Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1889-02-18
OAK las PENITENTlaRIEs.
Tne institutions at Bismarck ant
Sioux Fails.

the institutions at Bismarck and
Sioux Falls.
Bismarck correspondence Sioux City
Journal: From the auditors report we
CLEAN the following: Dan Glidden and
Dan Williams are wardens of our peniten.
t,aries. Williams is typical Dskotaian
and upon entering the territory twenty
years since walked from Sioux Oity TO
Yenkton, the stage fare beng 10 cents
per miie In those days and payable i'll
advance.
The cost of improvements and main
tenence of the penitentiary ae Sioux
$65, 1928; OF this amount $4,000 was for
an eleotrlo light plant and $4,000 for
water pipes end fixtures, 30 tnst $54 :,
6S3. .2Sls the amount properly charge
able for maintenance for two years. AL.
| loving the average number of prisoners
| to be eighty eight, the cost per capita
per annum would be. e.about $3.50.
| The coat OF the improvement and
maintenance of the Bismarck peniten-
| tiary for the last two years has been $92,
1864 OF this amount S2l 500 is charge.
able TO impTovements-win etc.-and
| IOtUpo w se pHJ VI thS eht COpbfof sChNipS
$62 720 04 as the cost of maintenance.
Estimating the average number OF
prisoners st forty-two and one half. or
one-halt the number in the Sioux Falls
pepitentiery, we see that the cost per
capita per snnnm is over $500.
| A visit TO the Bismarck prison con-
vinces any one thet Its sanitary con-
dition is the very best. The paper and
painting he's an alr OF elegance and was
done by convicts. Aa we entered the
cell house numbers of canary birds flaw
to the other end OF the corridor, and we
thought of the contrast between the
birds and she prisoners. in each Gel
house window are several pots OF house
plants. It is comfortable and warm ans
fer better home than many OF the men
have when outside.
In passing the cells we noticed sh.
ycuthiullpess OF large per cent OF th.
men, or boys rather, and learn from tn,
warden that the average age OF all thu
men Is only twenty-eight years, ant
only one of the number but who wa
J addicted to drink before entering. A
: Mrs. Barber Baid recently the young mel
of this nation had better wake mp to th
true situation and see whittier they ar
, tending. Warden Williams made ihi
sweeping statement: "If you will en-
3 force prohibition in Dakota will tax
: care of all the criminals in Dakota in tn
? prison Recommendations for 240) ior th
i next fifty years." He ought to be con
. sIdered good authority on that point.
: The great drawback TO this great re
] formarory is the feet that large por
3 tiou of the time the inmates are withou
: employment. A few are kept bus
s making mats out OF I'D rope purchase
t from the owners OF steamboats,. Sewers
: are engaged in making very nice pal
] ont of kerosene barrels, and a smalle
] number are trying their hands at maxim
tvary pretty baskets out OF willow
!. Farming Is carried on to quite an exter
r by the "trustees."
s Not man has ever escaped. died {
J lost his reason at this institution. I'll
d amount, however. paid for medioin
j. and phys CLANS from December ID. 1Se
y 80 September %, 1888, was 81 600
d about $50 per month.