Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1875-09-28
THE STATE PRISON SCANDAL.
what Nine Ex.t;uards a t. Say
on the subject.

THE STATE PRISON sCANDAL.
| what Nine Ex-Guards Have t. Say
ON the subject.
We have the authority of the Vir-
pinia Chronicle for stating that the fol-
lowing communication was prepared
for the Corson Appeal last March, but
was never published:
CARSON CITY, March IS, 1875.
EDITOR OF THE CARSON APPEAL
SIR. In your paper of the 18th OF
| March. YOU wrote an article compli-
menting p. c. Hyman for his manage
rent of the Siase Prison, and you give
a bill of fare served 10 the prisoners
from the It'll to The 18th Of this month,
in which roast beef, roast pork and
beefs eaks figure largely, and al aver
nvp of ia pounds of bread were served
in each day.
Now, sir, most of us were guards at
the prison for two years. and We most
soleinnly declare that in all that time
up to the meeting of the last Legisla
trire we never saw a single piece OF
| beefsteak, roast beef or roast pork on
the prison table during Hyman's ad
| ministration, nor do we believe that
one half the bread you mention was
ever served in one day TO the prison
ers during the time above mentioned,
except on holidays.
Sn far from the prisoners having
such abundance of food, we will say
that the food was always poor in quail
ity and generally d ficient in guam
tity.
Often the prisoners complained of
hunger, and when thew did so, thev
we're put in the dungeon as a punish
ment.
The order was general to the guard,
to report all who complained of hun
ger, that they all might be punished.
l, was common for the prisoners to
say in their cells ut night that they
were so hungry that they could not
sleep.
The beef wa always cooked n way
for breakfast, dinner and supptr-tha
Is, it was boiled with carrots usually.
hut sometimes with potatoes or
alone into a kind of slush, and was
served in this style at each meal. The
quantity of food WAS so deficient that
many men suffered hunger near
ly all the time. We may mention,
among those punished for complain
ing of hunger Alec. Began, Martin
Reardon. Flynn, Pat. McCue, Pfuett
and Hagerty. and not a day passed for
weeks at a time without many COM
plants of hunger.
The Captain Of the Guard is wholly
unfit for his place. On n occasion he
got drunk, left six cells unlocked. with
three prisoners in each cell, went off to
Carson, and did not return till next
morning. This fact was reported Ia
the Warden, but the Captain of the
Guard was retained.
Some VI us resigned because of sui
len and u~nfriendly conduct on the part
of the officers, or from disgust; some
were discharged from the Guard after
a long service, simply because we told
the truth when called before the Prison
Board or Legislative Committee. while
other men (Ross, McMullin and john
Deal), who had been discharged fol
cause, were given our places. because
their testimony was favorable to thu
Warden; yet these men had often. ir
orr presence. complained OF the mis-
treatment Of the prisoners by thu
officers.
While most of us were examined by
the Prison Board, we We're not neal al
examined by the Legislative Commit
tee, although we were ready and will
ing to 60 before the committee ant
sw ear to all we have stated above.
We wish to state that in all we have
said, we lay no blame to Mr.. Clayton
the clerk. We recognize him as
worthy officer aud gentleman.
As to Hyman's long Capitalization
with the prisoner, Moliie Forshay, WI
| refer you to the evidence of Dan. .Glas
| set, Jas. s. Nichols and Mollie For
| shay, now on file with the State Prison
Board.
And let us ask right here, why hal
this board suppressed this evidence
when the Senate Investigating Com
mittee referred it to them with a re
quest to print and distribute in pamph
let form, and the Senate adopsed thi
resolution?
We ask by what right this boar
suppresses this evidence, under thes
circumstances?
AL. MCCAUsLAND,
JOHN RAFFERTY,,
b. F. GREEN,
b. F. GossUCH,
f. A. FARNUM,
JAS. WATSON DoDswORrn
GEO. GREEN,
EUGENE LYLE,
WIN. G. CLEVELAND.