Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-01-07
JAZZ AccoumoDArIoN.
Talk Among the Levy Courtmen Over
sheriff simmons, Address Yesterday.

iuo uuuIeSS nllue Dy onerlu Clm-
mons to the members of Levy Court
Tuesday morning on the subject of
needed prison reform was matter of
absorbing, although informal talk, in
the Levy Court chamber on Tuesday
afternoon.
Among the members the necessity of
additional accommodation for prisoners
is recognized. The only question is
what will be the remedial measures and
what form will they take.
Levy Courtman John w. Jclls is
strongly in favor of the idea Of retaining
the long-term convicts at New Castle
and of the erection at some suitable
place by the county of a prison for
short-term convicts and tramps. Mr.
Jolls is impressed with the idea that the
present Jail at New Castle is not in n
complete sense county property Should
the building at any moment be vacated
it would revert TO the town of New
Castle to which the ground belongs. 1t
was given to the town by John Penn
and New Castle afterwards allowed
the county to erect county buildings
upon 1t and use them for such purpose,
but with the proviso that if they were
for any reason vacated the land and
property should revert to the munich
pality of New Castle town.
The objection is obvious in regard to
making expenditures of public money
upon a property that might in unfore-
seen contingencies fail Into the hands of
others than the Levy Court. 1t is in
deed a question, should such an acct
dent as fire take place by which the
jail were totally burned, whether the
Levy Court would have the right to
rebuild without permission from the
New Castle aldermen. And even were
such permission given and the structure
erected, that the town of New Castle
could not demand rent for the premises,
the aldermen being the representatives
OF the fee simple owners of the land.
The establishment of short term
Prison with work-house for tramps
seems the only fair alternative in the
premises. This seems to be the general
opinion Of the Levy Court members.
All of them realize that something must
be done now The suggestion of build
ing another story is constantly met by
the answer, why, the property is not
ours. And what right have we, who
are not much hotter than tenants, to ex-
pend public money on property of that
nature ~
The idea is that no private individual
as tenant would make extensive pc
cuniary improvements for permanency
on property held under such terms.
The general idea existing in the court
is in line with an expression of Mr..
Jolls' which indicated the building Of a
prison near Wilmington, for instance in
close neighborhood to the Brandywine
quarries Here the stone for convict
work could be obtained on the spot and
large saving made for the county in
respect to haulagc and railroad freight
ing of stone.
Mr.. Jolls Is DESTROYS Of seeing prison
arrangements more in conformity with
the Ball Tramp law. At present while
its moral value is appreciated by the
reduction of the number Of tramps as
indicated in Sheriff Simmons address
before the Levy Court yesterday morn
ing, the ever present detracting feature
exists of the expense Of carrying stone
to New Castle Jail.
1t was suggested that the Legislature
should build State penitentiary.
Aj 4HhainGh u iIeNy H1OuCtTNaQ,
you would not get Kent and Sussex
worked up to that idea for the next SO
yearsr
1t is understood that the cost Of haul.
ing stone us now borne by the county
represents, at s. per cent interest, prin-
cipal Of $4,000.
Last November Representative Kill
gore publicly expressed his opinion that
the county should build work-housc
in the Brandywine quarrles even before
building a bridge over the Brandywine
stream and that such a project is much
more in demand just now by the com
munity.
In the autumn of 80, Levy Courtman
Eliason states that committee reported
on the necessity of better Jail accommo
dalton. Dir. Black and the Jail com.
missioners made emphatic complaint
over the matter.
Independent of the case Of typhoid
fever recently occurring in the iail the
victim of which died within AS hours of
his removal to the almshouse, Levy
Courtman Sutton referred to three cases
OF small pox occurring there. One case
was sent out of the Jail and the county
positively refused to take charge of the
victim. lie had to be taken home and
nursed there at the risk of spreading
contagion all through the community.