The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-06-09
Inside Reasons Why the Wisconsin
State Prison is not Seif.supporting
Prison City Leader.


AS the question is often asked why a
Prison Commissioner cannot make coup
lie of hundred men support themselves
we print the following letter to the Statt
Journal which throws some light upon
the subject
EDITORS STATE JoURNAL.-From the
out side of these prison walls there is a
cry that Z" this Institution should be self
sustaining" and from all that can beseen
from the oft side it seems as though there
must be some mIsappropriation oil the
peoples money or some bad management
If it is no. soon to be self sustaining
Now those that send up those lamenta.
tions would come here and see Just how
the institution is carried on, witness the
economy that is used, see the actual pro
ducing force of the prison, and see the
precautions that have to be taken to keep
this place clean and tidy, for nearly all
the convicts come here with the yermin
and filth which six months to years
confinement in the dirty and filthy coun
ty iails would produce, they come too un-
fit for work by long confinement, with
minds troubled by looking at the long
dreary years to come; it people would
investigate before they censure, then
there would be more praises bestowed
and less blame attached to the officers of
this institution.
While have been here there has been
an average of 1876 convicts, of that num-
10 are employed in the kitchens and ns
servants in the main building, 6 in the
cell.room as tier tenders, there being 6
tiers of cells, 80 cells in tier, their du-
ties being to attend to sweeping, dustirg,
scrubbing and the general wants of the
cell-room; men mending clothing and
bedding; in the wash house; 8 in the
blacksmith shop, the shop doing no GUS
tom work; going with teams, drawing
lumber to the prison and unloading cars;
6 piling lumber and wood, saving and
splitting the latter, filling and emptying
the dry house; chore men in the shops
(men unable to do hard work.; barber
to take care of the razors-as all convicts
have to shave once a week-ard to take
care of the lamps; hospital steward to
take care of the sick, there being on an
average S in the hospital 8 crazy; 8
cripples that have been disabled for
this quarter, by getting their hands cut
bv saws; then there is on an average
convalescent, just from the hospital, Ii
permanent invalids besides the crazy
ones, females. This makes SO non-pto
ducers. One reason why there are sc
many sick, crazy and cripples is that
from Milwaukee Co, where we should
get a large per cent. of our force, they
have special enactment of the legisla
ture that allows them Work House, and
the privilege TO keep all convicts sen
fenced tor three years and under to wcrk
for the county, But all the cripples and
those unable to work are sent to Wau-
pun for the State to take care of. AS
said before, there are SO non producers
which leaves SO producers. Now to make
this institution self-sustaiEing the pro
ceeds from these SO producers must clcthe
and feed 1876 prisoners, buy new ma
chinery when the old is worn out. pay
the wages of the officers, keep the build
ings and machinery in repair-when 81
men stimulated by nothing but the pris
on discipline, can do this, then the prison
of the State of Wisconsin will be self
sustaining. These are few unvarnishet
facts, which the public should know ant
consider before they pass sentence upol
anyof the officers of this institution. s7
KEEPER.
a ge a