New-York tribune., 1876-01-25
THE STATE PRISONS.
Continued from First Page.

one case a keeper who absent most OF his time
was not only paid his full salary but received con-
siderable sums for extra duty.
Although the highest market rates were paid for
supplies the provisions not always of sufficient
quantity and were often positively unfit for human
food. One hundred convicts were afflicted with
scurvy in a Winter through the continued use of
poor salt beef and remonsrances with the agent by
the physician were unavailing. The Committee
found that whatever may have been the objection
able character of the provisions the cost to the
state was always the same
Among the unauthorized expenditures at sing
Sing were the allowances to keepers and guards Tor
extra services. In some instances guards were
shown to have received guard pay, full Keepers
paw and pay for extra service, all in the same
month"; One of the Inspectors agreed for stipu-
atod price to vote to continue the agent at Sing sing
in his Office Dry goods, stationery, gold pens ana
pencils for the use of of the Inspectors and his
family. were bought and paid for out of the prison
funds. The agent shaved tho salaries OF the eh-
ploy6s. sometimes receiving as much as 10 per cent
of money actually duo his subordnates. Ohicers
names were signed to pay rolls by the clerk, their
salaries charged in the agents accounts as cash
paid, the accounts sworn to by the agent and clerk.
and the amounts credited to the agent by the Con-
troller; and all this time the men know nothing
of it, Ii NAV serve to show that there are
some members, at least, of the old state
Prison Ring still about, to say that this
clerk Childs, who shown by tins III
vestigation to have been guilty Of per-
Jury, forgery, and habitual drunkenness was
formidable but unsuccessful candidate before the
new Board of State Prison Inspectors for his ola
place as clerk of Sing Sing Prison, coming very
strongly recommended. At both Auburn and Stag
Sing Prisons convicts found in considerable
;GoIo fn thnir
and occupations This was done i'll order to have
them assigned to particular contracts.
Fraud and extravaganza marked the erection OF
buildings and the repairs at Sing Sing. Adding to
the cash paid for bulding and repairs and the cash
paid for stono shops and quarries, the labor OF
masons stonc-CutterS, dc.. the expenditures LOT
buildings and repairs amounted to 9I2OOo. Ac-
ccptng the valuation OF tho buildings made by the
agents own appraiser the total credit side was
$lfO77, leaving deficit Of S3sGj2. Tho Com
nnttee folnd 1t impossible to believe that this
amount had been properly expended.
Some idea of the moral of the prison at that time
may be gathered from the remark of the clerk that
he bad been "a gatc-keeper for Lockwood (the
agcnt); that Lockwood had been spending the
money. and ho had been vouching the truth Of his
accounts; that ho vouched for $1,000 when it was
not over 5000 This the clerk who was
strong candidate for the same place under new,
and it il TO be hoped Reform Board.
The agent at Sing sing neglected to credit the
state with moneys collected by HIM for long pcriod
after their payment. and induced honest creditors
TO give receipts of their accounts against his private
paper. which he falsely represented as paid The
vouchers for one year showed double the nuinbcrof
barrels Of flour purchased that tho freight bills
showed to have been frcghtcd. In several cases
vouchers very nearly alike in quantity were made
ont against a number of firms on the same date
and were evidently to cover fictitious purchases