Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-15
SPICY LETTERS.

Sf0RKE CREAlES A SENSATION IN
THE ASST MBLY.
Correspondence OF an Interesting
Nature Among Prison
Authorities.
There was lively scene in the Assembly yes |
terday during the consideration of the resolu- |
tion IN regard to an investigation into the man
agement of the State Prison at Folsom, when |
Storke, of Santa Barbara, read number of ex- |
tracts from letters alleged to have passed be- |
tween certain State Prison officials. These let
tiers are supposed to have been stolen from |
desk il the Warden's offiee, by convict. and |
turned over to Captain 6. W. Thomas, who, it is |
alleged, attempted TO sell them TO different |
newspapers in San Francisco. How copies of |
them came into the possession of Storke is not |
known, but the latter had copy of a complaint |
in an action brought in Marin county, entitled |
Benjamin Chambers VS.. g. W. Thomas" |
The complaint recites that on or about the LIST |
day of December. 1885, plaintiff was the owner |
and in possession of lot of private correspond
ence-c0nsisting of sixty or eighty letters writ
ten by John McComb and addressed to plaintiff |
from two to five written by John McComb Jr !
and another lot written and signed by r. j. |
Scrivner that these letters were kept in |
locked drawer in plaintiffs Office at San Quen- |
tin; that they were stolen by John Doe and de-
hvered to defendant. who knew they had been |
.tolen when he received them; that on or about |
January l, 1889. plaintiff demanded of defend |
ant .he letters, and the return thereof was re- |
fused
Plaintiff alleges that the letters and CORE.
spondeuce are OF a private and confidential /
nature and of peculiar and special value to the |
plaintiff, which cannot be estimated or eompen-
stated by money, and il would be impossible TO |
ascertain or determine the damages which |
plaintiff would sustain by the loss OF said letters
Plaintiff further alleges that defendant has |
had copies made OF the letters and is attempt
ing TO secure their publication in various news
papers.
Plaintiff prays that defendant may be re- |
strained from making public. in any way, any /
OF the contents OF the letters.
THE STARTLING LETTERS
Following are the letters read by Storke dur |
ing his speech. The matter contained in brack- |
cts was inserted by the person who copied the |
letters, and serve to explain things that would |
otherwise be OBSCURE. From one of them it |
would appear that they were copied by Captain |
Thomas.
scRIvNERs LAMBS.
The first letter is from Pris n Director Scriv. |
ner, and addressed 10 Captain Chambers. 1t is !
as follows:
SACRAMENT, January 81, 1885,
"Captdtfs-So far have not troubled you at |
all ao ut places, although you have often told |
me voluntarily that | should have my share of |
the patronage, and have no doubt but such is |
your intention. have been holding every body |
OF, but can't do 1t much longer without losing |
caste among tue boys, which / can't afford to |
do, unless know that business of mine was |
going and then could do something for the |
boys in different direction. But il seems that |
that business is going 10 hang fire indefinitely
and will have 10 ask you TO do something TO /
ease up the pressure. The only personal favor /
have asked so far was that Gooch be taken i
care Of. A though wanted him TO have bet |
ter place than guards pay, yet | have all the |
time thought you were doing the very best you |
could, and that is all l asked. Now out of some |
twenty applicants of my acquaintance who |
| have appealed 10 me personally in such way |
that scarcely know what to say, there are a |
few hat must help. Charley [Aull] has agreed |
to take cafe of three or iour, ana if you will Slip
in five or six guards it will help me cut and | |
will crawl out of the rest in some way. / don't |
mean to put them all on at once, but say once a |
week till get relieved OF The most pressing /
eases You can see at glance that il is ruinous
to sit here and do nothing, and there are some |
eight OF ten that really promised to look after
which was certainly justified in doing Let |
me know when can begin TO slip them over, |
and size of a cargo you will accept at a time
Help me out, Ben, all you can. have stood |
the boys off as long l pos IDLY can. Why |
don't the General put his work in for me- / |
can do considerable in that direction if he or |
somebody else would start the matter with the |
right party, the person he agreed to Yours,
in haste. J. ]. ScRIyNER
LUTTRELJ WAS THOROUGHLY ooMNIrTED
The second was also from scrivner and was as
follows:
"SAN Francisco. May 25. 1883.
