Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-06-28
TEE PRISON INVESTIGATION,

Investigating Commission. The old question
OF "prison improvement and general ex-
pense :" account was ventilated for the fifth or
sixth time, as was also the allegations regard.
ing the deficiency appropriation, and half
dozen other old points, after which spaci6ca-
ton 7 was reached. This alleges balance Of
s11,11O "a for the fiscal year ending june
80. 1882. ss unaccounted for. Witness ex.
Dlsined that the amount was not cash, as al
ieged, but was stock and material, and was
accounted for under that head, and also
in the quarterly report to the Controller,
Witness explained the workings Of the varl
Gus departments-ho1 material was supplied
by different firms and goods returned, GER
tain schedule price per piece for the manu-
fac5ured articles being charged, and not &C
cents per day for each convict, as charged II
specification 9.
Afr. Ames did not wish to state how much
per convict was received under this method
as it wss matter which affected the business
and discipline Of the prison, but any further
particulars in regard to the schedule or the
price per convict he was perfectly willing &c
explain TO the Governor privately.
After some discussion by counsel, Judge
Wallace stated that the Governor would re-
ceiye no private communications on the sub
ject, and tine witness stated that the sctua
compensation received per day was ZIG cent;
for each convict so employed. From thiE
had to be deducted the 10 cents paid to the
convict, and it still left 49, cents more thar
is received by any other State Prison in the
United States.
Specification 10 alleges that the Director.
required Warden Ames and Warden Pock.
man 70 waive their constitutional rights and
duties with respect to the appointment and
discharge of subordinate officers and en-
ployes. The witness fatty denied the ailega.
tior, and said that the Board nor any mem
Der Ct it never onca interfered in any way
with the appointments. OF course he had
frequently consulted with members Of the
Board about individuals with which the lat,
ter were acquainted, but only to receive in.
formation.
The erection of the Jute factory, the salary
received by the Director, the charge against
the Warden Of selling forage to the prison
the employment of Chinese in the lutte fac
tory, and TIE purchase of jute, was agsir
gone over without eiciting any new informa
tiOD.
Witness said he had a system of bookkeep
ing by which he could tell at any hour of any
day in the year the exact condition of tht
prisons affairs-could be told almost in
stsntly. For the expenses of the prison fol-
the past three and half months, not one dol
lar has been drawn from the State Treasury
The earnings for the past year were about
$50, 900 more than during the first year Of
witness term IS Warden.
A recess was then taken to 1:30 P. NJ.
Warden Ames' cross-examination was re-
sumed in the afternoon. The correspondence
in regard to purchasing the jute machinery
from Fairburn, Kennedy & Naylor was pro
duced and read. There were half dozen OF
more letters, and they were offered in evil
dence, as was also the contract with the firm
Specification 10 is admitted in the answer
excepting that it is averred that the payment
of ten cents per day to conviCts for faithful
labor is not contrary TO law.
Counsel asked if the witness was acquainted
with the customs of other penal institutions
in regard to extra pay to conyicts for faithful
labor.
Colonel Flournoy objected, on the ground
that it was irrelevant and immaterial
The Commission overruled the objection,
and the witness said he was acquainted with
the custom, and it was usual to allow small
compensation. The payment has proved an
invaluable aid in the maintenance of dis,
cipline.
Counsel said interrogatively, ut makes
the convicts better satisfied with their lot p
The Governor remarked, soto voce. Hard
lot ~
Specification twenty alleges that entries
were not made by the Directors in theil
journal of all the orders made by the Board
but witness knew of no orders that had not
been entered.
Specifications twenty. one and twenty-five
were passed very quickly, counsel remarking
that the Commission had to come to the
rescue once, and might again, if the matter
was followed up.
The specifications fled the day previously
were then taken up, and it was found that
during the discussion, when one of them had
been stricken out after being read, the copies
had been changed and the wrong specification
wss crossed out in the one that was filed.
Instead of the one numbered twenty. three.
as published in the RECORD UNION yester-
day. the following was inserted:
Specification 90 That there was constructed at
said prison at San Quentin water wheel of great
value, TO wit Of the value OF $780, and yacht also
constructed at said prison, both having been con.
strUcttd mainly by the labor Of convcts and in part
out of material owned by said prison sRd by the
State OF California, and that said yacht was Of the
value Of s. 500 and that said water-whee and said
yacht were constructed for private individuals and
the foregoing facts in this specification were well
known to said Directors at and during and after
SAID construction, ana turtleF TACT that the
tera used as aforesaid and the eonvict labor afore-
aaid was never paid to on behalf of said prison.
or to the State OF California, the people thereof
also well known then and thereafter to said Di.
rectors, and approved by them.
Witness resumed: There was no water
wheel built, but there was a wind-wheel par
TALLY constructed in one of the departments
there was not over one days work done by
one convict on the wheel, and that was in
:
ping charges, and the refuse lumber was given
to the State and was more than taice the
value of the work done the machinery be-
longed to the California Furniture Company
the lumber was all paid for. The story OF
building the yacht at the prison was again
related, corresponding exactly to the testi.
mony given by Clerk Ellis. Witness believed
that the State required a yacht or similar
vessel to meet any emergency that might
arise, and the use of this yacht more than
compensated the prison for what work might
have been done on its construction by convicts.
Specification q 1t was impossible to COM
ply with the law in regard to depositing the
proceeds of sales of manufactured articles in
the State Treasury for the first portion OF
March, 1881, as the previous administration
deficiency embraced the whole sum in the
prisoners fund and there is another law
which requires that prisoners, when leaving,
shall be returned the money they brought
with them, and also be paid their earnings
while there, and, had the money been de,
posted in the State Treasury, there would
have been no funds to meet these demands.
Specification 26.) Witness showed By the
book of original entry of tbs prison that
where the work Of removing lumber from
schooners or other similar work was done by
aonvicts, fifty cents per day for each convict
is charged and collected, and is accounted for
10 the prison funds, and stated that there is
no contract for such labor
The particulars of the construction of the
buildings in the oticers' quarters, and the
erection of cottages, was given by the wit
ness, and was substantially a confederation oil
Clerk Ellis testimony. The accumulation
OF permanent Improvements OF the prison
without any appropriation from the S ate
witness estimated 90 be worth about $50. 0G0
This examination about this time ran into
the workings of the previous prison admins.
tratiop, and Colonel Flourney objected, say.
ing that he was not prepared and did not
propose to vindicate the old administration,
although he hsd no doubt it coald be easily
done.
Mr.. Sears did not appear to care, and il
the midst of the discussion announced that
he was through with the examination OF the
witness.
Colonel Tourney then asked for an ad
journment until this morning at 10 o'clock
saying there were twenty or thirty neH
points which had been brought out 10 tht
cross. examination, on which he wished Il
cross.examire the witness, and he also wished
to recall him on one avery important" point