The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-02-06
A POLLUTED PRISON.
Inhuman Treatment of the Prisoners
Confined in the Kentucky State
Prison,
As Shown by the Report of the In
vestiUatlng Committee.

LOUISVILLE, KY, February 5.-The Leg
islative Committee OF Investigation of th
States prison havemade report, oiwhicl
the followingis synopsis:
The condition Of the penitentiary a
the present time is bad, and during th'
past year it was shamefully bad. We be
lieve that the condition is attributable t.
to four causes, viz;
First-To the eovercrowded condition o
the prison.
Second-To defective sewerage.
Third-To the general want Of cleanli
ness about the buildings, yard, etc.
Feurth-To the want Of proper diet fol
the convicts.
Under the requirements Of the statute
the Keeper is under binding obligation tc
furnish convicts sufficient quantity o.
wholesome. food, to maintain good health
among them, and there can be no doubt
whatever that he is under solemn obliga
ton to furnish them such quality and
variety as to prevent scurvy. This disease
prevailed 10 fearful extent in the prison
during the year 1870.
AT one time, says DR.. Rodman, keepers
physician, there were over two hundred
men in the hospital with the scurvy, and
God knows how many were still at work
having only slight symptoms OF the dis.
ease. DR.. Rodman further says in his re-
port that he treated for scurvy during the
year 1879 two hundred and ninety-one
men on bed and four hundred and eighty.
four of bed, making total OF seven hun
dred and seventy-five, out OF one thousand
men treated for this disease during the
summer and early fall OF 1879. During
the prevalence OF this disease eleven men
died OF it and two OF scorbutic fever. II
Is an undeniable fact that scurvy has but
one cause, viz, want OF proper food, and
the fact that the scurvy prevails in the
prison to such a fearful extent is to the
minds OF your committee conclusive proof
that the conviCts were not furnished with
proper food. 1t was the keepers duty 10
furnish proper food, and in that duty he
failed, and for that failure there is, in the
opinion OF your committee, no excuse
whatever. Such treatment oil the conviCts
confined within its walls, felons Of the
deepest dye though they be, is uupardon-
able.
1t is a fact that the Kentucky Peniten-
tiary was almost as much overcrowded in
1877 and 1878 as 1t was in 1870, yet
during those years the dead list was not
large, being "a in 1877 and 81 in 1878, yet
in 1870 we find it running up to 75, not
counting the large number who died after
they were partloned by the Governor and
had left the prison. The fogging Of con-
victs in the prison is sometimes carried to
cruel EXTENT The clothing furnished to
the convicts is insufficient. Beds and bed
ding are insufficient and not kept in good
condition. There are 64S cells in the old
cell house and 9B in the new, total Of
744. In the old cell house the cells are
very small, being six feet eight inches
long, three feet nine inches wide and six
feet three inches high. Yet in more than
100 Of these badly ventilated cells the
keeper has, been compelled to puttwo con-
victs and keep them there during the
night and day for ten or twelve hours.
Such doubling in the cells has led to
beastly practices, and has doubtless gen.
Grated and developed disease. We do
not hesitate to pronounce such contine-
ment to be an outrage on humanity. The
committee concludes Its report by asking
the Governor to remove J. W. Smith, the
keeper Of the prison.