The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-03-03

shocking state of Ah,sIrs in che Im diana
stssue asemftemttnry.


slate Penftenttnry. a
The revelations OF the horribla crimes and
Wholesale dspauchery perpetrated In toe 10.
the ms st shameful and disgusting records far
nished In the annals OF prison life. Hereafter,
IiReral mnsn n msd ed rppc, Instead d Of reierfips ri
ihem TO Delaware, we VIII point them to fa-
diana An investigation OF the management
that Stale, since the contract system was In
aueurated, iour years ago. developed.
oDs other fac. sSs. the asss
were fsrmed out by o set ca unscrupulous and
bestial politicians. The successful candidate
for Warden paid 5000 for The position, the
salary being but $500 per annuim. Ali save
one OF the directors are implicated In the cor
rope fsctioes which hsverendered the manage.
OF humber of witnesses the directors were
TO receive q stated sum per annnm In return
his berth. To reimburse &lm for all these
expenditures, he was TO be allowed certain
OF the prison ana the contractors' fofemsn
might beard a. ais house. and thu prison should
furnish provisions, servants, fuel, etc, making
the entire board bill q clear prOht-no small
item In ITSELF A tax in proportion to their pay
wss levied on the guards and officers of the
prison; presents were demanded and received
from contractors; and blank receipts were
take n 10 be filled up at convenience.
The women were debauched and all sorts OF
excesses were committed. Drunkenness and
lust held high carnival Their favorites among
the women were allowed privileges. came aud
went at Will, spending the day outside the
prison walls and returning at night TO riot or
sleep, while those who refused to submit or
threatened TO tell tales, were Gtripped and
WHIPPED on the bare back with the "cat o. nine
tails" One mode of amusing themselves on
sunday was TO strip the women and have them
| run races, while those drunken reprobates
| laughed at the fun. Sometimes a drunken
heauache made them cross: then woe to any
poor devil of q convict who might get into the
| wsyi He would be whipped for smusem an {
| One poor old man named Campbell, sixty
| years of age, on such an occasion got what tht
| witness called an "outrsgeous whipping" NJ
| one cen tell how many stripes that grey nairet
| old man received. The next day ne was car
ried TO the hospital and on the next he died
| Some of the stories were SO horrible that th
| Legislature was compe lied to institute q moot
| invesi1 cation. A committee was appointed
| They were wined, dined. smoked, saw nothiu,
! wrong, and returned with flatlering report
The killing of On Irishman, and the swori
J statement of the Steward, who was dis charge,
for exposing the debaucheries, gambling
cruelty bribery, and miss appropriation Of funds
compelled the House to appoint second com
,mittee. The last committee has just com ole te,
its dis gusting task. They worked day and might
No reporter was permitted to be present. Wit
nesses were examined separately. When the
completed their labors the prison officers wer
discharged, new ones appointed In their placei
| and thus The matter ends for the present
Doubtless the people of Indiana will devot
more attention hereafter to the subject G
| prison reform.