Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-01-05
THE PENITENTIARY.
Figures of Interest to Tax PAYERS
Showing the Expenses and Re-
ceipts for the Past Year.
w. B. Sloan Brings Charges Against
Supt. Bergmann-Accused of All
Manner of Things.

At yesterday afternoons session of the
board of penitentiary commissioners all
members were present as follows: II. Fl.
Belts, president; O. A. Hadley, R. A.
Baca, W. E. Dame, Thos. McQuiston,
J. L. Lopez and N. B. Laughlin, secre-
tarv.
The minutes of the previous meeting
were read and approved.
Supt. Bergman and the subordinate
officers of the institution filed their re-
ports for the past month. The report
of the superintendent showed that the
cost of maintaining the penitentiary for
the month of December was 11.27-1OO
cents per man per day, or $3.49 per man
per month.
There are 1875 convlcts in the institution
at present. Discipline Is good. No
scheming among corvicts; no conspir-
acies for four months past, and rules are
readily obeyed. The sanitation is eYgej-
lent. Current expenses frsGGn III Dec. i, 1898,
to NOV. &C. SO, 1898, were $3s,S655o Total
earnings of the institution were $8,191. 10,
making the net cost $3O,673.77. At this
juncture the uperintendent's report says:
"In making out the annexed statement
of the expenditures the question pre-
sented itself whether the salaries of the
penitentary commissioners, which are
paid out of the general salary fund,
should be counted as cost. Heretofore
this item, believe, has not been charged
to the current expenses of the institution.
OF course, the result has been to make a
more favorable showing, but it seems to
me the item is part of the actual ex-
penses of the prison and should be so
treated"
The superintendent report also con-
tains an itemized report of the value of
that have been made dur
ing the past year by the use of the con-
victs. This shows that hospital building
costing $7,32618 has been completed
throughout and in addition $11,OO551
worth of other Improvements have been
made, itemized thus: Seven hundred and
ninety-six feet of brick wall and three
towers, $7,2O7s6; ia perches of founda-
ton stone laid, $l,S35; So feet 1O-inch
sewer pipe made, $50; 1900 fire brick
made, $l65; 26,500, common brick made
and on hand, $1,325; ice house improve
ments, $162.57; hog pen Improvements,
$50; iron gate for main entrance, $1O1;-
a total of $l1,005.51 in minor improve
ments, or including the hospital, a grand
total of $1S,331.51 in Improvements.
In commenting on these tabular state
ments Supt. Bergman writes the COM
"a glance at these tables
must and will convince the most pre-
croaker and chronic fault
finder that the amount of public money
under your direction during the
past year has been honestly and judi
ciously applied, and that the people of
the territory have received more than the
equivalent for their money in permanent
and much needed Improvements"
The superintendent sent in the name of
Oscar L. Merrill, of Rio Arriba county,
for assistant superintendent, and that of
Mrs. Oscar L. Merrill, wife of the afore-
said, for the position of matron.
These two nominations were not acted
upon, but were taken under advisement
by the board.
The superintendent also sent in the
names of Lucio Lopez, of San Miguel, for
captain Of the night guard; Manuel Sc
gura, of San Miguel, for night guard; A..
p. Hill, Of Santa Fe, for assistant cell
house keeper at $50 per month.
These nominations were confirmed.
The usual monthly accounts were ap-
proved.
bill of P. j. Barber for services as
assistant superintendent from September
5 to December &, 1898, amounting to
1875, was presented. The bill was re-
ferred to a committee consisting of
Messrs. McQuiston, Lopez and Dame.
Certificates of good conduct were fled
by the superintendent in tho cases of
Convicts Geo. Bush, Ben. Harris, John j.
Nolan and James NJ. Dean, who have
served their sentences, and upon these
the governor will issue pardons restoring
the persons named to citizenship.
W. B. Sloan presented six type-written
pages of charges against Supt. Bergman,
defalcations, bribery, insubordi-
nation and duplicity, Misrepresentation
of supplies and gross carelessness.
AC AloU SAuASO 40 DdoOu upOA JuG Ill
legation that E. H. Bergman, while acting
of the penitentlary in 1891
and 1892, sold and delivered to s. M. Cart,
of the U. s. Indian school,
$3.50 worth of brick and failed to account
for the money received therefor. This
charge carries with it the claim that Mr..
was not eligible to appointment
as superintendent.
The specification upon which the charge
of bribery is based is that, for several
Bergman paid $40 per month
out of his private funds to one Ignacio
rrujiilo, father.ln-law of the then clerk
If the penitentiary board, and that said
payments were made with the expectation
If valuable favors from the Trujillo's
L. G. Read, formerly member
If the board.
The peremptory and arbitrary removal
If p. j. Barber from the position of as
'istant superintendent, without preferring
charges as required by law, is alleged as
n act of characterization on the part of
he superintendent.
The charge of duplicity is founded upon
he allegations that Bergman secured
lis appointment as superintendent by
protesting to be Republican, and that
ince his appointment he has removed
all of the Republican employees but five
md replaced them with Democrats or
avorites of Democratic politicians; that
10 violated his pledge to appoint
!. B. Baca as assistant superin-
endent and appointed one Laba- |
lie, and when the latter was re-
ected made one Merrill acting
assistant superintendent; that the dis. T!
nissal of Mrs. Smith as matron and the |
Employment of Mrs. Merrill in that
apacity was contrary to promise and the
interests of the institution; that the dis
barge of P. j. Barber was an act of bad |
aith."
1t is alleged in support of the charge of
arelessness that the said Bergman has
'ermitted visitors to pass through the
With 6ro.orma IN kba;,