81 the |
wing near the ere, and pat them 10 work. |
The following week / commenced an in |
vesiigation Of the causes Of the Gre. /
There we're two prisoners, one OF whom /
was sentenced for life, whom ! had used as
secret detectives. and who had given Toe
valuable information. which enabled me /
10 detect the effort made bv Coffee and |
others 20 surprise the guards snd make
their escape This led me 10 give credsnce |
10 Peterson the prisoner named--siate-
ment He informed me thst he heard |
one Of the prisoners, Cain, who was after
wards punishedby thirty dave confinement, |
say 70 Carroll, another bad prisoner, that |
the whole plan wonld be discovered before |
nieht for he smeIt the damned benEine all |
the afternoon and another prisoner Hood, |
who Was also punished, say that If the
psrtv who was TO fire the hemp shop bad
not failed that the whole damned thing |
would have went.
Upon further investigation found that !
lanes Martin substantially corroborated |
the statement of Peterson, and also impii- |
Gated Evans, another prisoner. Martin |
stated that he had learned that Hood, Car
roll. Cain and Evans had ElAde slow
match and placed il in the cooper shop IN
the shaving, snd near the bucket lathe,
v here there was great deal Of inhamma-
BE material. Upon this iniormstion l
confined them ia their cells on bread and
water for thirty DAYS. Through Peterson
/ learned that the attempt to FIRE the hemp |