The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-20

Bread rurni5hed by HOUSE or
hefuge., ........,......o.. iy4 3U--S3, 435 33
EARNINGS.
Collins for INDECENT dead. -. s6iS 90
Municipal poll courts, work
Department waterworkr, work
done. 3l ~
Bows House Refuge, work
cone. ............ ~ 50
Department Improvements,
work done. ............. lS6 90 1866 70
$2,468 SO
Average monthly number Of inmates h3. Cost
per month, 1872 08ss; monthly cost per inmate,
SIG 81.
The following also shows the
AMOUNT OF SALARIES
paid monthly to the officers in charge Of the in
stitution: Chief warden, s125; under warden,
ss3 SO; clerk, s75; warden, s66 66; carpenter,
$66 66: blacksmith, $66 &c; night watchman.
s62 80; total, s5i5 81.
In order to ascertain whether the average
number OF the inmates Of the institution as
reported to the Mavor was correct, our reporter
visited Recorders Miltenberger and Smith and
ex.Recorder W. J. J. Armstrong. now chief clerk
OF Recorder Smith. From the former ii was as-
certained that since the month Of January last
he had committed, at most, four prisoners to the
workhouse. Ex Recorder Armstrong stated that
he had sent large number, and as many as Il
or a. in one day. From the books of Recorder
Kleinpeer, the predecessor OF Recorder Smith,
our reporter found that from lis to 100 had been
committed during the three first months of the
year.
Judge Smith, being interviewed on the sub
iect said that since he had been In Office about
fifteen days, he
HAD NOT COMMITTED
any prisoner to the Workhouse, nor did he pro-
pose to do so hereafter, because, 10 bis opinion,
it was not constitutional prison. The under
standing OF our committing magist rates is that
they are limited to thirty days in their commit
ments of prisoners to the Workhouse; aud they
also say that these are sent down variously for
from ten to thirty days.
During the day, at the City Hall, the matter
coming up, ii was agreed that q committee OF
three, to be composed Of Administrators Dia.
mond, Denis and Edwards should be entrusted
with the Investigation Of the charges OF the
Grand Jury against the Workhouse officials, to
report as soon as possible to the City Council.
In the afternoon our reporter called at the
WUIhEOuE0 huu 5OuSut W JutcEfibW Jdu6b
Barry, chief warden Of the institution, on the
subject. Mr.. Barry replied that he had prepared
card for publication explaining his responsibility
in the matter, but on learning that committee
had been appointed to investigate the affa r,
he had concluded to say nothing about
it. He, however, referred our reporter
to his book OF record to show that the man
spoken of as having been sent to the hospital was
regularly entered thereupon, and that the next
day the prisoner, deaf mute, entered as
Dummy" bad been sent to the Charity Hos
pital. Mr.. Barry added that the man is not only
DEAF AND DUMB,
but is partially insane, and that being seized with
a violent attack of dssentery, Mr.. Barry found it
necessary to send him to the hospital
Laer in the day Mr.. Thomas Devereaux called
at the DEMOCRAT Office, on the part Of MIR. Barry,
to cay that he Mr.. Barry i'll and lying in his
bed when the Grand Jury visited the Workhouse;
that the assistant warden, Mr.. James Lynch,
was entirely unauthorized 10 do what he did do.
As to any charges that might be made against
Mr.. Barry. OF having q greater number of
prisoners entered on his books than were actual.
ly in the Workhouse, he (Mr. Bsrry) was pre-
pared with the record to show that every man
entered upon it was present, and that the man.
ner in which the books were kept made it impos-
sible for him 10 report more men in the institu-
ton than were actually there. As to the case Of
Dummy" the man, after being sent to the
Charity Hospital, was
NEVER HEARD OF BY THE CHIEF WARDEN
until he was returned to the Workhouse, on
another charge. by Judge Hiltenberger; that he.
Mr. Barry, had received no information of Dunn
my's discharge by the Charity Hospital author
tiles.
Our reporter also interviewed Mr.. Robert
Dismord. Administrator Of Police, under whose
control the Workhouse is Mr.. Diamond said
that he felt greatly Inundated that . circum-
stance should arise to reflect upon the ch ar
acter of his employees to such an ex-
tent as to have them suspended. He
knew nothing Of the matter except what he
had learned from them. Lynch, the assistant
warden. he says, explains the charge Of mi lead
ing the Grand jury in this manaer: The soup
house adjoins the Workhouse and communicates
with it b. door in the fence. When the jury
visited the institution it was halfpast II o'clock
in the morning, and about soup time.
Lynch. in order to bring the men into the ranks
for roll call. in compliance with the request Of the
Gran Jury. gave the usual signal by blowing q
whistle, which was mistaken by the indigens
calers for the ''soup call" and they came in and
took their places in the ranks with the prisoners.
A Visit to the WOrkhouse.
Another DEMOCRAT reporter having paid a
visit to the Workhouse, found three or four de-
crepid old women scrubbing out the cells, and
some of the cells which had not been scrubbed
by them we're in dirty condition.
Some negro men were employed in cleaning mp
the yard. which work consisted In gathering the