The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1884-03-01
FgsIFEsTIARF REPORT.
TIE Committee sAow . shosklu.
State OF AaaIrs.


-. 81.
Fr,.,., - b.. - ~ 80 Aaa = -
rvrs'sf n. L...i.,
System.
The special committee appoint.
ed to investigate the Penltentiary
system have made the following
report:
Mr.. SpEAKER-Your committee
on penitentiary have had unasr
consideration the present system
of Furnishing and ;mnr;so,;nr A..
convicts in the State of Mississin
pi, the prison houses. LEASING svs.
tenn and treatment of same and
while they have been able in same
instances to trace the resnlts of
the management in some of tha
camps, want of time and disnosi.
ton on the part of the guards at
the different points to eyade nro.
cess and even examination. and of
sub b-lessees to retard thorough in.
vestigation have done much TO de.
Law and even prevent your com.
mittee from making as full and
perfect an investigation. as We
had hoped could be done. and the
necessities of the case demands.
/ They beg leave to report as fol.
lows:
The number Of convicts for
1898 on hand are 1858, not inclu-
ding county convicts in the walls,
and OF this number we have to re-
port the startling fact that 2l7
have died and are reported as
dead, a list OF names OF whom and
at what camps they died is here
unto annexed, and marked exhibit
"A" Tor your Information, which
means death rate OF ll'04 per
cent. per annum. This includes
the death rate OF all convicis from
one year to life, but when you
eliminate the shorter terms ana
take the per cent. OF the ten years
previous alone there are about %
in each 100 who die and never
live out their time.
| A thorough examination has
been made Of the penitentiary
ard all III Ss ( Il lis buildings, workings,
etc. in the State capital, and We
report the same neat in all its
commitments and well kept: the
buildings and grounds IN good
condition, save some repairs for
machinery and a moro commodi.
ous hospital needed, Ii the leasing
system il to be kent up, inasmuch
as tho eonvicts. when sick. are re-
turped in great numbers to the
walls by the sub.lessees for atten.
tion.
Tho prisoners confined in the
walls are well fed and cared for,
com fortahlv clad and doing as well
as men in confinement we'll could
do tbe casas Of acu.e diseases be.
ing vory few and the death rate
remarkahlv small. the guards and
officers Seem to be very humane
and much beloved by the prison.
ers.
This committee has taken quite
a. amount of Testimony on the
leasing svstem. sub.letting. ETC.,
as now adoptcd by the laws Of
this state : and we have deliber.
atelv concluded our system is
even worse than the old English
n,an of letting out prisoners as a
franchise. and that crimes have
been committed under the guise
Of our laws. more cruel and often.
a;va than in Fleet and Marshalsea
hv Huugins. cambridge, Corbett
ond Actop under the Enplisl, sys
tom While thev admit that the
State prisou has been run without
axnense to the State and in fact
- ! rroat of s------. vet we bu,
sav ,hot th;s has been done at the
expense Of human lives-the lives
of HELPLESS, manacled human be
iues-and this money can only bt
regarded. as II is due the State OF
los IN ber treasury. as blood mon