New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-02-02
A. NJ, Saturday, the tveDty-ffth of Jsnu-
airy. 1873.
GEORGE W. CARTER, Clerk.
?S:iTsST-sKT BJI1DISe, 4
Clerks Office,

GEORGE W. CARTER, Clerk.
! ?A.iTssr-sHr B5r.DISe,
! Clerks Office,
! Baton Rouge January 25 1875 = NJ
H.! The Joint committee having thorough,
! examined the premises of the Penitentiary
| and the condition and management of tn,
same. met at She above hour and date il
the clerks office, to maze such inquire.
relative 60 the management and condition
of the PeniteRtiary as they deemed aeces
sary.
Present-Messrs Weber. Ke!so. Barber
Burch and Blackburn. Of tho Senate.
Present-Messrs. Williams, Cousin Marie
| Kenyon. Southland. and Allan, ut The
| House.
Mr. Malta, clerk OF the Pentencisrv, and
| Ga plain Gu.dry, deputy warden Of the
! same, were questioned by the committee.
Mr.. Malta, i'll answer 20 questions as 70
| the condition and the management of the
| Penitentiarv, stated the discipline was such
| az was authorized by article eighteen of
the bylaws and regulations prescribed by
! the board of control. a copy OF which was
furnished TO the committee.
| Bucking, gagging and shower bath. which
! had formerly obtained as methods of pun
| ishment for cOnvicts, had been abandoned
| Whipping. as = means Of discipline. was
! still used: also, the dark cell vas used in
! extreme cases
| MIR. Malta further stated that the con
| victs, under the provisions Of article i've of
| the lease. had been used TO labor on the
| plantations, railroads, !evees and other
| works outside of the PeniteDtiary. and in
! competition with free labor.
! He stated that such uses had been made
| by written consent OF Governor Warmoth
! given 70 the lessees; he did not know who
| the owners Of the lease now were, except
| Major Samuel James; he would furnish a
| tabular statement showing the number of
! conviets now in the Peniten,iary. and the
! number used outside the building and for
! the purposes above stated.
He added that for the year 1872, fifty con
victs had been supplied under contract to
labor on plantation in West Baton Rouge,
at the rate Of $4,000; the lessees to feed
clethe and guard the cOnvicts. and pay for
medical services.
TWENTY-FIVE conyicts. nnder contrac. FOR
1872. been FINISHED TO BraIys plan alton.
in West Baton Rouge, on shares.
Fifty cOnvicts, Under contract for 1872
been furnished to McCullom's plantation. in
East Baton Rouge. on shares.
Thirty convicts, under contract FOR 1872,
been furnished to Birds plantation. in East
Baton Rouge. on shares.
Fifty convicts, under contract for 1872,
been furnished to Guy 3 plantation. in West
Baton Rouge, on shares.
lnlFIV cOuNlclS, uuutI COut1dCI luT 1SIZ,
been furnished to SCOTS plantation, in
Pointe Coupee on shares.
Mr. Malta was not prepared at that time
to give the number OF cOnvlcts employed on
levees and railroads. Captain Gu Y. DEP
uty warden of the Penltentiary, testified
relative to the discipline OF the Peniten
tiary as follows: He was deputy warden,
and in the absence of Captain Hayden the
warden had direct control of the prison
81 -I,.tS h to
with the Penitentiary many years; he
stated that the eighteenth article OF the
regulations adopted by the board of con-
troll forbids unusual and cruel punishment:
Mr.. Lange, the inspector appointed by the
board, was required to visit the Peniten-
tiary daily to see that the lessees did not
violate the rules of the board he could see
and know all that was done if he desired to
do so; the guards generally were competent
men, and not malicious or cruel; bucking,
gagging and shower baths were no longer
used to punish the cOnvicts: they were
sometimes logged; never knew more than
ten stripes to be given at one time;
white as we'll as cOlored conyicts
were whipped; they made no dis
elimination as to race in the punishment5
inflicted the dark cell was used as dsci- .
pline, with bre i'd and water as diet had
known it to be used for thirty days never !
longer than sixty days: dogs were used +!
sometimes to catch escaped eunNlcts: Cap
tain Hayden. the warden. had authority to |
punish convicts for misconduct without |
special directions from the board, provided !
he did not exceed III" limits prescribed in |
article eighteen OF regulations: suppOs4s |
that the board of control knows tue charaC- !
ter of punishments used ty the warden !
and his deputies: the: ought :" know it
they do not.
Mr.. Malta teslitied relative 10 the sale of |
as follows: A part of the shoe |
had been sold hr the lie: sees |
with the written consent of Governor War /
moth the machinery had originally been :
purchased by the lessees and resold 20 tie
State: the State had given certiti.
Gates of indebtedness Tor the same
SAID certificates had not been paid by h |
State. end were still held by Major James,
one OF the lessecs: do not know what the |
price of the machinery paid by the State
was: the portion disposed of was sold TO
Colonel Allen Green. and partial payment !
made thereon: will give :he cost of the !
amount sold TO Colonel Green as soon as l
ean obtain the facts from Major James, who
Is now absent.
The committee furnished Nr. Malta a
relative to the questions
'aised under the resolutions offered by Sen
ltOrs Blackburn and Ingraham, and then
adjourned 70 meet and close it's ingestiga- !
ion At the committee room, at 10 4. NJ, on
he twenty sixth OF January. 1873.
a. WILLIAMS.
NELSON KENYON.
L. g. ALLAN.
A. j COUSIN.
+. MARIE.
BAIoS ROUGE, january -. 1873.