The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1885-06-04
THE STATE ENCAMPMENT.

THE STATE ENCAMPMENT.
To be the Greatest Military Event Eyer
Seen in Texas.
The census of the city of Brennan
shows 1902 children within the scho-
lastic age against 1900 last year.
A trustee of a school has given
notice that he will in future refuse to
| grant certificates to teachers who have
| failed tie attend normal school.
The Protective and Detective Asso-
citation, Of Gordonsville, has filed a
| charter.
The Capitol Board held another
meeting. yesterday morning, to fur
ther discuss the complications that
have arisen to stay the progress of the
work. All the members of the Board
were present. The session was held
with closed doors, but it is learned
that instructions were given the Capt.
tot Commissioners to prepare list of
all the changes, that will be necessary,
hereafter, from the plans and specifi-
catians Its understood that the adop-
ton of these by the contractors will
be made the condition of the change
to Indiana stone. The most important
changes which are contemplated in
the plans and specifications are the
enlargement of the interior walls and
the substitution of dimension stone
for ruble work in the dome of the
building.
Gen. A. S. Roberts returned to the
city, yesterday from San Saba, where
he has been for some time. On his
way home he stopped at Lampasas,
and from him THE STATESMAN gath,
ers the intelligence, that the State En-
campmant there is to be the grandest
thing of its sort ever held in Texas.
Twenty-Five companies have already
signified their intention to be present,
and large preparations are being
made for the entertainment Of visi-
tors and military. The hotel accom-.
modationS are excellent, and the quar-
tiers set aside for the military could
not be better. The soldiers will be
supplied with tents, rations and am
munition. and every attention will be
bestowed upon them to make their
encampment pleasing. The people of
LampasaS have grown most en-
thuSiastic over the matter, and
large sums of money will be expended
to make the occasion memorable.
Every house in the city will be thrown
open for the purpose of giving visi-
tors ample room for comfort. The
railways will sell tickets to and from
Lampasas at very low rates. The
committee is now arranging rates, and
they will be made known at an early
day.
The State Penitentiary Board, COM
posed of Messrs. Searcy, Tips and
Dribbrell, met to-day to consider a
communication from the Wiggin-
Simpson Company, of Houston, con-
tractors at the Huntsville Peniten-
tiary, asking to be allowed to surren-
der their contract for convict labor
and machine shops at the Huntsville
Penitentiary, on account of their ina
bility to sell their products for cash to
meet their obligations to the state.
The Board directed their Secretary,
John T. Dickinson, to inform the
company that they declined to accept
the surrender of their contract, but
would consider anything they had to
submit, on the 10Th proXimo.
The Board will visit Rusk on the 31st
inst, to confer with Superintendent
Goree and two furnace experts, to de-
term1ne II the iron industries at the
Rusk penltentlary can be proftably
engaged in. They will also visit the
Huntsville Penitentiary and some of
the farms and railroad trains working
convicts. Desiring to build up the it,
dustries within the walls of the Peni-
tentiaries so that they might be, in
time, enlarged upoa, and, approaching
the depressed financial condition of
the country, the Board has granted
every concession possible to intro mu-
| raj contractors, that regard for the
best interests OF the State would all
low, in the way OF extensions for a
few months, of monthly payments
| for hire of convicts,a and shops with ap,
| proved security on notes taken for the
extensions, and lessening the number
OF convicts originally contracted for
by the contractors. Last December
the board granted the Wiggin-Simp-
son company six months extension on
their monthly labor bills, and on The
l2th of this month agreed to allow
this company to turn back to the
State one-half the convicts employed
| by them, and granted a further ex-
tension OF three months upon
the monthly labor bills fol
the reduced number of convicts
After asking this last concession, the
Wiggin- Simpson Company declined tt
execute the supplemental contract
embodying the said concession, an(
asked to be allowed to surrender theil
contract. This the Board has refused
to permit.
The contract was entered into Oct
10th, 1888, to continue for ten years
for the hire of seYenty-five convict
and various shops for the manufact
ure of machinery at the Huntsvill
PeniGentiary. The bond accompany
ing the contract is for $4,000.