St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-03-26

The memorandum and letter were not fled
till after the minutes of the board had been
completed. and only after some discussion
had taken place regarding the purchase.
Your committee refrain from making any
comment or expressing any opinion.
From the evidence before US we are led to
believe that the American system of machin
cry manufactured by Mr.. Todd is not only
much cheaper than that purchased, but also
Better Adapted
chased by the board. That the success of
the twine industry will very largely depend
upon the proper management of the plant,
the attention of the board toward the busi-
ness and competent supervision.
Should additional machinery be purchased
we believe IL should be the American pattern.
The state is in possession of great amount
OF evidence that possibly would not be ad-
mlsslDle in court of justice. Evidence
made up of observation of incidents and cir
cumstances, evidence of state employees and
convlcts that for various reasons it is deemed
best not to detail, but which, taken as
Whole. has satisfied your committee In rela-
ton TO many things and particularly as to
the fact that the
Conduct of the Prison
of prison discipline has been very largely
dictated by the parties contracting with the
state; that their will is and has been largely
supreme. We have no doubt that the tenure
VI OAlCe VI every employee WlIHlu the Wills
depends largely on the good will and pleas
ure of the company, that every guard or en-
ploye recognizes intuitively that if either
interest must suffer it must be that or the
state, and that the same influence extends 10
and controls the board of managers to e still
greater degree.
Third.
Coming now to the third subdivision OF this
report, which pertains TO prison discipline
and immediate management by the warden.
your committee regrets to state that it has
labored under much difficulty on account of
not being able TO take the testimony of ex-
Va den j. J. Randall, who, while suffering
severely with pneumonia, returned here from
California, whittier he had been summoned
by his family. returning for the express pur-
pose of testifying, but who has ever since
his arrival been dangerously sick and wholly
unable to testify, and thus your committee
has been deprived of many facts within his
knowledge alone relative to the details of the
prison. and the discipline of the
same This question of discipline nee
esSariIy opens up q wide field or
inquiry; one upon which men d1Het.
Your committee has examined many wit
neSses as to the conduct of affairs under his
administration, following, as it did, that OF
Mr.. Stordock, and finds regarding it the fol-
lowing facts; That, owing to the termina-
tlon OF the contract. pursuant to notice
given under the provisions of the act of 1887.
the prison labor had
Become DIsorganiZed.
and while Mr.. Stordock had done what he
could, with no material aid from the board
of managers, to carry on repairs. such condi-
ton of disOrganiZat1on continued and existed
at the time of Mr.. Randalrs appointment
That, in order to profitably employ the con-
VlctS, the construction Of the walls around
the prison under Mr.. Stordock was contin-
ued, convicts being employed to do the work
The very nature of this employment made it
absolutely impossible to keep as strict
discipline as would otherwise be desir-
able, or as strict as Mr.. Randall or
his deputy desired; but the condition ex-
listed, and had TO be met in the way it was. 1t
was during this ii ne that the com plant rela
tive to prisoners being outside of the prison
walls was made and there is no question but
that they were outside under guard doing
this work, which upon investigation your
committee believes was entirely proper; that
Warden Randall came to the prison with
limited experience as to such matters and
found things as we have detailed, and no
doubt made mistakes and misplaced conf
dence; yet considering the circumstances the
Mistakes Were Few
and were corrected by experience; that as
soon as the prison labor became organized,
and after the letting of the contract and the
opening of the tub and pail factory the dis
cipline became good.
That early in his administration he came
to differ with the contractors on many
points, and his care for the states interest
came in conflict with their desires. He al
lowed 10 men 10 be punished without the
matter was referred to himself, going coun-
ter to established precedent which has pre-
vailed of allowing guards to put prisoners in
punishment at the suggestion of foremen in
the shops. Many things too numerous to
mention in this report but among them his
objection to certain bills presented against
the state by the contractors, one of which
amounted to over $780, and his failure to al
lou han, oil tba
prison and do all work of that character. as
had before been the case, caused a desire
on their part and on the part of other inter
ested parties TO cause his removal and that
of MI. Langum, his deputy. who in the man
agement of the prison were in perfect ac-
cord. A
Serious Disagreement
had arisen between the warden, his deputy
and Mr.. Frank Lemon, com pany foreman In
the paint shop. In addition to this, during
the first part of his administration, several
guards and the former deputy warden had
been removed for cause, and one thing ADDED
to another gave the opportunity desired to
create dissatisfaction with the prison man
agement. on account of reports emiuatiug
from the sources mentioned, II. n. Hart and
Rev. Mr.. Smith. of the board Of corrections
and charities together with the chief execu-
tive, went TO the prison in the warden's ab-
sence and made au investigation, but accord
ing TO the testimony Of the two latter, found
what they obtained from stories told by the
foreman in the thresher company's shops
and by the parties thus named, including
discharged employees the contractors and
their friends became. however, determined
to carry out their design, which was to dis
place Mr.. Randall and his deputy and instate
i'll their places Mr.. Garvin, the present in
cumbent, and Mr.. Lemon. the present deputy
appointed by him, and son-in-law of G. NJ.
Seymour, Esq. The persons seemingly inter-
ested in this were George Thompson, Mr..
Lemon, Mr.. Seymour and the contractors
and perhaps others in political way.
Inhuman.
Since the appointment of the present IN
cumbents, several matters have been forced
upon the attention of your committee One
was the beating of g convict named Lynch
who had been employed sweeping in the
yards and was afterwards placed in one of
the machine shops to sweep up the floor. and
failing to obey ORDERS was sent in. The as
sistant deputy warden. GlennOn, went to the
shop and brought him into the prison. where
he and Mr.. Lemon took him TO the soliterv
They placed Lynch in cell in the solitary
putting his hands through the iron bars of
the cell door and Handwriting them on the
outside SO that the man was standing up and
absolutely poWerleSs. While in this condi-
ton Lynch was talking violently and using
abusive language. but otherwise could DO
nothing. After being thus secured he was
gagged by putting piece of gas pipe in his
mouth and fastening it with piece of wire
twisted back of his neck. He struggled to
avoid this and kicked at the deputy, where
upon Lemon struck him violently over the
head with a
Slungshot. or Prison Billy,
producing an ugly wound on the forehead.
He then struck him a second time with the
billy. causing scalp wound al least two
inches in length, laying the flesh open to the
bone. The man was left in the solitary for
five days. The only time he was let down
from his suspended condition being for about
five hours each day, when he was allowed 10
sleep on the hard floor of the cell Two
weeks after the assault the wounds were open
and unheaied. A more brutal assault and a
more uncalled-for one was never made by
one man npon another. This man was suf-
feTing from disease, and had large tumor
upon one of his limbs which made it impos-
sible for him to do much work, and he was
mentally weak The treatment in
hicted upon him was inhuman, uncalled
for and a disgrace to the institution
Passing to a consideration of the state ac-
count system, we find that Mr. Covell, the
appointee of the board of managers, and
superintendent of the tub and pail factory