Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1885-03-07
Penitentiarr Inrestiration

testimony in Austin on the question
involved in their recent report. All
the officers so far testify to the "gen-
eral good treatment" cf convicts. The
points the public attention has been
drawn to by the Joint committee report
and on which The GAZETTE would
like more evidence, are about IS fol-
lows:
Are the convists at Rusk fur
nished with suitable and euficle
and properly cooked food? II not, why
not and have negligent, incompetent
or tyranDical or maliciously disposed
cooks, guards or keepers been retained
after their bad conduct has been ex-
posed?
2 Have convicts been brutality
whipped 80 that "their flesh had been
laceratd and the skin broken?" If 80,
by whose orders or authority, and what
is the extent to which whipping is
permitted, for what offeuses, aud on
whose discretion does the in Fiction de-
pend?
3 Has the killing of the con-
vict Goodall been properly and legally
investigated? II SO, have the proper
highest officials of the state examined
and approved the investigation What
were the whole and exact facts Of the
killing?
The joint committee report on these
points that the complaints as to food
were $50 serious that the committee
Investigated and took testimony" and
found the "quantity ~ fficient" but
the Equality was very bad", and that
the " complaints in the main are well
founded" They further reported that
the steward, against whom the com.
plants we're lodged, is still retained in
the position and we suggest that steps
be taken to have him disci arged ~
This refers exclusively to the Rusk
penitentlary, the joint committee hav.
ing expressly commended the Hunts.
vile food and treatment, az follows;
ave found the food abundant and
wholesome and the treatment OF the
convicts to be humane and the man.
agement eflicient.r
Messrs Goree and Brahan. in
their communication to the Gov
ernor, meet these charges of bad
quality of food at Rusk, in very
bad taste. They either evade or sneei
ut the committees finding or content
themselves with flat denial. They
say very illogically. "Vcomplaints ar,
true, IA made In regard to the quality
OF food at the Rusk peuitentiary, il
seems that similar complaints would
have been made at HUNTSVILLE ID,
. these gentlemen mean TO imply thai
, no complaints were made at Rus k
and that the Joint committee bay,
thus imposed upon the legislature ant
the people? They say, III mould,
bread has been furnished 1t Was acci
dental and preceded TO eulogize tn,
' the food and cooking at that place
I This will not do, as against the com
|. mittee's report. Messrs Searcy and
Tipps confine themselves 10 criticism
g OF the report and 81 the complaint that
they had no opportunity of showing
the truth to the committee. Now il
, their turn.
AS to the whipping: Goree and Bra.
ham say the worst convcts were ex
amined by the committee, and that ne
: ''convict was ever struck over twenty
nine lsshes at any one time for the
. same offense," and Messrs. Seeroytant
ripps, after muct verbal shutting, say
OF the scars showing "lacersted AND
broken skin" mentioned by the com
. mittee; at is not shown whether Il
= was done in the prison by the man,
neighbour for some crime, or received
when boy In game of lsp,jacAets
. This, apart from its flippancy, does no,
deny single fact reported by tn,
Q committee. AS to the killing o
. the convict Goodsll, neither of thes,
T gentlemen materially differ from III,
}. facts found by the committee. Messrs
d searcy and ripps say "the board wa,
= perfectly familiar with the facts of tn,
y shooting Of the man named in the re
3 port. II Is possible he might have
: been retakea without being shot. /,
Q des'rs Goree and Brahan esy; or
9 our opinion, expressed at the time and
e since, this shilling was unnecessary ana
= w0"stifdbie " We trust, in the inter.
estof all parties, this matter will have
an impartial and thorough inyes,iva.
Q lion' ana not end in a whitewashipu
v report
Discipline, Of course, is essential
I, and, tothat end, punishment 10 man
tain sfiict authority Rut cruelty ana
: unnecessary killing Ia not discISlina a