The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1888-05-24
TIE PENlTRNTIARY BOARD
In Session Yestsrday-PoInts About Recent
Troubles.


Troubles.
Messrs. II. R. Howard, Of Point Pleas
ant, j. H. Marcum, OF Huntington, and
JohnM Collins, of Charleston, registered
at the Stamm House last evening. They
came up from Moundsville, where they
had been attending q regular monthly
meeting OF the Board OF Directors Of the
State Penitentiary, OF which they are
members. Yesterdays meeting was
rather interesting one. There
were to have been opened ut
this meeting the bids from contractors
for the labor OF 100 convicts for which
the Board has been advertising for the
past few weeks. There were no bids to
open; the only thing in that line was
communication from shoe manufac-
turer looking to the leasing ofsome con-
victs. Not being in proper form no at
tention waspaid toit. The Board decided
to again advertise for bids for the labor
Of 100 convicts, the same to be handed
in by June 20, and to be opened at the
next meeting Of the Board. The present
number OF convicts in the institution is
2G3, including six women. The record
OF the past month shows that l9l 9-l0's
men worked under contract per day.
The Webster Wagon Company at pres
ent working fifty convicts, expects to
cease work June IS, at which time its
contract expires. The firms of Weaver
& Bardall and 9. A. Weaver & Co., man
uiacturing whips and brooms, have
given the required six months notice of
their intention to throw up their con-
tracts. In case they adhere to this in
tentiOn their men will be employed I'M
til November, ut least, which allows the
Board plenty OF time to devise some
manner of employment for the prisoners
now in the whip rud broom shops.
The two firms last mentioned, claim
that they are forced to take the step they
have by lack OF discipline in the in
stitution that renders. the convicts impu-
dent, insubordinate aud wasteful OF ma
terials.
Superintendent Robertson's side Of the
situation, as told to an INTaLLIGEGR re-
porter by President Howard last evening
is, that he found that the guards on duty
in the whip and broom shops were not
charging the contractors with the full
time the Convicts worked, thereby
greatly benc6ting the contractors. Not
beingempowercd to discharge the guards
he could only change their positions.
He put tho shop guards on the walls and
the wall guards in the shops. Thereupon
the contractors kicked and declared that
unlessthe old guards were back, discipline
could not be maintained. The old guards
were not returned and the contractors
went on q strike. For four days they re-
fused to give out supplies, and the con-
victs stood at their machines those four
days:idle. Then the contractors went
to work with the new guards in their
shops. Mr.. Howard says some OF the
old guards, finding that they could not
get back in the shops, resigned their po-
sitions and were then employed by the
firms.
At yesterdays meeting Mr.. Howard
arraigned the contractors in n pretty
sharp manner for their going on n
strike; he told them that nothing
had ever taken place in the institution
that was more calculated to destroy dis
cipline than that. Mr.. Howard said
last night that he challenged COM
parison between the discipline and
management OF this penitentiary
as he always found it, and that Of the ten
nearest penitcntiaries in other States.
What the discipline was under Superin-
tendent Robertson when the Board was
away he could not say. AS to the charge
that he (Howard) was trying TO break
up the contract labor system in this
State, which has been circulated, he de-
nounced that rs false.