St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-07

fenced for beating his wife so that in her fright
she jumped into u well and was drowned. The
building is of stone lined with wood, is insecure
Is nuisance on account of vermin, ETC., and
should be abandoned or remodeled.
The Sibley county Jail and residence cost
$4,000; 1t is of brick with wooden walls, and IS
very insecure. Prisoners have escaped by dig
giIg under the walls with case knife, but they
could have more easily cut through the struc-
ture. The only prisoner for two years was in
confinement at the time of the break. The jail
is clean and well kept, with good bedding, and
Sheriff Bray has been in charge for sixteen years
The Swift county Jail was empty. 1t is of
wood and in one end of the courthouse, and Is so
insecure that guard has to be kept on dnty
when it is occupied. The Waseca county Jail is
an exceptionally good one, and resembles that at
Wlnona in structure and administration.
The Rice county jail is stone building, i'll ven
tilated, not very secure, and over crowded
when visited.
The poor houses of Becker, Blue Earth, Dodge,
Fillmore, Houston, Mower Olmsted aud Rice
counties were visited The Becker farm and
improvements cost 81, 450. The buildings are OF
little value, and are rottng down, and the soil
OF the farm is not superior. 1t cost the county
81, 300 last year for four paupers on this farm,or
at the rate Of 81 per day each. The commission
crs pay the overseer $500 year and board.
They would save money to give him the farm
rent free and pay him $3.50
each pauper. As it stands the farm is very
expensive luxury for the county. Blue Earth
county has probably ON the whole the best poor
house in the state, except Hennepin county.
The farm of 100 cost -, 900, and the build
ings $1,000. 1t is a two-story frame with base
ment, and the sexes completely separate as
to lodging rooms. The overseer receives 800
per annum and board for himself and three chill
dren, and there twelve inmates. The instl-
tuition is credit TO the county.
Dodge county has 100 acre poor farm five
miles from the village of Kasson with q new
house built upon it in 1881. The oyerseer is bet
ter housed than any except in Hennepn. The
paupcrs are separated by the women being quar-
tered down and the men up stairs. Small sep
| arate sitting rooms are provided for both sexes,
while there quarters for six more men in
building outside the main structure. The poor
house is among the five best in the state. Fill
more has a 395 acre poor farm, costing with
buildings $4,000. The farm is valuable one
and finely located 1t is skfully managed by
Overseer Avery and pays the entire expense of
supporting its average twenty inmates, including
food, clothing and wages of help and support OF
! overseers family. The overseer's salary Of $500
a year is the only draft on the county treasurer.
This record is not equaled in the
state. The panpers are well fed,
everything is clean and wholesome, there
are no vermin, and the administration is good i'll
every respect. In view of this excellence, 1t Is
lasting disgrace that the county does not give
their overseer decent facilities to do his work, and
comfortable apartments to live in, but compels
his family to use the same dining room as the
paupers, and to submit to other objectionable
nuisances. The overseer has with his family
became accustomed to this indecent overcrowd-
ing until they accept it as inevitable. But let
Fillmore cease to boast Of spending only ten
cents per capita of her population for pauperism
until she has put stop to such inhumanlty as
this.
In Houston county the poor house is an old
tavern building on 200 acre farm eleven miles
from Caledonia. and is in unfit and dilapidated
condition The house Is very dangerous IN case
of fire and the cellar walls are tumhlng in Pri-
vacy is not secured to the overseer's family.
The overseer is virtually working for
his board and that of his children.
while his wife works like a servant and earns
fully the $3.50 salary paid for the services of
both. Houston has spent 100000 on Jail,
when $4,000 would have been sufficient, and is
building court house handsome enough for
Ramsey county, but tits not to her credit to keep
her paupers in fire trap. Her poor fund is ten
| cents per capita and her overseer is not paid
enough to keep him out OF poor house, which
is neither to its good name credit.
Mower county has farm of 100 acres four
miles from Austin. 1t has a farm house upon it
which is not adapted to keeping paupers. There
| are but few inmates, the overseer has fair pay,
the house is clean and the oyerseers family have
comfortable separate apartments. The poor rate is
lower than that of Fillmore or Houston, but the
poor house is run on more liberal plan
being better furnished and better
Supplied with conveniences. The Ohm
sted county poor house is three miles
from Rochester. It's OF stone and intended for
dwelling house. A new wooden adj
dition is being added thereto for the
oyersecr al d the old building is about to be
the place for nine years, his administration be-
ingvery economical, the net cost to the county
being $500 last year. His salary is $3.50 and he
furnishes all the teams and help.
The Rice county poor farm is two and one
half miles from Farbault, contains 100 acres
of land which cost with buildings $1,000. The
house is old and dilapitated, but il provides for
the comslete separation of the sexes. All is very
clean and neat, but the mems department
which is badly furnished and has uneven and
dirty floors. Aside from this the administration
of the overseer who receives $500 salary and
board for his family, is very good. The county
furnishes everything and pays all the help.
The secretary has visited each one of the state
institutions during the quarter, except the first
hospital for the insane, which was visited by
Gen. Berry. The state prison will
be greatly Improved in its rebuilding
in its hospital, chapel bathing and feeding &c
commodations. The only unsatisfactory part of
the work is the female department. The iron
cells, most OF them dark and lll-yentilated, are
by no means up to the general standard of the
prison.
The reform school was visited July 81 by Mr.
Bell and the secretary with Miss Emma A. Hall,
late principal of the Girls Industrial school at
Adrian, Michigan. Miss Hall was highly pleased
with the industrial department of our schools.
At the request of Hon. D. W.
Ingersoll, president of the board of trustees she
has promised to offer some suggestions in writ
ing with regard to the management of the girls
department, which will be secured for the ben-