St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-28
The Investigating Committee
Says 1t May Be Severe, but
It Is JuStifiable.
Deputy Warden Lemon Ex-
onerated From the Legis-
lative Onslaught.
Gov. Merriam Urged to Intro
duce a Conditional Par
don System.

members of this committee were: Rev.
S. G. Smith. d. D., Hon. G. A. Bracket
and Hon. j. W. Willis. The appoint
OF this committee was the outcome of
resolution passed in the last house of the
legislature:
Be it resolved by the house of representa-
tiyes OF Minnesota, the senate concurring
Section l. That the board of managers OF
the state prison at Saltwater be and they are
hereby directed and required to Immediately
cause the removal Of Deputy Warden Lemon
and Assistant GleunOn from their positions
at saltwater as said deputy warden and
assistant deputy warden at said prison.
Sec. ,. This resolution is intended to and
shall have the effect OF directive law ana
shall take effect from and after its passage.
Whereas, From Il report made by a special
committee, appointed by the speaker of the
hOhse, IL appears that for trivial Offenses in
human punishment IS melted out to convicts
confined in the penitentiary; and
Whereas. Such punishment IS blot on the
progressive ideas which, at this age, should
Characterize the management of penal and
reformatOry institutions: therefore be 1t
Resolved by the house, the senate concur
ring, That the present warden of the peniten-
tiary IS hereby directed to institute different
and more humane system of punishment, TO
the end and that the cOnvicts may reform
and not be driven TO desperation by mental
and physical torture.
The senate voted ITO refer the joint
resolutions to the state board of cor
rectiOnS and charities, " they to make all
investigation and report the same to
the governor.
The committee have carefully inveSti-
gated the prison management. and,
having in view the partial investigation
made by the legislative committee.
their conclusions are of great import
ance. The committee reports having
examined thirty-Seven witnesses, and,
III the cases of Anderson, Davis and
Douglas,
The Testimony Showed
April -, 1891 Coaviets Frank Anderson,
John c. Davis and Frank Douglas eluded
their shop guards and, passing through the
prison yard. attempted TO escape. Anderson
and Davis were driven back into the yard by
the gatekeeper and returned to their shop.
Douglas ran a short distance from the prison
and crept under a building. Deputy Warden
Lemon pursued him and ordered him out
As the convict did not come. Lemon fired his
revolver in the direction of the convict. lie
testified: shot about five feet from him.
He then crept under the building and brought
him out. As they came out on their hands
snd knees, Lemon testified that he felt
Douglas reaching, as he thought for his
Nemon's) revolver, ana he struck Douglas
on the side of the head with the revolver
making slight cot, but not inficting any
serious injury.
The committee is of the opinion that
the force used IN the case was justiti-
able under the circumstances and not
cruel or inhuman.
The three eonyicts were placed in cells in
the solitary at 5:45 p. m. April Il. Their
hands were put through tbs gratlngs OF the
cell doors. at a height of about feet 2inches
from the floor tlheir weight resting entirely
on their feet and they were left standing
until ) d. N. the next day, when they were
allowed to rest until a. m. During the
remainder of the punishment which lasted
three and three-quarter days they were
fastened up about q. m. and remained up
until noon, when they rested for about half
an hour, then fastened up until abOnt p
m when they rested about an hour, then
fastened up until midnight when they rested
until a. N. Each convict received three
ounces of bread once day and ali the water
they wanted.
This punishment lasted until April 10. at
II 10 a. m, when the men were released from
the solitary and sent back to their own cells.
Each of the three men had pail and chain
attached to his ankle which was worn until
May 10, 1891, the balls weighed about twenty
one pounds each. and the chain was about
six and half feet long.
Was Unsuitable.
Tile punishment of these men was Sc
we're. but, i'll the Judgment Of the COM
mittee, it was lustifiable under the cir
Anderson had resisted the deputy war
den and Davis and Douglas had tried to
| escape before. and that the men were
noisy and unruly when first put into the
SOLITARY"
The committee also investigated the
cases of John Lynch and George w.
| Tressler. Both men were known among
the cOnvictS as cranks; their sanity was
doubtful. Lynch was sent to the ''soli-
tary'' Feb. %, 1891, for refusing to work.
| He began to shout and Deputy Lemon
| ordered him to be gagged.
In gagging him it was necessary to loosen
| one of his hands. He resisted violently,
| kicking and striking, calling the deputy war
| den vile names. splitting in his face, and try
! ing to bite him. During the struggle, Dep
| uty Warden Lemon struck him on the head
with Billy, infieting two quite deep scalp
wounds.
Not Disposed to Censure.
In the judgment of the committee
| the injury was no greater than is fire.
| quently inflicted by police officers in ar
| resting refractory prisoner outside of
prison. The deputy warden appears to
| have been somewhat excited, and may
| have used more force than was abSO-
lutely necessary, but in view of the cir
| cumstances we are not disposed to cen
sure him. as Lynch himself testified
that he called the deputy warden vile
names and resisted violently.
The case of George Tressler was
a similar one. and reported upon in a
like manner by the committee. The
committee also investigated the follow
ing finding OF
rru. o,r5sIo1;v-o Co,,,,,,E..oo.