The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-02-08


Warden Smith or to Directors Hiatt OF
Richter. do not know Of any one who
ever paid one of these men any money for
coal contracts"
Colonel ID X. Anthony was then called.
He said: THE most I know about the
penitentiary is based upon conversations
with Ex-Governor Carney, Mr.. Hiatt, Mr..
Church and Buckley. Church showed me
check for 500, which had been paid
Krohn. Papers were shown me by Buck
ley, Church and Lopez. Buckley told me
he had a contract which should never get
out of his hands until it was paid for. He
never named any definite sum for the
paper. l had arranged for exchanging
some Atchison County lands, for
some lands near the penitentiary,
practically allowing for said land $35 per
acre. The lands near the penitentiary
were not worth over $35 to SIS. and it soon
became known that Governor Carney had
obtained an option on the land and they
were purchased by the Legislature at q
cos; Of $50 per acre for $50 acres, and 500
per acre for twenty acres. Governor Car
ney told me that he did not make much
out of the transaction, as he had to pay
one member of the Legislature 5000 for
kctttuR Tile through, 6uInOT1zlDR TIC
purchase Of the lands"
The committee here deferred further
questioning of the witness about these land
purchases until it could determine wheth.
er these matters should be inquired into.
Colonel Anthony then gave his idea as
to how the coal should be mined and dis
posed of to the best interests of the State.
Mr.. j. E. Carr, superintendent Of the
Leavenworth coal mine, was next called
and testified as to the number of men en-
ployed and the wages they could earn in
his mine, which was situated five miles
from the penitentiary shaft
The committee then adjourned.
Third Day.
LEAvENwoRTH, Kan, Feb. 1.-The Pen.
itentiary Committee proceeded to the PEN
itentiary at Lansing yesterday morning
and resumed its labors. The first witness
called was Oscar F. Lamm, superintendent
of the coal shaft ever since it started. He
detailed the method of operating the mine
and gave the committee a tabulated state-
ment made by himself showing the entire
monthly output of the mine from its open.
ing up to January l, 1889.
He then said: ~ receive a salary of
8, 900 per year from the State. No con-
tractor, or any director Of the 'pen,' nor
the warden ever offered me a cent of
money. Mr.. Barnes offered me money last
July. He offered me $25 per month to in
crease my pay. saying l was not getting
sufficient salary. He said he wanted me
to keep the sulphur out of the coal. Said
he would pay me this sos per month simply
to keep the sulphur out of the coal. told
Mr.. Barnes l was getting all the money l
was entitled to and got paid from the State
for that purpose, and refused to accept it
The contractors generally got all the ac-
commodations they asked for. The screens
were changed at their request. When they
wanted more coal, more men were put in
the pit when they wanted less coal men
were taken out of the pit This was done
on the wardeu's order. don know that
any contractor gave any officer of the
pen or weigh clerk any money or valuable
things, but have been told such things.
The deputy warden told me he heard that
Leland. the weigh clerk, had been bribed.
When Hopkins was warden coal was sold
at eighty pounds to the bushel, but War
den Jones changed it to eighty five pounds
per bushel, and the present warden and
directors continued Jones' plan. l con-
slider six cents per bushel to the con.
tractors a low price for coal"
Howard Leland, the weigh clerk, was
the next witness: Buckley, Z. E. Murphy
and G. W. Veal were the contractors for
coal when assumed my duties. In July,
1885, Barnes & Lopez got the contract
Lopez went out in October, 1885, since
which time Barnes has had the
contract. Knew Ed Church who was
interested with Lopez in the coal
contract. Church never gave me any
money or any valuable thing. Never gave
me a check Tor SO that l can remember:
may have received from Church a small
check in part payment of one of my own
checks which l may have cashed at his
hotel after banking hours. Lutweiler
never gave me a cent. Barnes never gave
Iue any moneys no contractor offered to
pay me any money. never received any
money from Warden Smith or Directors
Hiatt or Richter. My salary is $500 per
year and board"
Chief Clerk Jones was examined at
lengtb as to the manner of coal sales and
Of keeping the books of the 'pen," when
the co .nmittee adjourned.
During the day the committee visited
the coal shaft and inspected the manner of
handling the coal.
Fourth Day.
LEAvEywoRTH Kan, Feb 1.-The Peni-
Tertiary Committee continued its work
yesterdaymorning, the first witness being
Chief Clerk Jones. He gave various items
of accounts with Lowry, Richter and
Hiatt. Deputy Warden Higgins was
in debt for convict work on his house. DIR.
Neatly also had not settled for the labor
and material on his house The latter
claimed that he was entitled to a house. at
the expense of the State, and the
matter has been long awaiting adj
justment - since October, 1856 DR..
Nealy built this house because there
was no building for him within the prison
walls. Books showed charges against
Neatly for shoes, etc, which had not been
paid for. Bills have been presented, but
never paid. Called attention of the war
den to this matter. Others connected with
the penitentiary also owed small amounts.
Twelve O'Clock having arrived, the COM
mittee adjourned until three p. m. and
made trip through the prison shops, in
GLIDING visit to the coal pit, 10 feet be-
low the surface of the earth.
At the conclusion of the visit to the coal
shaft the committee convened at $3.50
p. m and William Parshall, super
intendent Of the carpenter shop, was ex-
amimed. He testified that he had made
various small articles for Higgins. "Kel-
Ter and Thurston teiegraphed for me to come
to Leavenworth and did SO. They pre-
tended TO be great friends of mine and
wanted me TO make out a statement charg-
ing fraud on the part of the prison officials.
l made out e list purporting to give names
and value of certain articles bad made
for them. This list was not correct.
simply made it out TO test these
men, as they promised not 10 use