Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-03-27
WORK WELL DONE.
FIVE YEARS SERVICE OF THE PRESENT PENI-
TERTIARY BOARD
And the Improvements Effected in that Institution
Prisoners Supported On Eleven Cents Day
"A Model Psnitentiary.
sp.ciaI corrlspondenee Of Me R.aister.


MOUNDsvILLE, W. VA, March 90
The last meeting of the Board of Direc-
tors Of the State Penitentiary, as at
present constituted, was held here to-
day. 1t is understood that Gov. Fleming
will make appointments to succeed the
present Directors, whose terms have
expired within the next few weeks, and
as the majority Of the Board do not de-
sire TO continue their present duties, it
is probable that number of new faces
will appear at the next regular meeting.
After tranSacting the routine business
accumulated during the month, the
Board adopted resolution Of thanks to
Superintendent johnson, Secretary Bur-
ley, and other officials of the peniten-
tiary, for the uniform kindness and
courtesy, which they had extended; and
adjourned sine die.
The penitentiary board as now cOnSti-
tuted has existed almost without change
for nearly five years. 4 review Of the
work which has been done under them
is appropriate Probably no State in
Stitution has been attacked with greater
violence and with less Justice than has
the penitentiary. When party organs
OF a certain stripe exhausted all other
materials Of warfare, they turned their
batteries on it and continued series OF
assaults, which time has long since
proven TO be groundleSS. The abusive
attacks on the management under SUI
perintendcnt Peck, in which that gen
tleman was accused OF gross cruelty,
and the remarkable attack on Superin-
tendent Robertson in which undue lax
ity OF discipline was charged are samples
of the efforts that have been made to
bring the institution into disrepute
Investigation in both cases amply Sus-
tanned the authorities, aud to to-day the
West Virginia penitentiary stands with
ont a superior OF its kind in the land. 1t is
safely and economically conducted. The
cOnvictS are comfortably fed and
clothed. They are required to give a
fair days work for their support, and
discipline is firmly but not harShly an
forced. The action of the contractors,
whose success depends on the calth,
obedience and discipline of the convicts,
in renewing their contracts, is the best
evidence of u well managed institution.
RECORD OF TIE BOARD.
Hon. Hiram Howard, President of the
Board, said to a representative Of the
REGISTER. to-day: when we took hold
OF the penitentiary it was with the idea
that il should be a refOrmatOry as well
rs a penal institution, and have attempt
ed 10 conduct il on that line. The con
victS have been treated rs men should
be-, and harsh and cruel puniShments
have never been inflicted. Penitentiary
authorities OF other States have told me
that our discipline was as perfect as any
they ever saw.
Two rules have been followed IN dis
posing OF convict labor; First to pre-
vent the convict goods from coming into
competition with honest labor In our
own State. and second TO do away with
machinery in the shops as much as pos
Sible. Both OF these rules have been
closely followed, and while there are
now nearly 300 convictS in the building,
scarcely an article which they manu-
facture is sold in West Virginia, or in
competition with
WEST VIRGINIA INDUSTRY.
A large amount OF machinery has been
removed from the shops and while IL
has made the convict labor slightly less
rcmunerative. it has operated to protect
legitimate labor, while keeping all the
conyictS employed. When this board
was appointed five years ago, there was
strong agitation against convict labor
all over the country. At one time 600
prisoners were kept idle for weeks In the
Ohio penitentiary. Nearly every
ware house i'm this place
was stocked with goods that
could not be sold 1t was almost
impossible TO let cOnvictS at any reason
able rate, and the State suffered cOnsid-
cradle loss. Since then there has been
a Slight weakening OF sentiment, and by
careful management we have been able
to keep the prisoners almost steadily
employed. To-day the penitentiary is
practically Self-supportng The APP
preparation for deficiency in revenues in
1889 was SD, 900. Ten thousand dollars
OF this remains in the State treasury.
Twenty-three thousand was also appro-
priated for this year and not cent OF
! il has vet been touched We have now
s.. 900 i'm our treasury, and $1,000 more
is due from contractors for work done.
The total is a sum OF S43, 900, which is
available for the penitentiary's uses, \
with all debts paid. The States appro-
priationS for two years have been only
SAG, 600, so we are not far from even
AN ECONOMIC ADMINISTRATION.
The representative OF the REGISTER
made a careful examination OF the rec
ordS. which the Board had before 1t,
and from which the Semi-annual report
is To De made up. The result was highly
flattering to the ability with which the
institution has been managed. The
Board has created clothing and bedding
accounts and various other forms of re-
ports, which give a clearer insight than
formerly into the workings OF the penl-
Tertiary. There are now about 27O con-
yicts within its massive walls. For the |
month of February there was a daily |
average Of POS, and the total expense for
the maintenance OF each inmate per day |
was only eleven cents. This low figure |
has about represented the average diet |
ary cost for the past three or four years. |
Authorities pronounce IL as low as III |
anv other institution Of the kind in the |
country. In most eastern penltentlarleS
Id is from fifteen to twenty-five cents.
The present rate is from one |
to two cents less than the |
rate in 1888 and 81, and is now lower |
than at any time previous in the history |
OF the penitentiary. The convicts are
furnished plain, substantial food, and |
plenty of it. 1t is safe TO say that there |
is no other boarding house in the State |
that has done larger business on |
more economical basis.
IMPROVED SANITATION AND BETTER !
HEALTH
One work which has been accomplish |
cd during the past three years will APP |
neal particularly to the humane in
stincts of the public. 1t has been the |