The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-10-19
HORRORS FOUND In A JAIL
An Outrageous State of Affairs Discoy.
cred in the Vigo County Prison.
and Witnesses-Statistics Of Beneyo-
lent Institutions

Secretary johnson has submitted to the
State Board of Charities the following re-
port on the Vigs county jail. which he
visited Oct. l3:
The jail was found very clean and in &C
good order as it's construction admits of.
The cage in the main Jail was apparently
badly crowded with twenty-five men and
boys, but the jailor asserted that there was
Still room for six more prisoners In % be-
fore the would be all occupied.
The cir In the corridors was fairly good. in
the cage IL was decidedly bad and un-
sanitary.
In one of the cell divisions there were
two insane men returned from the State
hospital to their friends AS incurable. but
not dangerous. and by them returned TO
jail. in one case after q few hours. and the
other q few weeks trial. as very dangerous.
They had been in durance about six
months. By order of court the two turn
Keys were made their custodiRns. N each
Mt Sl.25 Der day, out OF which sum the Gus
todlans Day the sheriff 40 cents per day Tor
the mems food. AS they give little or no
more trouble than any other two prisoners.
this Is II decidedly advantageous way tfof
the turnkeysl to have them kept.
In another division was another so
rather feeble-minded tramp, probably not
o resident OF the county nor of the state.
he had been picked M N the river bottom
q Few weeks previous and declared. IN the
uoudl way. uuOcI numerous OLicltl UatuS,
to be insane. a resident of the county and
q mt subject Tor the State hospital. 60 far
he had not been accepted by the authorities
of the hospital. He pleaded earnestly for
liberty and the opportunity TO work for his
living.
Among the prisoners in the cage were
four men who had been kept ninety,
thirty eight. thirty-five and t~wenty-three
days. respectively. without having had q
preliminary hearing before q Justice. and
without any form of commitment Three
OF them were charged with petit larceny,
ana one, 1t was supposed, with grand
larceny. One of them had previously
served a sentence OF thirty-five days for
selling stolen property, aud was re arrested
the day after he was discharged upon the
new charge. The Others were young fellows
of twenty TO twenty-five years of age. with
out money and without friends in the city.
The turkeys weTe asked By what form
of law they held these men when had no
commitment papers for them. TO which
they replied that holdtng prisoners on the
word OF a police Office for weeks or months
without commitment is the usual thing in
Vigo county. that each Monday they give
the county prosecuting attorney.a list OF
all men so held, and it is, they think. his
place, not theirs. to say anything.
Another prisoner confined In the crowd
ed cage with this gang of criminals-some
waiting trial, some waiting formal accuse
ton and some serving sentence-was . boy
OF eighteen, detained as o witness. he bae
been In the Jail one month In default of q
bond OF 500, the man charged with the
crime in the case being out on bond. Out.
rageous as il is to contine an innocent bow
at all. 1t Is made uoubly so by the enforced
intimacy of = crowded cage full of such
companions"
Statistics from the Quarterly Report
The tenth quarterly circular of the Board
of State Charities contains some interest
ing facts. 1t shows that the grand net
total Cor <ha orH CONTAMINATION
of charitable and correctional institutions
for nine months ending July 81. 1892. was
S735. $50 10. In regard TO the insane hos
pitfalls it shows that 1858 patients was tho
average number for that period, and
6126 officers, attendants and en-
tients for each salaried person; that
sol persons employed are boarded in the
institutions: that salaries and wages ag-
gregated S13S, 602.0S for the nine months,
while the cost of subsistence was &c.,
1851 OF $500 less than the salaries and
wages. 'Ofice. domestic and outdoor de-
~partments, which includes newspapers.
postage, stationery. laundry supplies. med.
icines, furniture, exclusive of that for
patients. fuel. light. tobacco. ETC.. aggre-
gate SIS. 29S. 49,. The grand total for main
tensnce 10 1891 $1,000, and the net total ex.
penditure for nine months. S4s0.55s.2s- The
average expenditure per capita for patients
| was S153.47 for the nine months and S217.5s
for the year, which endeds Oct 81.
1891. The average in Ohio. foN the
same year. as 1t appears by figures given
In the circular. was S175. which was So less
than the average in Indiana. 1t Is very
evident that the influence Of the Board OF
State Charities over the four little boards
of trustees Is very .salutary. but the man.
eme will not be other than wasteful
until all the hospitals are under the control
of q board OF charities constituted on the
basis of the Present one. But the disfran-
chised people are thankful for the good
work of the board of charities which is
correctional rather than administrative.