The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-06-16
THE COUNTY JAIL.
It's Condition Since Sheriff
Toffey Assumed the
Management.
CLEANLINESS EVERYWHERE
All Hallmen Are Paid Employees
The "Feed" Said to Be
Excellent.

When | went through the County JAN
yesterday to observe what changes Sheriff
Toffey had made since he took charge. was
much surprised at what 1 noticed. The
Sheriff said when he took possession of the
institution that he intended that Warden
Mitchell should keep the Jail as clean as work
and money could do it. and 1 am prepared to
say that he has done so. The place has been
thoroughly scrubbed and washed, and the
walls have received such copious quantities
of whitewash that if Bob Davis had it on
his back people might almost be persuaded
that he had passed Legislative Committee.
The walls that were once black and grimy
in the corridors and cells, presenta decidedly
more pleasant aspect now. and are as clean
and wholesome as it is possible to make
them One man is paid by Sheriff TOffsy TO
| do nothing else but whitewash and clean the
| Jail and Court House. OF course he has
! whatever Jail help he requires to do this
| work.
| WHAT DAVIS DID.
| When Bob Davis was the jailer of the
| county he employed a Iaatron and four keep
| ers This number of people to take care of q
prison that averages 40 prisoners of every
| degree of crime, from assault and battery TO
| murder, was by half too small, and Davis
knew it. He saved the salaries he would
have to pay the four or five extra keepers
| by EMPLOYING prisoners to guard the corri-
| dors. They were short term men, and were
known as hall men. Their revenue for
| the work they performed was made
/ out of the prisoners, and it was
| told under oath to Judge Hudspeth few
months ago how one Of the hallmen appointed
oy Davis would go through the corridors
| with pole that had hook attached to it,
and pull from cells the clothing of prisoners
| so that the pockets might be rified.
| It is also known that several miraculous
| escapes of important prisoners took place
| during the two years that Davis was jailer.
| 1t is incredible TO ask the average individual
| to believe that these escapes would have
| taken place had honest men, instead of
| prisoners. been employed to watch the Jail.
Sheriff Toffey has changed this miserable
| system so that the Jail can hardly be recog-
| nized He has now nine persons employed
! at a salary in the Jail This, of course, in
| cludes the natron. Each keeper has given
| a bond of $1,000 for the faithful performance
| of his duties and Warden Mitchell gave
| bond of $5,oo0
The work of guarding the Jail is done en-
| tirely by men who are paid to do so, and
| who have given bonds, as before mentioned,
| and who find it to their interest to do their
duty properly
| WHAT THE PRISONERS GET NOW.
| In regard to the improved dietary of the
| JAIL the Warden says that now he only sells
| three or four meals a day from his table,
while Davis sold from twenty-five upward.
People could not stand his prison fare. For
| dinner the prisoners get one quart of beef or
4 mutton stew made IN tasteful manner, and
| on Fridays bean soup is substituted. One
| half bushel of beans and large quantities of
rice, barley and -four are used for this soup.
Dave Moore, the veteran cook, who has
been employed in the Jail since the days
when David c. Joyce was jailer, says with
an expression of gratitude, that for once he
| can show his ability to cook, fer Sheriff
Toffey does not stint him in anything that
he deems necessary Moore says such ex-
| cellent food that the Jail now furnishes was
| never supplied before. In addition to the
quart of stew each person gets one-haf
| pound of meat, fresh ive-cent loaf OF
bread and quart of coffee, and the coffee
is a great deal better than many people use
i'll their homes
Altogether the change in the appearances
and the management of the Jail is thus far
very creditable to Sheriff Toffey and War
den Mitchell