The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1877-02-06

Editors of the Register.
Happening TO be in the somewhat an
tiauaied town Of Houndsville with
some spare time on my hands I yester-
day visited the State Prison at that
place, and through the courtesy OF the
superintendent Captain Bridges, and
other officers Of the institution, am en-
abled 70 furnish the following account
! of the manner in which things are man
aged there, which may not prove entirely
undressing TO portion OF your road
ers. The prison now contains
ONE HUNDRED AND NISETY-TIvE coz
| vIcTs,
! four of whom are females, serving SEN
fences ranging from one year to life
time, and for all classes of crimes
from grand larceny TO murder In the
arst degree, snd persons of every age
between fifteen and sixty-ave years, and
i, representing every class of society. The
number OF guards employed Al this time
is seventeen two of them are night
guards" }, Including officers, less num-
| Der than was employed when The prison
only contained fifty prisoners. The day
guards are required to report for roll
call al half.ps six, when they take their
| respective places, viz, one IN each Of
| the four towers, one at the office gate,
| one at the large gate, one with the team,
one in the cell building and the balance
in the different shors and about the
prison yard. There is no discord or jar
ring among the guards in regard to their
respective posts Of duty, as their respec-
tive places are definitely specified BY 9
'List" posted in the guard room" On the
last day of every month, which list Is
not changed during the following
month. A guard sbsenting him.
self for day, or leaving his post with
out permission OF the Superintendent
| or his assistant will be discharged By
the above arrangement the utmost har-
mony exists among the guards.
The convicts, upon leaving their cells
in the morning are formed in line, single
file, each man with his night bucket, and
marched to the water closets, where
they empty the buckets and deps sit them
on shelves along the walls Of the prison.
The buckets are afterwards thor ,ughly
secured and lined by convlcts detained
tor that purpose, snd returned to the
cells where they belong, each bucket be-
ing numbered. After emptying their
buckets, the men are marched in the same
order to the place prepared for washing,
and each man is furnished with towel. |
After washing they are marched IN sec
tions to the dining room, where they take
their respective places at the breakfast
table At tap OF the bell they begin
eating simultaneously. The utmost ST.
lence is enforced during the time they
are eating. Their wants are made known
BY q system OF signals we'll understood oy
the corps Of walters. At second tap
of the bell the men all leave
the table in the order in which
they take their places, each of
them, taking his knife and fork and de.
posting them in box placed q! the end
Of the tables. After leaving the dining
room, the prisoners are again formed in
sections and taken charge of by the fore.
men of the different shops.
At dinner time and supper the men
ale marched to the dining room in the
same manner as IN the morning. After
supper they are marched directly from
the dining room, through the hall of the
warden's building, to their sells, and are
locked up, counted, and turned over 10 |
the night guard, composed of two ''regu-
lars" and one day guard.
venture the assertion that there is not |
q similar institution 10 the United States |
where s better system of discipline, both |
IS regards the guards and prisoners is in |
operation, or one more strictly en- orced. !
The biennial report OF the Superin-
tendent just published, certainly presents
. very gratifying result under the cir
cumstsnces) rs to the earnings Of the in.
stitution Tor the last two years, showing
Q net earning of Sl8 036 IA, when
amount does not include the vast amount
OF convict labor performed in stone cut
ting. grading, building, well digging,
hauling, and the almost innumerable
other kinds Of work incident TO an insti.
tuition OF this kind, whilst 10 the course
of erection. The Superintendent reports
that the time employed in stene cutting,
building ana grading for the two years
is rs follows: Stone cutting, 1,429 days,
which. AZ two dollars per day, amounts
TO $l4S5S; 6567 days building at one
dollar and fifty cents per day, So. 5000;
$50 d-ys grading st seventy-dve cents
per day, s6,4s7.59; showing that the
three kinds OF work specified, il done by
hired labor, would amount (even at the
above mentioned wages to the sum
OF s3l, 1876 10, which amount, added to
tae amount of reported earning, would
increase it 70 $49, 232.l4.
There Is also ~ be taken into consider
alton in this connectloa the profits arising
from the pay received from the United
States Govern ment tor the keeping OF the
thirty odd Federal prisoners now con-
fned in the institution, for which Ar
rsngement an credIbiy informed Capt.
Bridges is entitled 10 the credit. 1t Is
unnecessary for me 10 refer to the char
acter OF the work done on the building, as
It is known 10 be OF the most substantial
and enduring description.
would beg leave to call the particu.
lar attention of our lsw-gIvers, now as
sembled, ~ the suggestions Of the super
in,endent Ia reference 10 the hireing out
TO CONTRACTORS of convicts TO work out
side of the prison, Is he very c early dem.
onssrstes that owing to the large num-
Der of unskiiled lsborers, which comprise
the inmates of the Institution, and the
short term OF Imprisonment, it is utterly
impossible to make their work remunera-
tive to the State.
The present summer will see the com
pleting (If the necessary appropriations
are made) of all the shops snd grading
after which the above clsss o: prisoners
will be almost entirely unemployed, and
instead of beng = source Of prof. will be
but continual expense to the people of
the S,ata Attenii, Is also directed TO
his remarks IN regard to the blind per-
sons, cripples and other ineurables con-
fined IN the institution They are not
! only large expense, but cause of con-
,inusI az noysnce and trouble TO those in
charge o: the prison.
Gov. Jacob in his lsst message recon-
mends that the institution be thrown