Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-07-14
SAN QUENTIN.
SAN QUENTIN.
Fifth Session of the State Prison
Investigation Commission.
THE MORAL INSTRUCTORS HOUSE.
Director Chapman Tells What He
Knows of the Matter.
EVIDENCE OF A CONTRACTORS FOREMAN.
The Difference Between the Labor of Con-
victs and Free Men.
THE MORAL INSTRUCTORS HOUSE.
EVIDENCE OF CONTRACTORS FOREMAN

ESPECIAL BY TELEGRAPH TO THE RgcoRp. .USIoS.l
SAN QUENTIN, July 13th.-The ffth ses-
sion of the San Joaquin State Prison Investi.
cation Commission opened this morning at
1880. Present, Commissioners Mills, Gibbs
and Watt Directors Neff, tSchell, Everson
and Chapman, and J. J. Owen, of the San
Jose Mercury, were also in attendance.
The reading of the minutes of the previous
day were dispensed with.
Judge Ames asked that the published state
ment that Mr.. Sheppard was q convict be
corrected. He was not, but was employed as
a gasftter and plumber.
STATE PRISON DIRECTOR CHAPMAN
Was the first witness called, and testified :
Am one of the Prison Directors know of no
order passed by the Board to build house
for the Moral Instructor.
Mr.. Owen here read a paper from Governor
Perkins to Dir. Cummings, the Moral In
structor, in which the Governor stated that
he learned from Director Chapman that the
Board were going to instruct Judge Ames to
build house, but as the statutes did not
provide for house for the Moral Instructor.
it would be necessary for the Instructor to
pay rent for it.
Witness-No order or appropriation to
build house was made by the Board ;
there was some conversation on the subject,
but not at business meeting. I mentioned
what we had said to the Governor, but as no
order was passed the Governor probably
misunderstood what said did not lead the
Governor to believe that an order to build
the house had been passed told him that
we had informally discussed thatj at the
regular meeting of the Board Some objec-
tions were raised in regard to the style of the
house that it lad been proposed to build, and
the subject was dropped. 1t had been pro-
posed to build house in the style of the
Berkeley College. The Governor probably
thought that the Board would carry cut the
idea we had discussed, and on tie strength of
it wrote that letter to MIR. Cummings. The
letter was written by tie Governor before
knowing that no definite action had been
taken in the matter.
A CONTRACTORS FOREMAN.
Z. A. Falby was the next witness called.
and testified: am employed by Armes &
Dallam, wood and willow.ware mauufactur-
ers have been here in that capacity three
years and ten months am familiar, as an
observer, with the prison matters; think the
front-gate keeper Incompetent, and that he
discharges his duties irregularly he frequent
IL leaves the gate open; the management of
the gate is altogether in his hands the KEYS
of the double gate are kept by him can't spec
ify any other irregularities know nothing OF
his treatment of officers never have seen the
Warden drink but once, but have seen him
when l Thought him under the influence Of
liquor when | saw him drink, at the time l
refer to, IL was outside the prison limits in
regard to the beef, it was very bad when it
was being cooked l could distinguish tho Of
fensive smell in my shop; my place is at
least 80 feet from where the beef was cooked;
any cruelty 70 the convicts is from the fore
men the convicts are often disposed to be
insoleat convict Travers was insolent to me
reported to ths Captain Of the Yard about
this man; saw the same man often spoke to
the officers about convict / have with me
now. VINO is often insolent and lszy.
To Mr.. Mills-I reported the case of inso-
lence, and he was confined in the dungeon for
two days he always tried to beat the shop;
that is, avoid his work knew of convict
named Spencer; he was not reported as a
workman of the State for two days, although
he was working all the day his time was
transferred to another prisoner; Armes {;
Dallam paid for the work done by this pris-
whose time was nearly out, and be would be
soon discharged; the discharged prisoner
would receive the money and not the State
the present discipline of the prison is not 50
good as under the last administration, speak
ing as a foreman; We got more work out of
the men during the last administration than
we get out Of the present one; have reported
this to Captain Eagan repeatedly; have niue
men under me at the present time have had
one of them three years he is a good work
man had Chinaman two years and half !;
he was a bad worker; under the previous
administration my complaints were always
attended to; from no attention being paid
to them, the value of the convicts' labor is
depreciating.
To Mr.. Watt--In the shop there is tally
board when the men come they are checked
off, and the report compared with that of the
Captain of the Yard, to see that they are all
there.
To Mr.. Mills-The days work is nine
hours and quarter we pay half dollar
for the labor of some, and dollar for others
convict labor, as compared with free labor,
depends generally on those who have control
over the convicts; under any conditions,
convict labor is less productive than free la
Dor: the percentage would be about three to
FIVE the stock represents more than the la
Dor; the stock would represent about rs and
the labor % per cent. of the total COST
To MIR. Gibbs-The wages of free men,
using good many boys, would be about
81 25 day; for convict labor we pay 80
cents for some and 81 for others; our firm
allows tobacco to convicts-one plug a
week the general moral condition of the
prison ia, in my opinion and from my obser-
vation, fair; have noticed that the men are
less disposed lately to manifest that vicious
ness I at first noticed the labor they are en-
gagged in here has reformatory tendency
they ct first ridculed the efforts of the
Moral instructor; at present they do not
at least to the same extent; if the convicts
were bossed by another convict the result
would be bad have heard many of them say
they would not be bossed by convict.
To Mr.. Watt-Have not seen any gambling
during the present administration under
Governor Low there was plenty of it; it was
done quite openly, and to a very large ex.
tent have seen large sums of money ex-
change hands; did not see any under Gov
ernor Johnson's, nor any under this admins
tratien.
THE PRISON CLERK SWORN.
J. G.. Ranks was rext sworn, but was
Withdrawn before any material testimony
was eliciteJ, and w. v. Ellis, clerk of the
prison, was placed on the stand and interro-
gated by Mr.. Mills in reference to convict