The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-06-29
Committee Repor<s.
Hon. T. r. Bonner, Speaker Of the House Of
Representatives.:

Hon. T. r. Bonner, Speaker Of the House OF
| Representatives.:
Your special committee, who were on the
...... instant appointed to visit Hunts.
vile, with power to 60 to other points and
to investigate the management of the State
| Penitentiary, the treatment of the convicts
undergoing sentence, the relations of the
lessees to the State, the property interest:
of the State connected with the peniten.
tiary, and all matters connected with the
penal system Of the State, beg leave to
make the following report: Your commit
tee left the capital on Monday evening,
June -, arriving at Huntsville on the even
| ing of the thirteenth, and at once com.
menced their labors.
| At the outset your committee would call
attention to the difficulties that are always
inherent to any attempt to learn the truth
of the management of any prison, at any
time or under any circumstances. Bearing
| this idea in mind, it will be readily seen
that doubt and embarrassment attended
everv step of your committee, called upon,
rs they were, to investigate the past and
| present management of SO large body OF
convicts, scattered over large part of the
State and ander a mongrel control. made
| up in part of interested lessecs, fortified by
| having the actual Gu tody of, and therefore
the power over, the convicts, and backed
by large body of hungry and, in many
cases, utterly INSCRIPTIONS guards and en-
| ployees, trembling at the possible loss OF
| employment, and often bound together by
the cohesive power of consciousness of
crimes and crueltIes jointly perpetrated
and, IN the other part, of three State direc
tors, whose salaries, pitiful as they are, un-
| n thnl 10 fn Na INyr,h h, Loo T.,
watch whom they are appointed, and one
inspector, whose living, by the same law,
comes from the san.e source, of not doubt
full imprepnety.
To these were added the other difficulties
growing out of the charges and counter
| charges, criminations and recriminations
| between the lessees and the late Inspector
| Campbell, from amid the smoke and confu-
sion of which bitter contest comes, how
ever, one important truth, VIZ, that, 1rGc-
tIcGtty the lGssees can annul any law now
on the statute book for the orderly punish
ment and safe-keeping of the States con-
victs. But your committee beg to say thai
hey utilized every hour and facility ut their
command to elicit the whole truth of the
matter, with the investigation of which
they were charged.
The morning after yo1r committees arrl-
val at Huntsville the lessees were informed
by letter of their arrival, and were invited
to lay before the committee any matter
deemed of Importance to their interests.
In compliance with their wish the lessees
were allowed to be present, accompanied
by counsel, at the examination of large
number of citizens and their own employ
| ees who were called as witnesses, and they
were allowed and exercised the largest
| lafi 10
committee also called and examined under
oath, many persons selected by the lessees
as witnesses. In no case was any lessee
or any other person, not of the COM
mlttee, allowed to oe present at the eA-
animation of an officer of the State
or a convict. With the exception OF
the testimony of convicts, the testimony
of nearly all of the witnesses was reduced
to writing, and the same is now in possession
of the committee subj ct to the pleasure OF
the House. The Committee found it i'm
practicable to reduce to writing all the
testimony taken, but with the exception
stated did so as far as it was practicable
Remaining at Huntsville four days your
committee divided It's labors between ex-
tension and critical inspection of the apart
ments of the prison and examinations of the
eX-lnspectoI and the present officers of the
penitentiary together with many citizens,
guards and other employees of the lessees
and the convlcts themselves. While your
committee think the testimony taken is too
extensive to justify them in making zen a
| synopsis of 1t, they are constrained to say
tnat 1t has convinced them that many and
great abuses exist, and have for years ex-
| Isted, III the management of the convicts
! both within and without the walls of
the prison, and that there now exists
| the Ve;y highest necessity for a change
at one speedy, radical and permanent
Your committees think that not only many Oh
the employees of the lessees but all the les
sees themselves have in great many instan-
ces been guilty OF iuhuman anu deliberate
cruelties 10 the convlcts. The worst feature
Ol which Is that these crueltIes have in many
Instances been visited upon convlcts least
deserving punishment, while in too many
| other instances the more hardened GRIM
Inals have been carelessly or corruptly al
lowed opportunities for escape winch they
improved, thus destroying that principle so
conservative in prison discipline that the
treatment received WAS the treatment de-
served. The extended testimony taken as
TO the foOd and clothing furnished the con-
vlcts by the lesSees was exceedingly ana
grossly conflicting, but weis hing all that
was before them, the committee believe
that the lessees for large part of the term
ui their lease have failed to comply with
the conditIons of their obligation to the
State IN these particulars, anu especially sn
| 10 the 9aaIITy and variety of the Iood
tGIuisbr,' nr nvicts, and your committee
ate csn-trained TO think that in many in
st,.nucs TIE iood furnished them has been
OF character To nauseate instead of satisfy
Ing the pangs OF hunger. 1t is Just, how
ever, 10 say that during the VISIT OF your
committee lhe food furnished while coarse
was sufficient in quantity, but upon this
point tae cosAsiniItee nad WuAG they deemed
satisfactory information that the food fur
nished while they were present was vastly
superior IN quantity, quality and variety TO
the ordinary ration furnished The commit
tee visited the hospital" and Of it must re-
stiirm heartily the words Of condemnation
used by the commission appointed BY the
Governor in April, 1875. The building
used IS a hospital is wholly united for
such ApuTpose, being fearfnlly hot, even
for the occupancy OF men in ROBUST health.
Il Is Situated in the upper story Of two
story buIldirg EXPOSED 70 The rays Of the
sun all DAY, having . metal roof and the
lower story Of which Is used ss the cook
room for tne whole penitencary. Besides
these oblzctious the cnokinR Tor the sick
WAS on the very d4y 81 Tie oommiftee's
Eisif done in the same noom - which ten
or dnzsn sick and wsnndsd nen were.
/ luur COMMITTEES can md no excuse for