Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-05-25


institution. The gravity of the offenses
of which they are accused swallows
up the insignifcancs and untrustworthy
character of the accuser. They reflect
upon the integrity Of these gentlemen and
dignity q personal assault which would
otherwise be ridiculous. To state briefly,
it is asserted that Mr.. Robertson has
neglected his duties, to the injury Of the
State, and that in this neglect he is en-
coursged and abetted by at least one men,
Der of the Board. 1t is matter of public
knowledge that the labor Of the convicts
is let out by contract. At present there
are three firms, employing about 225 able
bodied men contracting for this work.
The are Weaver & Bardall, whips; Weaver
& Humphreys, brooms and the Webster
Wagon Company. The State receives from
these firms something over
$4,000 A YEAR,
which renders the penitentiary nearly il
not quite self-supporting. 1t is charged
that the present Warden and the President
of the Board, Hon. II. r, Howard, have
conspired to drive out tho contract labor
system, and to that end have allowed the
discipline to become so lax that the CON
tractors will no longer employ the labor ol
the convicts.
In order to ascertain the facts in the case
a repres .ntative of the REGISTER visited
Moundsville and went through the peni.
tentiary. Mr.. Robertson offered every
facility for full and free investigation Of
the management. The correspondent ex-
ercised the most dilligent efforts TO arrive
at the truth. Both contractors and officers
readily gave all the information desired,
and the facts here given can easily be made
good. The difficulty Sits itself down to a
question of discipline. The silly attempts
of certain Republican organ to turn the
matter to political account are too appar-
ent to be discussed. The charge that War
den Robertson has neglected the interests
of the State in an effort to bring the con-
vict contract system into discredit is 80
utterly unwarranted as to justify the be.
lief that the correspondent who wrote the
reputed interviews never made any effort
to arrive at the facts of the case, or was toe
much blinded by partisan prejudice to
publish the truth as it is known TO every
official that has any connection with the
penitentiary.
MR.. HowARD's STATEMENT.
Hon, II. X. Howard, President of the
Board was seen, and his attention called "a
the statements rejecting upon the manage
ment. His denial was emphatic and to the
point. He said that so far from conspiring
with the Warden to do away with the con-
tract system, he had never had more than
one private conversation with him, aud that
was shortly after Mr.. Robertson had been
appointed. He, himself believed in the
contract system, and quoted from the re-
port of the Board of Directors of 'S8. show
ing that he was in favor of it, and adyo-
Gated letting the contracts where they
would produce the least possible compe-
tition with free labor in the State" He
expressed the utmost confidence in Mr..
Robertson's management, and believed
that the affairs of the institution were
never in q more favorable condition.
The six workshops in which some 225
convicts are employed, were next visited.
In all of them, the men were found steadily
at work under the careful scrutiny Of eff
cient and capable guards, and not the re.
motest evidence Of laxity Of discipline was
apparent. The statements that men Tough,
at their benches, disobeyed the orders Of
the guards and wantomly destroyed the
property and stock of the contractors were
pronounced lies out of the whole cloth by
the various officials and employees. Every
act of characterization is quickly and
rigidly punished, and as rule, there have
been fewer reports for misconduct under
the present administration than any pre-
vious time in the history of the institu.
ton. The convicts are required to labor
faithfully at the work assigned them, and
beyond that they are protected from cruel
or excessive exactions. But the story oi
West Virginis's penal institution can best
be told in the words Of its officers and in.
mates, who willingly furnished all infor.
nation desired.
THE SOURCE OF COMPLAINT.
The complaints of the Webster Wagon
Company centre in the blacksmith shop
Mr.. II. Purcell, superintendent of this de,
partment for the company, said: There
has been some cause for complaint on &c.
count of burnt tire. The waste is consid.
erable, and the company has suffered cor.
responding loss A new man has been put
on the tire welding work lately, and q
great part Of the waste is due TO his inex.
perience. Under Mr.. Robertson's admin.
istrstion the discipline has BEEN little
more lax, if any difference, than under
former superintendent" The guard made
similar statements. He did not believe
the rules, however, were any less rigidly
enforced at present than they have been
formerly, and the Webster Company did
not suffer any considerable less from poor
or careless work Ia shops Nos. 2 and
the wood working departments Of the
Webster concern little or no cause for com
plant was reported. The men were eapa-
BILE and industrious, and the work is gen
orally Of as good quality and quantity o:
has been obtained formerly from the same
number
In the paint shop almost one-third ftht
wagon compsny's men are at work. Mr.
Adams, the superintendent for the Web
ster, has been in its employ since the firm
was first established at Moundsvills. III
said, "My men are doing very we'll
There is M reason to complain of any ol
them. OF course we must expect more OF
less trouble with this class Of people, but
/ am certain that discipline is rs good now
as it ever was. The company has had M
reason TO complain Of slaekness Of work OF
waste of materials in iuy department
There has been some trouble, i am told
particularly in the blacksmith shop. II il
to be expected that raw and inexper
fenced men would cause waste In that de
partment These men sre not natura
mechanics, and they cannot be made 50 II
aday."
THE DISCIPLINE GOOD.
Mr.. ]. C. Israel ia the guard in the pain
shop. BE has held this position for near
ly four years, through the administration
Of both Mr.. Peck and Mr.. Ewing. ii
said: 'To my knowledge the discipline