Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-12-13
IAlI AND RECORDS.

cate. ~ IA. removal about the alarming
condition ~ the jail, and the utter lack
20 protection from iirr for the county
rrCord., that Ex-Cosnty Commissioner
Hammond In a letter "a last weeks Ad-
,ertissr says:
I would like, through the columns Of
your paper, Ia describe IL aud state what
know.
II stone building with ledge Tor
a foundation, ani never since erection
Ia. prisoner escaped through wall. az
foundation, and they are n strong to-
day a. the dsy they were built.
n contains four rooms sufficiently
large a. accommodate four prisoner. Ia
each, aud two halls, either of which
would DO 10 put furnace Ia.
A "a IN. place being unhealthy, there
has never. 10 my knowledge, been .
.lckne.. In jail that could have been oc-
ca.lon.d by damp walls or bad drainage.
Their has never b~rn but on. death, In
fac, II {. rare thing Ia hear of q sick
prisoner here.
Nov why l. our jail condemnedt \
i,iI inspector, who had only been In
ofiice a few months, came here la July
aud saii the brick chlmn.y., which wcrr
Ia good repair Just q. they had been In
.pect.d aud passed by his predecessors
In Office for many years, were not suit
able and must BE- replaced by granite
chimney. built In their place. The
county commissioner. did a. ordered
and new one. built % granite block.
took their places. Result, the prisoners
had hardly entered the cell when they
saw their opportunity tn escape, aud
With pieces ~ Iron beistead pried out
two blocks and escaped.
II was hut few year. $50 that our
all was complimeutei by the state
prison warden, a. he said We had held
three ~ the most desperate conyicts De
had ever had In prison. and We kept
them safely for THREE months.
10 Oxford County expects Ia build .
l.il from which no one ~ill escape, they
~ill have Ia put more money Ia u Than
I. In the Charlestown prison, as they
have got out 81 there.
There have fewer prisoners escaped
from our jiil according To the numher
confined IN II, than from the modern jail.
In Andro.coggin, Cumberland or fenob-
scot Counties.
Now Ia make our jail perfectly secure
q. the jail INSPECTION. told the county
commissioners last October when they
condemned u, was Ia lron-ceil the two
upper cells (the lower ones being all
safe now which q contractor agrees Ia
do for Sis. Then we want q brick
chimney on the outside OF bullding,
which can BE- constructed out Of brick
now there; aud then heated from q fur
mace. which contractors will put In the
hall for s2s5.iG, which they warrant to
heat the whole building. N. for 500,
our jsil can be made a. comfortable as
desired, and perfectly secure.
IL IL said We have no means OF light
ing fire. The buildings are OF by them
selves and not 80 liable To catch ~ they
would be In athickly .ettled community.
Then on either side Of them are two
large county wells with sufficient water.
We had the sled factory here for sew
eral wears, and Il caught hre an innum-
cradle number of times and sometimes
II seemed a. II u must 20, but the hames
we're controlled and the bnildings now
stand. while at South Paris, but . year
ar two after the factory went there, u
was burned Ia the ground.
Then the house of Hiram Hubbard u
another example. II caught fire and when
the Insurance. agent from South Paris
came up To inspect he complimented our
men on the work they must have done.
lie said II Il had been In South Paris u
would have burnt up while getting the
fire department out; and though we
haven't the improvements we are capable
of lighting fire as these show. Our
records are In what were erected Tor
fire-proof vaults and are brick ovens,
which should stand more heat than the
burning of the small bullding which
contains them would make, should u
burn; and N these were considered IRE
proof when built, why not now!
A modern vault would be built ut
small expense To the county. Every
lawyer in the county must admit there
IL great decrease nj the business Of the
courts In the past few years, mostly ow-
Ing To the enactment OF the Law allowing
parties To refer supreme court cases,
aud a. the buildings We have can BE-
made comfortable aud suitable with q
small outlay, why should We Incur a
debt on our county which would In
crease our taxes for years To Gomez