The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1888-02-11
THE DARWIN CONvIcTs
rev Features of the Cont-s., ua,,
Nv the county FOR Hiring Copv,o,a

| " NnNtPfg
"A reporter for The ExAsIINrR who
nau never fully gotten all the features
OF the Darwin convict contract ,nto
MS head, interviewed County Jndso
w. W. Evans on the subject. The
Judge seemed very willing to 20 at
, length into all the points in the caso
put little impatient at some of the
newspaper mans implied criticisms
when prisoner is delivered to
Darwin, Is 1t compulsory on him In
l"ke sad prisoner to the convict
farm?
No. 1t is OPP ional with him what
IL done with the prisoner aft,r he has
gwen receipt to the sheriff tor his
prisoner. he may take the prisoner
to his farm and work him or not or
may not even take him there, he nav
hire him to whom-oover he pleases
let him out on bond or turn him
loose"
in such cases of release must Oar
WIN pay to the county the amount of
the prisoners fincI
mo, he is given the amount OF the
line by the terms of the contract and
must ouly pay III the amount of the
Co>ts.N
Then the county receives no benefit
from the codvict system, since ONLY
the officers are bench ted thereby"
on certain y nave never been
fined else YOU would know that the
county has costs as wei rs the otli-
GERS. La every case there ia trial fee
that the county receives. Under the
ola system in cases Wnere the Of
tender was not able to DAY, the Countv
lost even thai, and where the offender
was locked up In jail the county was
compelled to pay the expense of feed
ing him until his term had expired
| can show you on the books o the
county at least So 900 worth of fines
that have never been collected Some
well dressed men around town when
arrested on writ OF capla3 pro
tiuem have gone to jail rather than
pay up"
But does not this contract give Oar
win too much lati nd Z For instance
what il to prevent Darwiu's making
an arrangement with parties who are
fined not to pay cash down TO the
county, but rather to make him a
bond and pay him IN iustallments.
This agreement would be much
more preierablo to working
mal and by such an arrangement
would not the county be cheated out
of tine which 1T would otherwise
have received?
"There is no clause in the written
contract which would prevent him
from doing so, but the cGmmission
| ers had verbal agreement with MIR.
Darwin that he should not do a thing
Of that kind. There are some things
about every tract which are ~
derst cd but which are not expressly
stipulated in the instrument"
Would not this have been obvi ltco
by compelling Darwin to psy not
| only the costs, but the fine slsu?
eve did try to get such q contract
but failed; and we did the best we
could for the county under the civ
cumstsnces. No one would make
such al arrangement"
But in this practice is there not
a moral principle trangTesscd:
A man may be gully of a misde.
meauor without being q criminal, he
may be guilty of transgressing with.
out intending to violate law. HIS
inability to pay a fine and heavy
costs is mister uue. Should not the
law SO protect him that his punishmeI
| should be commensurate with hi5
otIense, and III Furnishing, there would
ba no opportunity of persecution
which mig occur under the present
convict system?
THE cpunty judge and the commits
sioners are not responsible for tn
law. You should put this question
to the cgiel ture. Mr.. ID irwin is 4
humane man and takes good care OF
tue prisoners, G wing them Wholesome
and substantial food He has dis
pens d with negro guard9 aud We
nave now every reason 10 BE-
thorc UGLY satisfied with the ar
| rang ment"