The morning call., 1894-10-10
Officials Who Do Not Attend to
Their Duties.
POLITICS ENGAGE THEIR TIME.
The Escapes Under the Present
Management Have Been Nu-
merous and Unreported.

InduStrlal Scl00l, or tte1, as the way |
wardly inclined adolescent population |
used TO refer to il. has always been looked |
upon by the community in general as |
resort where the criminal element just |
verging upon their career of crime could |
be Gagged with safety and kept from in |
dulging in their nefariouS little schemes
against the law.
1t was once intended as reforma-
tory institution aud was styled the
House of Correction. Under a recent
act its license as such was officially
taken away, and now it is known as the
County Jail No. 2. Its change of name,
however, did u OF in any way detract from
its imposing appearance as Jug" With
its stout brick walls and high fence, with
seEtries keeping regular guard watches,
it stood as monument, as 1t were. to re-
assure the citizen who might be fearful of
the safety Of his bonds Or other valuables
that there was place where criminals, If
once caught and who escaped going to the
State prisons. co ul1 be safely kept.
AS House of Correction the stout
brick building served its purpose, and the
man who wore the stripes there as a gen.
eral rule served out his time. Now and
then there was an escape made by some
daring prisoner, but generally he was cap
tured. At any rate the escape was re-
ported, and every effort was made TO re-
capture the prisoner who had successfully
euded the vigilance of the custodians of
the place.
In those days the "house" had some
terror for the criminal delinQuents. 1t
was, OF course, record saver from the
brand of felon, but service there meant
hard labor upon the county road or in the
grounds surrounding the place. The dis
cipline was maintained as strictly as In
either San Quentin or Folsom, and soft
snaps" for inmates were few and far be-
tween.
1t would seem, though. that when the
"house" became simply county jail No.
. it lost its prestige as TefOrmatory lnstl-
tuition and in other ways. As branch
county jail it fell into the hands of the
| politicians, and as such it has been earn
! ing for itself a record thrG ugh the instIu-
mentality of those in charge that is more
reassuring 10 the Grimm al who exerts his
abilities in a minor line than to the tax
| payer who is paying for the support of the
institution and those who are trusted with
the proper care OF il.
1t has been almost an understood propo-
stl0n for months among those who cannot
help getting into difficulty" now and then
through habit that as a residence for tenn
porary retirement from the public gaze
the Branch County Jail was all that was to
be desired. This was more especially the
| case if the interested party who could not
get away from his sentence had political
pull. Ii armed with the latter sojourn in
County Jail No. was nothing TO be
feared.
Confinement as a punishment for crime
was a secondary matter. Those who had
influence, whether politically or monetary.
were and are yet assured of frst-class
tratment. 1t may not be Superintendent
Gildea's fault that discipline is lot more
strict than it is, for the reason that Mr..
GiIdea spends very little of his time upon
the premises. Mr.. Gildea is man Of SYM
pathetic feeling, and does not like to lie
around where he can witness the suffer
ings OF those whom the law has retired
from active participation in the general
affairs 9th business world. Then there
is Assistant Superintendent H. B. Bar
bee, who is between two fires. One is his
official duties aud the other is his political
engagements in the city. MIR. Barbee
|
cal engagement Then, again. the major
ity of the guards are patriots. who believe
that politics represent the axis upon which
our system of government revOlves. They,
TOO. are seldom known to fail 10 keeping
dates.
But the matter goes further, and the
patriotic fever has caught some OF the
inmates who are in ''de push" and theil
they are prisoners
Within the past four weeks, at sleaSt tel
of these striped patriots have been allowed
to wander from the precincts Of the jai
and keep engagements. The majority o.
: them kept their word and returned to thei
home. Some few, however, did not, bu
it is not generally known that they are ye
enjoying their liberty.
AS an instance of how carefully Supe T
: intendent Giidea has kept watch and ware
over his prisoners since ne took his oflicia
, position in January, 1898. the following
list Of those inmates who had pressing en-
: eagements outside the walls, and who 90
lost in the shuttle somehow. and forgot TIM
way nome, will not prove uIinterestini
TO those who are supposed to be posted oil
such records, and the taxpayers who nell
( to pay to keep convicted criminals behiD'
r those high walls that surround the bricl
round-house:
On January 10, 1898. Joseph Ackason
9 who was sent up for three months for car
( rying a concealed weapon. escaped, al
: though he had only thirty days to serve
! Eleven days later Fred Cottle, who hat
three out of a six-months' sentence TO
vagrancy to serve, disappeared. On til
r 10Th of the same month Charles Hulter
: n burglar, with nine months Of two
! years sentence TO serve. and E. +. Daley
/. alias Duffy. who had twenty months of
: three-years' sentence for burglary TO serve
o disappeared.
t The others were: John Garcia, yagrancy
i four months, escaped September 81, 1S9;
with two mouths to serve.
A George Carr, burglary, two years, e:
e capped May l6, 1894, with thirteen month
8 to serve.
e j. B. Wablaro, vagrancy, six month:
= escaped June %. 1894. with three month
o to serve.
r John Braddigap, burglary, three year!
- escaped June 10. 1894, with nine months I
y serve.
e +. Barrett, petty larceny, three months
= escaped June %, 1894, with sixty-five day
to serve.
Frank Mahoney. burglary, three year.