Morning journal and courier., 1893-06-23
ExONERATEs THE WARDEN.

berlafn is a Humane Man and
should be II einstated-The Corrupt
Practices Act Amended So ms to Lose
ITS Essential Features-The House
Discusses the Quo Warranto Bill
other Matters.
HARTFORD, June 22.-[Speeial Sen
ator Jones, as chairman of the special
state prison committee, today submitted a
report signed by Representative Mowry
and himself, which Is just the opposite of
the report presented on Tuesday by Sena-
tor Root and Representative Beardsley,
democratic members of the committee. As
was evident several weeks ago the commit
tee are divided on strictly party lines. the
democratic report stating that the warden
should be dismissed, while the republican
report favors his retention In Office. Both
reports are on the table for calendar and
printing. The report by Senator Jones is
in substance as follows: -
To the General Assembly:
The undersigned, members of the COM
mittee appointed by your honorable body,
beg leave to report, that by virtue of your
resolution passed on the 9th day of April,
1898, your committee met on the 7th day
of April, 1898, and duly organized for the
purpose of conducting the investigation of
the conduct, management and affairs of
the state prison, and particularly the
official conduct and management of the
warden" In accordance with the terms of
said resolution.
The committee hold twenty hearings;
examined in all forty -four witnesses, con-
eisting of three of the directors of the
prison and others, employees now on duty
at the prison, ex-employes, persons not
connected with the state prison and four
teen convtcts.
Your committee deemed it wise to allow
the broadcast latitude In the examination
of witnesses for the purpose of eliciting
the truth regarding the whole subject
matter referred to in said resolution, and
for that reason the committee invited all
persons having any knowledge of the
subject matter thereof to appear and be
heard.
Your committee also endeavored by
every means in their power to gain the
fullest information from all persons who
were supposed to have any knowledge Of
| the conduct, management and affairs o.
| the state prison, during the period covered
| by the terms of said resolution.
As the result of said hearings the under
signed are fully satisfied that the conduc
| and management of the affairs of the stats
| prison during the period covered by theil
| the conclusion to which they have arrived
viz: That the state prison, through it,
board of directors, has been as we'll man
| aged as any similar penal Institution will
like Recommendations and similar facilities
for the treatment of the criminal classes ir
any other state to which their attention
has baen directed
In reaching this conclusion they hav'
| been governed by the testimony presented
for their consideration, and their oonelu
| sion has been reached by comparing tn
government and management of our stat
prison with similar penal and reformator,
ing the most careful consideration to al
the testimony they wers able to obtain.
/ So far as the official conduct of the war
den in the management of the prison i
| concerned during the period covered b.
| our investigation, we believe that the evi
| dence fully warrants us in reporting tina
| no single instance of the many allegation
of Encouragement and cruelty charged
against him has been proved. On tn
contrary he has been shown to have exer
cised such moderation in all emergencie
when called upon to judge by surrounding
| circumstances as to the proper course t.
be pursued, as to warrant us in expressing
the fullest confidence in his integrity AM
ability as warden, and his humanity
| man.
A review of the testimony will, in GU
| Judgment, carry conviction to every i'm
partial mind, and for that reason We pre-
pose to state briefly our conclusion base,
upon the evidence concerning the principe
charge made.
We think tho evidence shows that tn
| charges were made without substantis
foundation, and that we are fully war
ranted in reaching the conclusion abov
stated.
General Chamberlain, from the time h
became warden by the vote of the boar,
of directors-as the concurring testimon
of all the witnesses shows-sought t
smeliorate the condition of the prisoner
under his charge, by recommending ant
carrying out many needed improvement
in the management of the prison.
At the outset he affirmed his belief tina
flogging had such tendency to humiliat
and destroy all sense of manhood in men
and was in its effects 30 demorslizing anc
brutslizing that he would not favor it IN
| der any circumstances, and from the tim,
he was installed as warden to the pressn
time it is believed that no single instanc,
of corporal punishment has occurred.
Indeed, the evidence Is convincing ant
overwhelming that during the period re
ferred to no prisoner who has obeyed tn,
rules has ever had occasion to complain o.
his prison treatment. That there hav,
| been complaints from certain sources wa,
clearly made apparent through the public
press prior to the appointment of you
committee. That the accounts relating t.
certain individual cases upon which suct
complaints were founded, were grossly
exaggerated and largely without just foun
dalton, will be apparent from a critica
examination of the testimony adduced be
| fore your committee.
For the purpose of analysis we grouI
these cases into three classes. The sick
the idiotic aud the insane.
| To understand and appreciate the diff
culties which surround men howeve,
competent, just and humane, who are II
the chief control and management of pena
institutions of this character, 1t must b.
borne in mind that prisoners frequently
feign sickness and insanity in order t
avoid work, or to be transferred to the
| hospital, or insane asylum, where they
may have an easier time, or opportunity tt
escape.
This is 80 well understood and 81
uniform is the rule in the experience o.
every prison Official that 1t Is said ani
without doubt, accurately, that there IL
among a certain number of prisoners
always percentage of maligners who ar,
constantly trying by their arts and VILE
to better their condition.
They go into the hospital to get bette,
food or avoid work; they feign insanit,
for the same reason, and In order to bette
their chances to escape.
To manifest the difficulties of the situa
tiou is the we'll known fact which must b.
considered, that our courts frequentl,
| send men to state prison believing them tt
be sane, who are subsequently shown tt
be insane.
Until their condition is known 1t Is tn,
duty of the officers of the prison to trea
them as other prisoners are treated.
If any disposition to favor one prisoner
over another were once manifested, al
discipline would bs at an end.
Experience has shown that men who ar,
DESTROYS of avoiding work, try to get intt
the hospital or insane asylum, so to enable
them to have better opportunity t.
escape.
For this purpose they will resort to al
| manner of oontrivances to bring abou
| their transfer to the hospital or insane
| asylum.
The undersigned are satisfied from 6
careful examination of the several cases, az
| in those of Andrews, Collou, Doolittle
Jones and Hutohins, which have come
under their examination that in each and
every instance the warden acted as any