Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-06-21
THE pRIsoN INTERROGATION.
Warden J. P. Amez on the Witness Stand
Adjourned Uutil Next Monday.


Warden J. P. Amez on the Witness STAND
Adjourned Until Next Monday.
The examination into the charges against
the State Prison Directors was resumed yes.
terday morning before Governor Stoneman
and Judge Wallace.
Warden j. P. Ames, OF the San Quentin
Prison, occupied the witness-staDd during
the entire session. His testimony was mainly
a confederation of that given the day previous
by Clerk J. V. Ellis, ard but little new evi.
dence was elected.
In regard to the charge that the deficiency
appropriation was not drawn according to
law, witness said that the vouchers presented
yesterday were received for payments
made from the S34, 600 borrowed by
witness upon an order of the Board
OF Directors there was no voucher
presented to the Controller when the money
was drawn none OF the vouchers presented
in the examination have ever been before the
Controller or Board of Examiners the
money was deposited in the name of the
State Prison Of California there has always
been an account with the bank the account
was changed from Jas. A. johnson, Warden,
to J. P. Ames, Warden; the deposit was
known TO all the Directors il WAC made On
March q, 1881 $3.50 was borrowed at 9
per cent. to pay March ard April bills !;
SIG, 900 was borrowed to pay June bills one
loan was for Eixty and the other for thirty
days the interest paid was about 81, 800 ;
received a rebate which made the interest
about per cent it is customary to pay in.
terest on merchants bills afierthidy days; the
interest varies, butthegeneral custom being by
h,,rr al xuoE 70 =
debts already accrued portion Of the de-
fciency, about $4,000, came over from
fiscal year 1879; the present administration
received about $25, 000 from the old Board !;
the money was borrowed in the name of j.
P. Ames, Warden, but after the notes were
due witness assumed the responsibility
notes were left as security no collaterals
we're deposited; some Of the money was paid
to She Directors on mileage accounts and
other expenses the money 50 received was
all returned to the State by the Directors,
the Attorney General making the collection.
Large amounts OF manufactured articles
were not sold from the prison prior to March,
1881 there were some goods sold, bus no
large amounts the money #. m the 3 les vent
into the prison money made one deposit OF
S25, 900 from such sales to the State Ireas-
urer.
Witness corroborated J. V. Ellis state
meat in regard to the alleged sale of forage
to the prison the Board paid for the hay at
contractors price,
Counsel objected 70 any more examination
in regard to the yacht, as there was no speci-
fcaticn which covered it.
Judge Wallace ruled that the language of
specification IA was g broad enough to cover
the yacht"
Early in 1880 it came TO witness knowledge
that Governor Pacheco ana George johnson
had had a yacht built there. Witness told
Mr.. Berry that his could build boat there
provided he paid for all the lumber and ma
terial used. There were 500 convicts idle ut
the time. There were from two to four con-
yicts employed in the work at different times
It was constructed openly. The Directors
saw it while it was being built.
In regard to the charge in Specification .,
that there is discrepancy between the sal
ary account fer the fiscal year 1882, as re-
ported by the Warden and Clerk Of 50, 30l 81,
witness was much surprised that anyone
should be at sea en- that point. He pro.
cseded to explain that TIE S55. 800 II, as ap
pearing in his report for the yesr, exclusive
of June, rs indicated ia the printed report,
is " paid for salary as per Controllers war
rants, while the Clerks report Of SIG DIS 20
for salary for the twelve months appears in q
table headed cash cost of maintaining
prisoners" The difference is the portion of
salaries paid during the year in goods aud
merchandise. For the month of June there
was no warrant drawn By the Controller,
the salaries having been paid from earn
iDgs Of the prison, and consequently it
did not appear in the table headed Paid
for salary, as per Controllers warrants"
The difference is accounted for in other and
proper accounts. Witness read from his re-
port to the Directors for the fiscal year,
1882: $50 successfully have all the enter
pIises connected with the prison been car
ried out under your instructions, that, after
closing up the business of the year, / found
a cash balance of S36, Cyl IS on hand. Be-
sides this, there were about SIC. 000 due for
articles manufactured during the month of
June l was thus enabled TO pay into the
STATE Treasury S25 600, after reserving
sufficient amount to meet the expenses of
the prison for the month of June. Such
state of affairs never bsfore existed under
any administration. From ell the records
that | can find, it has been the fact that
uniformly the expenses of the last month of
the fiscal year were carried over to the next
yesr, and in every year there has, prior to
the fiscal year just ended, been de-
fciency instead of surplus. The printed
report of the Directors is defective, mas
much as one table, which had been prepared
by witness for publication therein, Was
omitted.
Some preliminary questions were asked in
regard to tbs charge in specification sever,
AID then the matter was passed until some
future time. when statement can be pre-
pared from the quarterly reports to the Con
troller.
The defense did not wish to begin the
cross-examination until the direct exsmina-
ton was completed, aud as Colonel Flournoy
was not prepared to go on with the examina-
ton until some reports and statements could
be procured, the witness was excused for the
present.
Counsel for the people stated that re would
put some other Witnesses o. the stand in the
afternoon, and recess wss ordered until 1:30
P. NJ, but bef1rs leaving the room it was
agreed by counsel that as witnesses that were
desired were not present, an adjournment
should be taken until next Monday at P. II.
The adjournment was then announced from
the bench By Judge Wallace.