The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1879-02-20
COMMITTEES Itcu,,.

4eii thr capital on the twenty -ishth day o. Jsi
usry last and pl oCesdei directly 10 Uuar. viii,
I ar-lNlsE q. sElG %lHca on the cycrilx of ia
TIVE iJ--inih Of Janu ;ry. on the mosuns afts
M arrival 81 Your cominit'e. ~ The peat eI
tiatN y " NJ INTO ne wuik o. = careful * suius
tion % all The depaI tmsnts ~ 4 SUMO .pdfrss a
the same. visiting in uyrssu The various W-,rk
1eCpS ard other buildings, including lhe cells
D2rltE the iabors OF your committee IA " ,Ser
sl.owcd every facility for uiaSing rnosS ca--
| iai sut thorough inspect on OF the uianagcmen
and CO 1d!uon q The prisOn, Messrs Cuuuinshsu
. rus lRe lessees, ana Capt. Goree, the super
4Attnceht, cohducting your committee thrUucl
every department of the same. Your con,
Eittec had before them number a
Witnesses, SIno get whom were the ocl
Gers, employees anf couvic's OF the prisoI
and come citizens OF huntsville an! vicinity
VINO Testified With reference 10 the present man
l SSeneat. 1oar 'mmittee siso privately inter
| view q many OF ms c1Evicfs, aud - The result
OF it- INV sugsttous does nos htsitstc 20 pro
nOunce the ma agcDenr under the present
lease exceptionally I'd in The prison ptoptr.
The conVicts are we. fed, wei c.oiheh ard he.
nancy treated, ana sUrjoc ed 20 OF lY such e
sir4His snd punishmcutS A. are nee ssary 10
TIER safe keepi, z. Tae eutise establishment
| presented a heat ana beAii hful dtLiou ard
The conYic's seemed as con eute5 and happy IS
could be expected of per Ons - CircnmsIanccd
| No oonNlc oomplaiued 10 yopr committee OF
/ bSd trc2Imeft. too mach labor or ssnt u !ocd
! not~th-tandii every facility OF dong 30 Was
! given the by the mem 5ers or YOU c mitfee.
| four committee asceT aimed th-t there wer, q
| lew instances o. harsh treatment II some OF the
, camps, but the evidence shows that tue ser
aGts SID guards guilty OF the sane are il.
every instance promptly discharged by the
| le-sees wh-n they wege info med Of g
fac,s. Tha Old cell baildiug accammo.
dates cut three hundred and for.y i've
| convicts, and If TIE baIlding was other1is sc
| saie 20 that two men could be plt IN one csll
| would accom- N 1c re as many more The new
Cell buIld'Dg contains l0I cells, sufficiently large
| TO eccOnmOdate twO Conv,cIs esCh. Thee
| cells are not Il OreG and are without doors Un-
| der the cont act OF Messrs. Gu uHnih ghsm &
Ellis they are To compete these CHS as soon as
practicable. II II i found pra -ticahie to keep
! ell the conyicts within the pri.on walls and ma
| chinerY can be supplied for tbs employment OF
/ the Eam", We submit tina; the icssees ought o
! be r quired 10 Ctmplv.e this building immedi-
| mely; .therNi-e, 1t = unnecessary 10 qlire
| the WORK except at their convenience. Before
| more convlcts than a,e ~ prescns emp oy ed
| within the walls eau 6e emp Dyed there profit
| ably, there will have u he outlay OF a large
| s1m Of money for repairs aud new machine ~.
| The machinery W IN use for the manufacture
| of cotton and Toelen fabrics il Old and VIZ m
| ou' b yInd repair II possible, the Old mschin-
| { OF the prisou should be sOld and the pTls on
| supp led with moOern improved m1chin, ~.
| The fabrics made on the Old ma hinery are 20
| depreelated IN va'ue as To folm some induce
/ ment for the outlay Your committee found
many Of the hinges on the cells so badly adjust
\ ed to render The cells insecure. The outer
/ gua wSk on the building shoHld be projected
/ by rs,lings, and The ST. ps leading up the walls
are too narrow, mary OF the staIlwsy- are de-
i c1ying and have become dangerous. Tae main
! wall OF the hui ding arc in bad cond ron gen
-
1 from their places. There $50 l. cks with
| eighty different keys. In case OF fre, from he
necessary decay in unlockins the cells, the lives
OF the Convicts would be jsOpsrdized.
II practicable the lever lock should be ub.
| stUuted, by which all the cells coul! be TN
| locked ut once. The institution Is nov sup
piled with cisterns but II wi hcut the appliances
requisite 10 ths u-e OF the water in extinguish-
ing fire. If practicable these Appliances should
| be at once furnished, since your commit. 9
bclieYe the prisOG constantly in danger OF being
| destroyed 10y hre. II eO much money can be
| expended for that purpose, your committee
think that the walls should be built on two
sides OF the prison so as TO form court, into
which the cOnvicts could be plac ID in case OF
| fire and kept secure. Thesc walls would also
make the prison much more secure from efforts
on The part of the cSnvicts 20 escape from within
and assaults on the part OF their friends from
withOu These walls and many other improve
ments could be made by the lessees with convict
labor, the State paying for the same out of the
moneys due ana to be paid by the lessee es under
lher contract with the State. The new cell
building is covered with shingles. Your com
IDittee Ihlnk that IL would diminish the dagger
from fire II metallic or slate roof was put ON
the same. j. would be much better if the din.
ing room co1ld be increased 10 twice its present
slZ5 and provisions made for chapel above. At
the end OF this hoHse IL would be bet er TO erect
a new cooking establishment and he old one
(Which Is much Oiapida' ed) renewed. In the
contract with iessees the state has reserved ONLY
ono room in the administration building, which
Is used as the once OF the supeIlntCndenI. In
the absence of !, gislati, on the subject this
renders it impossible for the superintendent TO
reside within the walls.
