St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-08-07
CORRECTIONS AND CHARITIES.
The Valuable Resume Made by Sec
rotary Hart as the Result of
Visiting 1873 Institutions.

tons and charities presented a valuable report
at the meeting on Tuesday, which demand upon
our space prevented having such attention as it
deserved.
The report opens with the statement that the
service as secretary for the first year is COM
peted in which 1SS visits of inspection to public
institutions, ffty-two' of which were in the
outside states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Kentucky,
! Ohio Michigan, New York. Dakota and Montana.
In Minnesota he has visited eighty-seven institu-
tions, and forty-nine additional visits to the
same, making 1876 visits in the state. Besides
these he has visited the offices of
the board of charities in Illinois,
Ohio and Michigan, to post himself
and several counties of the state to examine
into the condition of children sent into the state
as immigrants. He then goes on to note his
study and examination into the history and sta
tstics of the institutions Of Minnesota, which he
thinks will crop ont in more desirable results
than some more conspicuous lines of work. He
thus proceeds to show what the board has ac-
complished
The board has become acquainted with the
state institutions, and has gained the confidence
of their officers, making meanwhile some real
advance in knowledge of the principles which
govern them. 1t has secured the cooperation
| and apparent good will of the county officers
generally with whom it has come into relations.
Its suggestions have been listened to with cour-
tesy, and its structures have been borne with pa
tience. The following are some OF the results
| Of the years work.
| Comparative statistics of proper expenses
have been published, which enable county au-
thorites for the first time to compare their ork
intelligenty with that of their neighbors, and
have drawn attention of some counties to their
excessive or efficient expenditure. Among the
latter results the following are mentioned:
| The fixing OF, the aggregate salary of county
! physicians at S775 in Goodhue county which last
! year paid out So, roo for medical attendance; the
stirring up Of the authorities Of Washington
county by the exhibit Of its high rate of expen-
diture the dissuading of Marshall county from
| building poor house, and the leading of the
authorities of Todd and Becker counties to
| look at the poor house subject in new
| light; the dissuadng of the Stevens county com
| missions from laying poor farm: the idea of
holding police station at least block of cells
in the basement of the proposed city hall; the ex
animation and approval of plan of the Nicoet
| county commissioners for separate building for
male paupers in its poorhouse the submission of
the Becker county commissioners to the board of
plans for a county Jail and a promise to carry
Oub us Suggestions Us lar DIS pOSslolc,
and the proposed similar submission
| of plans for the Goodhue county Jail; the
| notifications of plans of building almost com
| pleted by the Wabashaw county commissioners
in accordance with the suggestions OF the board; ;
the return of an insane patient, which had cost
| the state $50 and was evidently settled upon it
for life to the charge of the United States gov
| eminent; careful examination of most Of the
county institutions for the first time.
| The secretary concludes with the assertion
that the board has found work which it is hoped
| will prove valuable to the state. That he has
given a large amount of time to making the OBJ
| jects of the board known and that the last quar-
ter he has spoken at Minneapolis, Winona,
| Mortified, Owatonna, AnOka, GAINESVILLE, Sleepy
| Eye, Worthington and Glendon i'll this state and
at Miles City and Helena. Montana, having iny-
tation5 to speak on the subjec5 in ST. Paul, Fart
bault, Austin, Elk River and de; oft.
WORK or THE QUARTER
The secretary made sixty-four visits of inspec-
ton during the last quarter, in which he visited
the city and village lockups in st. Paul. Winona
Mortified, Faribault Waseca, GAINESVILLE, Orion
vile, Browns Valley, owatonna, Redwood
Falls, Sleepy Eye, Mankato, Glyndon,
Detroit and Austin. OF these he states
only five are suitable places to lock up prisoner
over night viz: Winona, Northfeld, Redwood
Falls, Mankato and Detroit, and of these only
Mankato, Mortified and Redwood Falls have
satisfactory structures. The Mortified lookup is
a model worthy of imitation by towns, its only
are within reach of the prisoners
| The Mankoto lookup has three cells which are
of iron and cost $500, which are located m the
kengine room of the fire department, whicb saves
| extra fuel and insures cleanliness, as the fire
men will tolerate filth. The Redwood Falls
| lookup is model for a small village and is
neatly kept. The Detroit lookup is built Of
. | min mil 'ha clio he
floor without hunks, but it is unusually well
kept. This is owing to
village ordinance, which makes
the village marshal responsible for keeping the
lookup constantly in a clearly and healthfulcon-
dtion, and for serving prisoner with whole
some food three times day. Such an ordinance
says the secretary faithfully enforced would
abate at least forty public nuisances in
the state Of Minnesota. The Winona
city prison is kept clean but is
poorly lighted. In the basement is a tramp
room insfrequent use in the summer, which is
the worst place the secretary has ever seen for
for the confinement of human beings. 1t has
two small windows, two wooden benches for
seats and hunks, has no bedding or water closet,
the buckets full and the floor was covered
with filth. The officer in charge said it was ''good
enough for tramps.' The Waseca lookup is
equally abominable except it is above ground.
The city prison Of st. Paul is in the rear of the
city hall. 1t consists of tramp's lodging room,
l5x33 feet, eleven cells for men and TWO for
women, with corridor running the whole length
OF the men department. The cells are of oak
plank AXIS feet and seven feet high. The top of
the cells Is of open wood work. allowing air to
circulate. Female prisoners Lave to be con-
Quoted through the corridors of the male de-
partment in full view Of the male prisoners. The
female cells are separated from the tramps
lodging only by q partition
eight feet high, the upper part of the
butfalo coat constitutes most of
the bedding of this department. The mems de
partrnent is badly lighted and has no ventilation
except through windows. l visited this prison
on Monday morning, May 26 1t was chilly
morning, and the only ventilation was through
window opened into stable
of the patrol wagon adjoining
The stencil fron! the unwashed prisoners and the
open cell buckets was sickening. Fifteen pris-
ouers were led out, of whom three women.
One of these was young insane woman,
charged with arson. She had been locked up
for thirty-six hours. \ prostitute locked up
in the same cell to prevent her harming herself.
IN the absence of evidence of insanity
the judge bound her over and
she was sent to the county jail. where she was
examined found insane and sent to St. Peter
The other lockups visited were of the usual type
and cali for no remark beyond the fact that they
are nearly all dirty, insecure and liable to great
danger from fire.
Fourteen county jails were visited viz: Big
Stone Blue Earth Fillmore, Houston, LIE Seuer
Newer OlmsteGd Ramsey, Renyille, Rice
Sibley. Swift, WinoHa and Waseca counties. The
condition of insane persons being incerce rated in
county jails for safe keeping without express
warrant of law Condemned. The case Of
an insane man, without proper attention or care,
in the Ramsey county jail. was instanced
The Big Stone county jail is stated as insecure
and exposed to great danger from fire. The
Blge Earth jail is clean and well kept but inse-
cure. prisoners having escaped by prying of the
window bars with biilets of wood 1t is well
lighted and moderately ventilated. the cells are
| of brick and notwithstanding its insecurity i.
/ .o-.-ns nrnferahia 10 some of the mnre rnndnrn