The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-27
AT THE PRISON NORTH
WARDEN FRENCH FORCED TO TELL
ABOUT THAT BICYCLE PLANT.
Governor Matthews Seems to Have
Had a Hand in the Scheme, Being
PrObed by Legislators.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
MICHIGAN CITY, Ind, Jan. 26.-The
Legislative and House investigating commit
tee arrived in this city on the L. E. & w.
train last evening, about two hours late, in
the face of binding snow storm They
We're escorted to the Vreeland Hotel. where
they were met by a committee OF citizens,
and after a lunch introductions followed.
This morning about o'clock the committee
went to the prison, where work in earnest
began. The committee organized by choos-
ing Representative gilbert chairman, then
appointed two subcommittee. one consist
ing of Senators Wishard and Watson and
Representative gilbert, whose duty it was
to examine the books and records. The
other committee was composed of Senators
Vail, Mcdonald and Schneck and Represen-
tatiVeS Allen and Hester.
1t was the duty of this second committee
to investigate contracts, especially the bi-
cycle contract Senator Vail conducted the
examination of the warden in regard to the
bicycle contract, and to say he went over
the warden with a curry comb is not putting
1T too strongly. The committee developed
the following facts: On Feb. 20, year ago,
Warden French advertised for bids for the
contracting of a number of convicts, to
which he received two answers, one from j.
S. Ford, johnson & Co., of Chicago, and
one from j. G. Matt, both of which were re-
jected as being too low. From this until
Aug. there were no more advertisements
published looking to the letting of contracts.
Warden French claimed to the committee
to have written many letters and received
answers to them regarding contract labor,
but on being asked to produce copies of the
letters answers to the same he could not
produce a single one, saying it was not GUS
tomary to produce such papers.
In August there was made a memOran-
dunn OF an agreement for convict labor, but
with no signature whatever to it, and no
bond was executed: nothing but verbal
contract. AT this time, at the suggestion of
the Governor the warden warden says he erected
n,its, cost So, 100. On Sept. g. William C.
Smith, manager of the bicycle factory,
came in with crowd Of seventeen expert
mechanics and began to set up machinery
and make tools Then, on Oct. l, two con-
tracts were executed, one for one hundred
convicts and the other for fifty, both with
tracts were made for ten years at 40 cents
per man for the first five year, and Al cents
for the second five years. On Oct. a bond
was executed securing both contracts.
The warden remarked to the committee
that he, was not such bad Democrat, and
that he and the whole prison force sup
ported the entire Republican ticket in the
municipal election last spring. The commit
tee then spent an hour or two inspecting
the prison, under the guidance of the war
denf. who explained the features of the
various departments, calling special atten-
ton to the insane ward in the hospital. He
called the attention of the legislators to the
necessity of some means for separating in
sane from sane convicts and illustrated his
remarks by bringing out insane prisoner
who is utterly devoid of intellect, and has
the committee took special interest in the
hospital, from the fact that Theodore p
Haughey is the guardian angel of that de-
partm6nt. He was found at the bedside of
a sick man and was greeted by a number
of friends among the committeeman. The
committee finished its labors about O. clock
home by way of Chicago, but others will
remain in the city over Sunday.