The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-09-14
The PenitentiaTy Investigation
Letter from the Superintendent.
cHAlRMAN's SYNOPSIS REVIEWED
A QUESTION OF HONOR.
Results Of Fine Figuring.
The deficiency" Question.
THE PROSECUTING WITNESS,
The cowhiding Practice.
Measurement of the Stone.
PERSONAL AND PARTICULAR.
Case and Condition of Chair
man Phelps.
The deficiency" Question.
THE PROSECUTING WITNESS.
The cowhiding Practice
Measurement of the Stone.
PERSONAL AND PARTICULAR.
Case and Condition of Chair
man Phelps.
WEST VA. PENITENTIARY,

GENTLEMEN In your issue of this
date there appears what purports to be
a synopsis" of the report of the com
mittee recently engaged in investiga.
ting the affairs of this institution, and
some PREDATORY remarks for which my
thanks are due.
The gentlemen who furnished this
synopsis" understood to be the Hon.
J. NJ. Phelps, Senator from Mason, and
Chairman of the committee), has, in SO
doing, taken responsibility for which
he will have to account hereafter as
best he can, since, according to the
statement of member of the commit
tee (the Senator from Monongalia), it
was expressly agreed or understood be-
fore adjournment that there was to be
no publication, at present, of the COM
mittee's report. But that is matter
which does not concern myself / am
concerned, however, with the fact that
an ostensible statement of the commit
tees conclusions has been published in
such general terms, so free from all
qualification, that it cannot be deter
mined from it whether those conclusions
are warranted by the evidence or not.
1t would have been fairer to have pub
lished the whole report, evidence and
all. The public then could have formed
something like an intelligent opinion
Oh the subjects involved. And the ques
tion here arises, why, under the circum-
stances, was this statement furnished at
ALI An uncharitable person might
suppose that so fagrant disregard of
the agreement between the members of
the committee, on the part of the Chair
man, could have no other object than to
prejudice public opinion and influence
beforehand the action of the Board OF
Public Works, or that of the Legisla-
ture. And this view seems all the more
probable when it is recollected that the
author of the synopsis" was the Chair
mau!of the committee which, last win
ter, Investigated the charges against the
superintendent, the majority of whom
recommended my dismissal from that
position, and in his advocacy of the
cause he had espoused, displayed, on
the floor of the Senate, degree of feel
ing on the subject amounting almost to
personal luminosity towards myself.
But dropping this question, | will ad
dress myself to the statements of the
synopsis" AS they are somewhat more
specific in that paper than in your own,
| will quote from the IatelligeHcer:
"The Committee find that the accouats
between the Board of Directors and the
State Treasury are square.
Tie expenditures have all been ac-
counted for except S4555 of "a "contin-
gent fund" placed in the hands of the
Superintendent by the Directors. The
Superintendent claims that this sum
has been expended, but failed to pro-
duce vouchers showing for what"
When the full report of the commit
tee is published, there may be Ques-
ton as to how these conclusions were
reached. Certainly, if their figuring is
correct, "tbe accounts between the
Board of Directors and the State Treas
ury" are not "seuare." Iftheir balance
sheet means anything Il have ver-
batim copy of it in my possesslon), 1t
means that the Board are behind some
$1,000: and, as five gentlemen compose
the Board, the natural inference IS that
they have somehow or other pocketed a
$1,000 apiece.
As to the alleged deficiency on my
ewn part, l undertake TO say that had
the committee seen fit to allow as a
credit what actually was shown to have
been expended, as per receipts on the
receipt book of stone cutters employed
at the Penitentiary and by payments to
McGahan x Williamson for labor done,
also vouched for by receipts, the sum
unaccounted for would have been re-
duced some Sl4O0 or $500. Why these
credits were not allowed am totally at
loss to understand, as there was no
charge made, or suspicion expressed,
that the receipts were not genuine.
And further, had they taken cOgnizance
of statement of expenditures for con-
| tingent purposes Hp to the first day OF
June, 1869, (the date to which the in
vestigatiOn extended), which / had ia
ken from the Penitentiary books, item
by item, amounting to some slS 900, the
balance would have been on the other
side, as it properly ought to be. Here
are the figures: The Board appropria
ted Sl7 ,339.45. The committee allowed
credit of Sl2,7S6.li. The balance
stated TO be unaccounted for was, there
fore, S45533l. The statement referred
to showed expenditures amounting TO
Sic, S,6l3 ~, including the credit allowed
and expenditures for which, in the Ia
turc of things, it was impossible for me
to show receipts, such IS tele-
graphing, travelling expenses, cover
time to conyicts," &c. Taking
the difference between this sum
and the total appropriations, there re-
mains Of sl27395 in my favor. Add to
LIT Al ms N 10 ND
$50 not on the statement but paid out
of contingent fund for labor done aud
vouched tor by receipts, and the balance
/ in my favor reaches the sum Of S2iaI 9l.
Why did the autho: OF the synopsis
/ if as is evident, he wished to fasteu
upan me the stigma OF dishonesty, state
! the excellent reasons he doubtless had
for not allowing the credits claimed
The books and papers, as alleged,
were found to he in o bad condition. II
may, however, be we'll enough to state
that those hooks and papers were kept
by Peter Yaruall, the party who, after
his discharge from the position -f clerk
on account of continued drunkenness
and general untitDess for the duties Of
! the office, Immediately preferred the
charges against me to the Legislature.
"1he charges against the Snperlnteu-
deut were investigated Sew
eral in number, were, by the accused,
acknowledged TO be true
This statement is very broad one
and needs correcting. 1t is true, in
point of fact, that l did acknowledge
the correctness of certain of the charges;
but was very far from admitting, as
NAV be inferred from the language of
the "snynopsis," that / was willing to be
held responsible for them. My acknowl'
edgements were made with explanations
which, if embodied as they should be iu
the evidence accompanying the COM
mittee's report, will, l hope, when the
whole thing is published, modify some,
what the impression already produced
regarding them. Many OF the acts