The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1891-12-05

cause the other class is the class
protected?
Has Reported.
Major Pinkham has given to the
public a report of his conclusions
concerning the prize fighting and
other disreputable practices at the
penitentiary. He forgets that there
were two prize fights complained OF,
as did the investigating committee,
also, and refers to the matter in the
singular number, as the alleged
prize fight" This he describes as a
friendly sparring match between
two of the youngest convicts, got
ten up and arranged in detail by the
older convicts for their own pastime
and amusement" 1t does not seem
to have occurred to Secretary Pink
ham that prison should not be
used to further corrupt boy con-
victs by old and hardened GRIM
inals, and possibly did not, but it
will occur to the minds of many
people when they read his report.
To many people, too, the charges
against Mr.. Mack will seem to have
been sustained, and without any
effort on the part of the investiga-
ton to sustain them. Certainly
no wholly disinterested and credi-
BILE witness testified that guards
were not drunk and asleep on duty,
nor that whisky was not brought
into the prison by guards thereof,
nor that there was not money bet
on glove contests, nor that there
was not one prize fight in the prison,
the one in which McCreary was so
badly used up. This was kept in
the background throughout all of
the testimony. But as men do not
get excited and bet on friendly glove
contests, there must have been
prize fight. Besides the immediate
and unconditional discharge of
young Roberts after the investiga
ton is evidence that Mr.. Mack is
convinced of his un6tness for the
place, and must convince the pub
lie that instead of an exoneration
having been arrived at, very thick
coating of whitewash has been put
on, but put on so indifferently that
about all the old dirt is visible
through it's breaks. Our conclusion
is, and it is based upon the affida-
Wits and testimony, that all of the
charges are sustained. But the
public will smile at this:
recognize the fact that certain
amount of Generalization exists in the
of affairs at the peniten-
tiary, and the question arises to what is
it attributable2 When any one member
Of the board of state prison commission
ers assumes to dictate the policy and
morale of its administration; maps out
the line Of conduct for its officers; ad-
vlses and directs q sub officer to disre-
gard the orders of warden, and publicly
states that he takes the pcnitentiary and
its administration 'sunder his fostering
care" then it is time to call halt; not
charge all of the mishaps Of thankless
task upon the warden, but let them rest
where they belong, upon Attorney Gen
eral George H. Roberts. Let the direct
cause Of all this decentralization be elm
mated or withdrawn and We will have
prison which all classes of citizens will
praise instead of condemn.
That throws the blame for the
admitted evils in the penitentiary
management upon the broad shout
ders Of Attorney General Roberts,
and may result in another confirma-
ton of the truth of the old adage:
"When thieves fall out" &c.
Mr.. Pinkham refused to consent
to the appointment of John R.
Springer as successor to Mr.. Mack,
when Mr.. Wiley nominated him,
because Mr.. Springer had once filled
the Office of prison warden and
while acting as such officer did all
he could to encourage boxing in
the prison.
Mr.. Pinkham concludes his report
with the following bid for republi-
can sympathy:
If the service can be improved and any
member of the board will nominate a
competent person versed in prison affairs
and discipline as successor to Warden
Mack, l will cheerfully join in his ap-
pointment, as / know that the present
warden has the interests of the republi-
can party too much at heart to be bar
rier to its success in the present and the
future, as he has in the past.
The " service can be improved I"
by complete cleaning out of the
Augean stables, and it is not impos-
sible that the public will take it
into their heads to do that in 1892.
A sTABBING ARRAY took place at
Shoshone, November goth, between
Richard Earlston and VIM. Johnson
in which the latter vuaa anvorolv nd