'.DeTT Ben-Lutuen came back this morning |
feeling first rate. be is so thoroughly comm t |
ted that have no fear of his kicking over the |
traces again soon hat was magnificent |
scheme we coueoeted to form q syndicate and !
worked to charm, Haven't seen Sonntag. but |
from what Luttrell tells me, his enthn- iasm |
grows as it gets older. The idea of making him |
the leader did the business. You ought 10 ex- |
plain that little racket to the General 1t is too
good to keep FROM him.
- Now for the main business ellis hasn't
been in and | suppose viii not be to-day. Have
been looking for him sll day. / think the idea
you sug gges1ed OF putting in some of our reserve
forces good one. We must not let the battle |
lag. If we 90 it viii get stale and hard to move.
Delays are always dangerous and tend 10 make
your combinations disjointed, and very much
weaken the effort. So let us bring up some of
the re-erves and put them in line. Let Higgins
be brought into the fight as you suggested. 1t
seems that there can never be better time to
do that than the present. Cerialuly no harm
can come of it 1t will only strengthen,
even If il proves to have been unnecessary.
Hadn't you better communicate with Gillis and
learn what he is doing2 Yours, truly,
j. J. scRrvNER."
NO USE FOR VERA
Below is an extract from letter dated March
Z, l;ss, and addressed My Dear CAPTAIN" 1t
| reads rs follows:
I" John thinks that Vera might be proftably
| employed in assisting the Coinmissary 10 keep
| his books suppose the son of a - would re-
| bel, but sm not sure that we need wall any
| longer for quarrel with him-he is nuisance
aod evid ntly believes that he is secure agai ST
| partisan Perhaps it VIII be wiser to wait ill
the jnte mill gets to 'biin' on the Gouble
shif.''
N'coMB's LETTERS.
The next read we're extracts from letters pur-
| porting to have been written by McComb to
| My Dear Captain" They are as follows:
=" want to get away on the Piacerville excur-
| zion, If possible, and to have q talk with the
| Governor. How will this affect your proposed
| agreement with Luttre II ard ScriynsI? ] had
whole lot to say to you, but yon would not give
| had tried to see him. The Governor is
indignant abSnt the sale of bags ordered by the
Board, end will probably make something of
| fuss ! have written to Buckley about the re-
! quest Of Senator Mcdonald to name a man in
Moneys place.
''April L. 1sSs-The jute mill has not struck
/ high-water marx yet, in the product of single
| day, though we getting credit for 1t in the
| papers. The night shit, so tar, shows up half
but we have hovered around 900 per day instead
! of the larger amount. We must push the shift
up to the utmost speed so to touch J. 400 some
day and night, even if we don't keep 1t al that
LOOK CUT FOR TEDDY BURNS.
"April %. lssS-Dick Murphy writes to me
| about the matter mentioned tonight. and in
close the letter for your perusal Old Bill Hen
bricks appears to me 70 be IN this s. heme and is
coyer;ly working to have his nsmesake put on
| duty again at the prison He did not lelish
the dismissal of Teddy Burns, at the time
of his withdrawal. think have told you that
| I have az ced 70 laove the yellow house for
groceryman Nichols if he buys it from Mrs.
| Jones' He has room on his lot for another
| house"
April g. IsSs-Don't let Teddy Burns get
away with the business of getting on guard
| again. 1t is a direct blow at you aud at me-,
The following are extracts from letters of
! Warden AcComb 10 Captain Ben Chambers
| whom he addresses as :. My Lear Captain un-
| der date of June 49, 1885,
:" Don't forget that Msjor-General Howard will
| arrive at six in the evening, and that will te
! in the city by previous engagement: have the
| usual courtesie> paid TO the General
" have to I'LL place with s75 man, and can
| find no pre- sent vacancy except Sergeant of the
Second Watch. which we lave NOT yet put in
| operation. Fish seems I'll where he Is and
| Frank Lnttrell closes up the gap by taking
| Fish's former title. There is no change that
| can make except 10 put Phil Donovan in there
| and presume he Is doing good service where
| he is leavy can't be changed to advantage,
l think. II the new man had any snap he
might be worked in for McLean's place. but he
| is only an ordinary clerk chap. When move
! McGaDn must get Bill TO giveme man for that