Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-03-01
srATn PRISON 1NvE,rIearIoN

The Investigation into State Prison affairs wa:
continued last evening in Joint session of the
state Prison Commit ee of the Senate and Ways
and Means Committee of the Assembly. Ger
eral McGomb. Warden of San Quentin Prison
was recalled aud testified in answer TO interro
cations. He said thst, as Warden he was gov
erned i'll his management of the prison by rules
adopted by the Board OF Prison Directors The
published tiers to "Captain' . were addressed
to Captain Ben Chambers. The subject of run.
ming the prison in the interest of any party was
not suggested from any one when took charge
of the pr.so1, nor at any time My reference in
published letters to McIane, and about his
breaking his neck, Was because McLane was
too important. He is still at the prison as an
eulpioye. he is there with my approval No
one IS keeping him there. My remark to Cap
tain Champers to have some one fitted to take
McLane' place, as We should be in q fix if Me-
Lane should die, was joke. The night shifts
work in the jute mills was not satisfactory and
we put q night Superintendent on. The in.
crease OF looms run at night over the number
run In the daytime was to increase the output
at night as compared with that produced BY the
day shit. Could not tell relatively the result OF
night work as compared with that of day.
There was about Sil 900 profit from the iute mill
work at the prison for 1888.
The reference in my letter 10 the ed-headed
woodpecker," regret to say, referred to u.
rector Devlin. i wish here to apologize for
having used such term, but which l did not
expect anyone was to see but the one ad-
dressed. The visitor to whom 1 alluded in q
letter that he had not imbibed any poison up
TO that time, had reference to a little misunder-
standing which existed between Captain Smith
and Captain Chambers, and concerning which
! thought the visitor, whom / think wss a
Ctronicte reporter, might hear one side OF
only. Whenl said ASK Rector to praise night
shit, but that he must keep still as to what he
said to me-" / meant that he was 10 praise the
night shift to the men of that shift, e., TO spur
them on so that they should do as well as t.. ey
had previously. The praising night shift did
not refer TO prsising it to the Directors, but to
the men, as have said.
Il know that Sonntag, Luttrell and ScrivBer
generally stood by me in my administration OF
the prison. There was no understanding be-
tween US, bat whenever l wanted anything
done / would speak to one or perhaps two OF
these Directors beforehand, and they would
look ailer it in the Board meeting. did not
take one OF this trio 10 task for "falling down
oa proposition. | may have spoken to one OF
them about it, but did not take any one to task.
do not know that there was any arrangement
to elect Deviin President so as to keen him
from interfering with our arrangements Had
no difficulty with Director De Pua, except that
he criticised a water bill at one time and stood
in with Mr.. Devlin in somewhat OF a critical
attitude.
Concerning the removal of houses referred Ia
in my letters, they were situated in the valley
OF the prison grounds. They were occupied by
tenants who paid no rent, aud the Directors, moi
the Warden, desired TO have them removed as
soon as could be done.
When said in a letter that if I moved Nc
Gam must ask Bill TO name man to fill the
blushingl to q friend of mine By the name Of
Higgins. aughter
VIII it be good plan to circulate that de
nal OF smith. McLane aud Nicholson, and have
q y the officers sign card that the story is
faise?p This reference was to an alleged bat
terry upon a man which bad produced scandal
and sim:ly wanted TO disapprove 1t had nc
reference to any scandal about women Cos
| tello, who was put on as one OF the guards by
| me, was put on upon the request OF Captaif
Chambers. When referred in letter to a mar
and Chris Buckley. When | said, zee thai
| Kramer gets what he thinks he needs and give
his men whole lot of ginger l meant simply
| to spur men under him up to work.
There was band of about 200 hogs belonging
| 10 the prison, which Frank Luttrell had charge
| of, and some 63 had died or disappeared Ny
reference to loss which would be hard to ac
! count for was about this large de rease which
! seemed 10 be larger than should be.
The road was the theme last month, nov
! there must be something else was an expires
! sion 10 spar on the work of the prison; was tc
tide away eXigency existing at that time.
III Exhibit 20, you say, '.got Scrivner to looI
| over accounts and approve Them, SO as to pre-
vent any of the Directors from making any
unpleasant inquiries about it before the re
! porIers.'' What did you mean by that?
don't know hardly Who'll alluded 10 then
| have forgotten.
sect. Rhoads and Devlin to kick with Nose
Drew" what does this mean? Well, il
has reference t. political influence which was
being used or sought TO be used for procuring
appola tments.
Considerable time was occupied in the ex
animation of the witness concerning copies OF
| statements which were preserved in q tissue
| transfer book, as showing improvement:
| made. increased valuation of prison property
be5v cen January 1st snd June 20. 1885 There
was q strong rustic over this point OF the in
yestlgation, and the Democratic side of the ir
| yestigation made things lively, believing they
| hsd struck the mother Vein of the inquiry
and unearthed the "S26, 600 puzzle" referred tc
| in one OF McCemb's recently published letters
! the one sent To Waldron. The inve,tigation in
| TO this branch continued until near midnight
but has not sufficiently progressed to permit OF
much speculation as to how it will ''pan out"
The statements which caused this furry were
| made by Waldron to McComb. 1t appears from
what has been thus far brought out that the
| first statement made the value of improvements
| to be sS,S2l with some small detached extra
amounts, and this statement was torn out o
the book subsequently,, and the same improve
Inents and expenditures were raissd BY in
creased estimates and amounts to SIS 27S rs
| General McComb admitted that the leaf-which
the committee had procured, presumably from
the same source as the exposed letters-was tori
from the account book, in which the increas &c
/ st tement Is at present found. McCamb's
friends maintain that the raised statement il
merely an estimate of what the improvements
made during the first six months of 1885, are
worth, AMI that it does not figure in the balance
| sheet OF expenditures of the prison. This the
investigators say is too thin, and that they viii
| show that fact.
| The Joint Committee adjourned uuiil tonight
when it viii resume upon this bra nch of the
case.