The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-11-15
MANY APPEALS
FOR CLEMENCY.
State Prison Directors Trying a
Newly Delegated Power.
Work on the New Jute-MiIs at San Quentin
Will Be Commenced Within the
Next Thirty Days.

The stated meeting of the State Board of
Prison Directors, was held yesterday at
San Quentin. The forenoon session was
taken up with the usual routine business,
and in the afternoon the board went into
executive session to test its newly delegated
power in the matter OF granting. or what
amounts to the same thing. recommending.
pardons.
Hitherto this matter has been attended to
by the Chief Executive officer of the State.
Governor Waterman and his predecessors
always listened to testimony. read petit
tons, etc., asking executive clemency, and
from the evidence adduced rendered de-
cison. Governor Markham has changed all
this. he simply turns the evidence over to
the Board of Directors, and acts upon Its
recommendations
There were seventeen applications tor
pardons before the board yesterday. only
four of which were acted upon. The others
will be taken I'D at the next meeting Di-
rect0rs Sonntag, Devlin, Stump, Depue and
Craig attended yesterdays conference.
Warden Hale reported the attempted es-
cape of Phillip Hall and William Malott on
the morning of November. 4th Since that
time they have been in solitary confinement,
and when brought before the board yester-
day and questioned they had no particular
line Oh defense marked out.
WHAT THE BOARD RESOLVED.
The decision of the Directors was that
MalOtt should lose his credit marks. He is
serving sentence OF eight years for grand
larceny. Hall is doing life sentence, and
therefore not awarded credit marks. His
case was left In the hands of the Warden,
who Is empowered to lnfict punishment at
his discretion, which Will be solitary con-
finement for sixty days. Hall has made a
good record while in prison, and but for his
recent attempt to escape his sentence would
have been commuted to twenty years.
The matter of building the long raike1 o
Jute-mIl was taken up and discussed at
length. A communication from the Atter-
ney-General was read, in which he rendered
an opinion to the effect that the Sl6e, 600
appropriation of four years ago Is still
available for this work; also that the act of
built on advertised contracts, does not apply
to this specific case, and that the work
might be done by convict labor.
PRISON LABOR WILL BE EMPLOYED.
Figures were offered by the Directors to
show that the building, if constructed under
contract, would cost not less than $3.50 600 !;
while by employing prison labor it could be
built and equipped within the appropria-
ton.
A very lengthy discussion resulted in a
decision to employ convict labor alone, and
to commence work on the new building
within thirty days. Plans have been ap-
proved by the proper authorities. The
building will be of brick, and double the
capacity of the old mill, accommodating 200
looms.
1t was resolved to commence work at once
on the county road from San Rafael to San
Quentin, provided for at the last session of
the Legislature. Only convict labor will
he employed on this work. which will be
necessarily slow until spring. when it will
be pushed on to completion.
Joseph Ellis was reelected Clerk of the
Prison for a term OF four years and Warden
Charles Aud of Folsom was also re-
elected for a second term.
Bills to the amount OF Sl3.3So were
audited and ordered paid.
MORE APPLICATIONS FOR PARDON
In the afternoon the folio owing applications
Tor pardans, referred to the board by
Governor Markham, we're considered.
Julia Raynn. sentenced to fourteen years
from San Joaquin County for perjury.
She is 81 years of age, has served six years
and her prison record is noted as excellent
The board recommended that the sentence
be committed to nine years, which, with