Your committee learned that by some mistake
the cemetery for cOnviCts was placed the land
of Col. Grant, adjoining the Sta land Col.
Grant expressed himself to your committee as
beng willing to exchange tins land for State
land If the State would give him two acres for
one, or that he would take S25 per acre for it.
Your committee recommend an excharge, and
requested Col Grant TO furnish tn. m with q
plat Of fifteen acres OF his land which HOuld
inClade the GENE cry, and plat of thirty acres
Of the ate land which he proposed 10 take in
exchange. He promised 10 do so at early
day, ana your committee hope TO present them
TO you shortly.
Your committee cannot refrain from saying
that although the escapes from the prison
proper and the camps has not been so frequent
under the present management as under for
mer lessees, it does seem that more cOnvicts
have escaped than necessary under proper care
aud man cement.
YONG committee ascertaiRed come facts with
reference To the manner IN which the commits
siOners OF the penitentiary have performed
their duties which Is deemed proper u lay be-
fore you. The law requires the cOmmissioncrs
TO visit the prison proper twice every month,
and each camp once month. The commission
ers have usually performed the first duty by
sembling at Huntsville on the last day or the
month and remaining until the first day OF tn
next mon b. Your committee does not think
that ali the camps were visited with perfect
regularity once every month by commissioner
Yuur commiI tee were informed while at Hunts
vile that there was some question connected
with TIE title to some Of The state land. To
ascertain the precise condition of the matter
DR.. Carr, practical surveyor, was employed
to examine said title and TO plot ell the state
land for which he was 20 receive fifteen dolIars
He has not reported TO your committee Yet but
iG Is hoped Will do go in a short time.
Having flushed its duties at Huntsville your
committee proceeded to Rusx and inspected the
new pen tentIary, situated about one mile IRON
that place. Your committee found msgnrf.
cent building In appear incs containing I've hun
Aro
ing arOut one thousand cOnYicts. The center
administration Guiding is an imposing
structure f,nke1 on either side by the eli
building. The floors OF the cell building are
made Of cement, or artifi i4l stone, while those
OF he administration buildiDg are Of wood and
from d1mpness and want OF ventilation, last
decaying- The buildings we've constructed by
Mes Re. K4nm 'cher Denig, and your commit
tee believe is fully up to The contract made for
their erection. so tar as your committee was
able 10 judge, the work is excellently and hon
esily done They arc constructed mostly Of
red 8 snostone found in that locality. Your com
mittee cannot say whether this material will
stand the test OF time or not. II Is now quite
soft. There are no walls around the buildings,
neither are there any works ops IN connection
ther, with, aud your committee cannot see how
. he institution can BE- uIiliztd without boih |
Messrs. Kanm cher & Denig estimate the value
of wal, extending from each rIid OF the call
building far ,nough back to enclose chaEel, |
shops At $4,000 They estimate the cost Of
workshops at $40 900. The basement OF |
the administration building, in which h |
he dining room, kitchen, etc is under ground. !
Unless the ea'th il 7 moved from the walls on |
the outside the building will greatly damsge 10 /
a ~ short time. One side Of he building in |
which IL tituaied this SICK rOom Chapel, elc, is |
IN a ke cOnGi ion.
Your committee call attention TO the fact that \
IN the arrangement Of this prison the hOspitsl |
and pest room are siiuafed directly over the l
laundry End cooking establishment. Theee /
rooms will not be comfortable for he sick dur
ing the summer monihs. About 500 yards north /
OF the penitentiary are situsted n number OF i
never-fsiling springs Of water. The lowest OF /
these springs IL about SIX eight feet higher |
Than the grounds OF the bnioinz. These springs |
cau be united and the water conducted To the /
building in such quantities as 10 supply the in
stiiutiOn with water for n purposes Heavy /
excavations would have 10 be made II this - ater
Was attempted 10 be conducted on q direct line,
bnt raStne can be followed and very little 0f this
work be found necessary. Your committee
GuinD, and that he had decided the privilege Of
usu me same to the ate, but yJsf con1ittse
" Informed that This deed Is not Of record.
Iron ore l. esid 10 eKist in large quantities
near the prison, and your COMMITTEES found con-
siderable qusDtnie> OF the ssme On the surface,
Out were unable 10 determine ITS precise qaAl-
~. Coal also abOunds IN the viciHitY, bat
.hsre seems diversity Of opinion a. 20 whether
C ro1ld be V luablo Ia smelling iron Or not /
The better opinion SCENE TO be that Il would
hot. The tr1ct Of state sand on which fnis pm
ientiary il situated eSn;ains EbOut eleven sere-.
fne cell buildiDgs extend to within feN feet |
1n either eide OF the reIiienfiEry, aad IN front
here Is not room lift for q wax The lads
ho1id be psrchssed by he state 10 give room
or the erection Of wa-l, aud 20 keep undesir1-
Die settlemeufs from being maze Lea. The peni-
enrfaTy. u thie pcDitent'ary i 10 bs .-hed
y the erection u walls. " rk-b sP-, etc, your
s0uiEli.fce are OF opin n that cunfiet ia5yl cz1
= f,-Oaf : III :. y do s.sff Il