The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1872-02-02
albanl gssister.
LOCAL MATTERS.

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STRONGER THAN EvER.-Last week
we were compelled to chronicle the
fact that man named Douglas, ill-
generated In our beautiful, symnIetri-
cal, two story brick, iron celled, ten
thousand dollar county Jail, only just
finished and paid for, had so far for
gotten the hospitalities thus rendered
him, the honor conferred upon him as
being the first occupant of said costly
edifice, as to get up and get--leayinS
his friends, the Sheriff and Demo
cratic county administration, to
mourn for time over the insecurity
and uncertainty Of jaiIors and Jail con-
tractors. But as mourning didn't
succeed to any great extent in Sc
curing the early return Of the flown
bird. the Sheriff donned his war
clothes, ard Offering a reward OF SIX
bits or so to any one returning the
bloody thief" started on the scent
himself. OF course the thief was
no match for our ''invincible,h and
be was soon overpowered, brought
back and locked up in the beautiful
ten thousand dollar 'Cmdiff hotel, "
which, according to the highest DEM
ocratic authority, had been made more
secure than eyer--as secure as more
iron could make it. Democracy at
once took a front seat, and while de-
ploriug the fact that the weak" spot
in the elegant and fascinating ten
thousand dollar county Jail had not
been discovered sooner, and stoutly
asserting that the aforesaid Jail had
been built exactly In accordance with
the "pian and specifications" it took
occasion to crow over the energy dis
played in the early capture ef the
escapAprisoner, and the fact that as
the weak spot had been found it
would Immediately be repaired and
made stronger than ever. Vainglo-
rious boast! Real the mournful
sequel! This weak, diseased and
dying prisoner, Douglas, again be-
comes an occupant OF our stronger
than-eyer ten thousand dollar Jail.
After sufficiently resting from the
effects Of his tramp, he coolly pro-
Ceeds to take measures to again escape.
His plans completed, he quietly walks
out of our stroHger-than-eyer ten
thousand dollar jail on Saturday and
that's. the last Of him! Is 1t any
wonder that our county officials hate
the sight of ten thousand dollar Jail
80 costly, yet 50 insecure-in fact,
worthless for all the purposes OF
jailP And here q conHndrim suggests
itself: II our ten thousand dollar
county Jail is SO much stronger on the
second escape Of a prisoner than it
was on the first escape, how many
escapes will it take to render a
new ten thousand dollar Jail necessary?
The situation Is truly embarrassing.
The taxpayers will demand an ex-
planation as to why so much of their
money was used in erecting an edifice
for the security of criminals, which,
upon trial, proves to be SO Insecure |
"A complete failure, although costing
ten thousand dollars They will
want to know where the fault of this
insecurity lies, with the contractor or
with the draughtslnan-if with the
contractor, why was the Jail accepted
aud the money paid therefor ? if in
the design itself, why did the Com
missioners adopt snch weak affair ?
You see the situation becomes more
embarrassing. Taxpayers dislike to
see their money expended uselessly-
without an adequate return. Say they:
Had we not better return to the old
log Jail? 1t cost less, but, if any
thing, it was more secure than tile
new Democratic, iron-eelled, patent
locked, palace-like, ten thousand
dollar Jail and If a prisoner did
escape from il, there was some excuse
on the ground Of insecurity, But the
fact Is, the matter Is so distiessingly |
embarrassing to onr Democratic |
friends, that we forbear further COM
ments on how to expend ten Thousand |
dollars of the peoples money in erect |
ing an elegant Jail tl4at prisoners, no
matter bow weak and puny, can ''go |
through like shot through a seive! |
REPUBLICAN ASSOCIATION. AN |
association Of gentlemen hailing from
the Pacific coast has been formed IN