The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-11-11
the JAIL WORKSHOP.
An Interesting Statement from the
County Commissioners.
They Give Their Reasons for APP
pointing MR.. Greeley overseer.

The County Commissioners make the fol-
lowing statement:
: AS several articles have appeared of late
in the newspapers concerning the Jail work.
shop, containing many statements calculated
to mislead, as to the true situation of affairs,
it appears to be due to the inhabitants of
the county that a correct version of the un-
pleasant matter be given, so that the mo-
tives governing the actions of the several
parties concerned, may be the better judged,
and such praise or censure be melted out as is
by them deserved.
As the lease given William b. Drew and
Albert n. Whitney, of the Jail workshop, ex-
pired ON the last day of October, 1885, the
Commissioners and Messrs. Drew and Whit
ney were trying to effect a renewal of the
same when the question of salary of over
seer in the Jail workshop came up. Messrs.
Drew & Whitney objected to being charged
by the Commissioners the sum of $500, as in
the last years estimates, claiming that the
services rendered were not adequate to that
sum, but they were willing to pay 5000, and
were not willing to pay more All other
particulars of the lease could be SATISFACTORY
ly arranged and agreed upon. The whole
matter hung upon this one small item; if
the Commissioners would call the salary
$780, the contractors would renew the lease,
otherwise not
Under these circumstances, the Commits
| sioners sent for Mr.. Pennell, the overseer
| at the Jail workshop, and acquainted him
with the situation of affairs and asked him
to accept an appointment at such sum to
wit, 5000, as the Commissioners could get
allowed, provided this lease was renewed.
Mr.. Pennell positively refused to allow the
Commissioners to reappoint him on those
terms. The Commissioners consequently
were compelled, by his refusal, to hunt up
another man for overseer, which they did in
the person of Rensselaer, Greeley, who was
willing to accept the appointment at salary
OF 5000, and he accordingly received the APP
| pointment.
Norman True, the son OF the sheriff, keeps
the jail accounts. Hearing that change
was about to he made in the overseer of the
shop, he made application to the Commits
/ sioners for the appointment, in person. At
the same time he expressed surprise that his
father had not already made the application
| for him, as he said he had requested him to
do, though his father afterwards suggested
that Norman be put in the shop" If not
| Norman, he suggested that either Seth Ster-
ling or Benjamin Gribben be put in, out the
Sheriff was informed by the Commissioners
| that they should not continue to run the
| shop under an appointment by him, and the
| appointment of Mr.. Greeley had already
| been made. Up to this time not one word
| had ever been said by Mr.. True to the Com
| missioners that he considered he had the APP
| pointing power under the Statutes. The
| first notification to the Commissioners of his
claim of right to make the appointment was
ON his refusal to the chairman of the board
| to turn the men into the workshop under
Mr.. Greeley. The Sheriff's claim to the
right to appoint the overseer is viewed by
the Commissioners in the light of an after
| thought, as 1t is quite probable that no ques-
ton of right would have arisen had the Com
missioners concluded to appoint his son to
| the position named.
| The law fixing The compensation of the
| jailer, who is the sheriff, for the board of
| prisoners under his charge, makes differ
ence OF twenty-five cents per week more in
the price of board of those who labor over
that of those who do not, and the only way
the Commissioners have to ascertain how
many have been put to labor in the shop, is
the report made to them by the overseer,
| which, we are forced, in this connection, to
| say, has not always tailed with the amount
| charged by the Sheriff in his hill for board of
prisoners at labor in the shop. In other
words, the overseer, Mr. Pennell, hands in
Il
the shop. Mr.. Norman True, who keeps the
Sherit's books, also hands in an account
for the board of prisoners who have been
employed ia the shop for the same month,
| and Mi. Irue'S account showed more prison.
ers at work in the shop than that of Mr..
| Fennell, the 0verseer.
Under the existing state of affairs, the
| Commissioners have closed the shop and
called the attention of the Prison Inspectors
to the circumstances, and await their in
| structions.
Per order of County Commissioners,
DANIEL p. CHAPLIN, Chairman.
Sheriff True wants it understood that the
Office in controversy is not the office of Su-
perintendent, which he clrims has been abol-
ished, but that of Overseer. He says also
that the statement that he left his notifica-
cation of the appointment of Mr.. Pencil on
the Commissioners desk is not correct. He
placed it in the hand of the clerk
of the Board. Mr. Thomas Pennell,
the former oyerseer, says his duties were
entirely to see that the prisoners did not
escape while in the workshop, and behaved
themselves properly. The Jail workshop is
three-storied building. and the prisoners are
at work in many different rooms. The ma
terials are brought in and the manufactured
articles carried out while the prisoners are
at work, and of course the doors must be
frequently opened. Besides. in some Of the
rooms the windows have to be kept open. 1t
is the duty of the overseer, Mr.. Pennell says,
to see that the prisoners do not avail them
selves of any of these opportunities for es-
cape, and to prevent theirreceiving improper
articles, such as liquor, from friends with
out. He does not oversee their work. A
foreman, employed by the contractors, does
i that