Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-04-30
C0NvICTS' LIFE
In Some Of the Well Known
Penal Institutions.
Some interesting Facts Relating to
Industries and Discipline,
Obtaiaed BY Prison inspector Jsae,. Of Az.
Z sssts. on secess Trip.


leading penal institution 10 this country in
course OF WHICH visit he sieanel nany In.
teresting facts some of which at leas,
should he afforded the .IorRsAL's restlers.
This trip was made IN accordance with
the advice OF the Council for the purpose
ascertaining what other prisons are doing
in the line OF manufacturing, ETC.. and il
possible TO obtain information as 70 some
industry that may be put in at the Maine
prison at better advantage than exists al
present. ~ sii be remembered that the
isw provides that not more than 20 ger
cent OF the prisoners shall be employed on
one industry. This allows Eve differ
ent Industries 80 the Maine State
prison and these have been the maBufsc-
tare OF Dfo0fns' carriages and sleiglis, har-
nes-es and furniture. The manufacture Of
furniture proved unfaYorable and was
dropped. 20 now some of the men are NOT
legally employed. IL was thought by an
inspection of other penal institutions that
fiah' H"s"N 'N"'ht " hhStT experience
a. relates to manufacturing industrie. also
comparison OF The different methods 81
management. the discipline enforced and
Ike information.
Mr. Jones Sas seen after bis return By a
JorHsAL reporter anil asked for an inter
view on some OF the most Interesting fea-
lures Of ms trip aud he cour'eou.ly complied
with The request. lie said that he lad OBJ
tanned good deal OF valuable information
as TO industries and the laws relating to the
employ ment OF the convicts which he be-
lIeves viii be of great advantage. Al tile
hne prison IN concord y. H., he foaud. the
mos. rigorous discipline enforced one Of thu
features OF which ia that no prisoner is al
lowed To look up al any visitor and the on
y Institution OF those he visited where thu
down. This was considered by seme Il,
inhuman and cruel and was the subject not
long ago OF hearing before the Governor
and Council who decided TO retain the sys-
TEN. No prisoner there is allowed to
speak to another. No usitor who goe'
there will have the pleasure of his cal
enhanced or his curiosity satisfied by III,
attendants or officials pointing oui
To Inn any distinguished criminal and
Mr.. Jones says that although they
knew him to be prison inspector they
would not even indicate in which cell of the
prison the murderer Aimy was confined
The method of punishment there is corporal
in this State. but which believe il more IF.
fcctivc than the system We have of confin-
ing them in dark cells and providing them
only with bread and water
The prisoners at Concord are all under
contract to firm that manufactures furni-
ture the state receiving 80 cents for each
man per day. and furnishing the engines
and boilers. The New Hampshire prison
officials regard the contract system as I'M
satisfactory and think of adopting the state
account system as in Maine. The prison is
a new one. with all the modern r0nyen-
fences. and has now 1870 prisoners.
Outside of Maine. all the New England
prisons where females are imprisoned have
matrons to take charge of them. The in
spcctor says he believes the Maine law
should provide for Ii matron in this State. -
d" In the Windsor prison, the penal iusti-
tuition of Vermont, continued Mr.. ZONES
Il found 30 prisoners under very good dis
epliuc. They are allowed weekly papers
but before they get them they are looked
over and all matters rclatinc 10 CRIMINALS cs-
escaped convicts and the fkc,is cut olt The
prisoners there are employed under contract
to Boston firm in making boots and shoes
and each prisoner earns for the Stat" nifty
cents day. This system rs considered by
the officials n satisfactory, which Is perhaps
due to the high character at the hrm that
has the contract.
a spent three days Inspecting the broom
industries. of Schenectady. Amsterdam and
syracuse and vicinity where the bulk of all
prooms Is made, My object was to get the
latest information relating TO TINS industry
and to hire a broom manufacturer for the
Maine State prison. visited. among
other places, the great broom manufactury
of j. ID. Blood & Co. the capacity OF which
manufaetory.is IL 900 braoms each day the
largest IN the world. Mr.. Blood rarely az
cords tlse visitor an opportunity of looking
over his establishment but he was very
KIND TO me and showed me over inc whoie
works. Ills brooms are manufactured by
machinery AMI as an instance OF the bust
ness he does. he buys his TN by tie carload
carloads of broom corn. But MT BLOOD
admitted to me that the work of the Name
State prison bad nearly driven HIM ont OF
Maine which used to he one OF his best
markets. Judged from MS
conversation that he "ouiu nave
gladly. had it been possible cont
racted for all of the convicts IN the Maine
prison for the manufacture OF oroon's'
All broom machinery sells at phenomenal
prices and royalty * demanded on most
of 1T. The machine for stitching "roofhs
which does really fine work costs s''''o ana
pays ROYALTY besides of 80 cents aaS'
Mr. Blood has p or 30 of them M ms factory
then visited the prison at Au-
burn. \. Y. 1t Is one OF the largest ana
finest prisons in this country AMI carries Oh
the most manufacturing OF any penal iiS'i-
tuition in the world and at greater degree