The San Francisco call., 1896-04-04
NEWS OF THE CAPITOL.
Examiners Pass Upon the Claims
of Seekers for State
Rewards.
DR.. Wilkins of the Deaf, Dumb and
Blind Asylum Question ed-San
Quentin Inquiry.

SACRAMENTO, CAL, April 3.-Arthur
c. Hustan, attorney for A. S. Armstrong,
a claimant for the reward for the capture
of the notorious Ruggles Brothers, ap-
peared before the Board of Examiners to-
day. AS Armstrong was an officer at the
time OF the capture, the board refused to
pass his claim
a motion to give rehearing in the case,
not for the formal reward but under a
statute appropriating $1,000 to pay the
claim of w. A. Wyckoff and others for the
arrest and conviction of the murderers of
A. B. Montgomery in Shasta County was
made.
Eventually it was agreed that Secretary
OF State Brown should look into the facts,
and action would be postponed until the
Acknowledgement could be present.
DIR. Wilkins, of the Deaf, Dumb and
Blind Asylum, was granted an audience in
order to explain why bids for supplies were
not advertiser for.
He stated the amount was so small that
it would not pay. This reason did not
meet the Governors approval, and he
pointed out that many articles when pur-
chased cost far more than in other Stat
to make excuses the executive waxed sar-
castle, and asked some pointed questions.
"Do you go around and buy from your
frlends?" he interrogated.
"You are very much mistaken" the
doctor replied "There is no one avoid
as | do my friends" and then he added,
"God deliver me from my friends.
Secretary of State Brown inquired if the
salaries of the institution could be reduced,
and Wilkins was up in arms in minute.
"Our salaries are ridiculously low; they
should be increased" said he. "They are
lower than in Eastern institutions. Come
down and examine for yourself, and also
remember that l have never had deficit"
In the matter of the Kovalev reward the
Governor said he was in favor of allowing
Captain Lees the entire amount. Then
the Controller could pass upon it, and
mandamus proceedings could be brought.
After considerable discussion action was
postponed until the meeting OF the board
to- o-morrow morning.
The Board of Examiners to-day began
an inquiry into the cost OF maintaining
San Quentin prison, and Commlss ioner
De Pue presented some interesting facts.
After thoroughly explaining the results Of
maintaining the jute plant, he said:
II have recently been East and made
visits to several prisons there. l find that
in most of the prisons in the East and
SOuth they feed their men Just as good as
we do here. but it is done cheaper, because
in the South, for instance, the contractors
take charge of the prisoners and take them
out and work them.
They are mostly darkies, and some Of
them would just as leave be in jail as at
liberty. Consequent y they are more
easily guarded. But it would not do to
handle priso aers in that way here; our
prisoners are altogether different.
MANY of them would make break as
soon as they got outside OF the walls. We
have the most desperate set of prisoners
in the world. The conditions in California
are such as to attract all the worst charac-
ters. There are forests and mountains to
hide in.
1T is mining country and necessarily
gambling country. The really bad
man gets as far from the center of civiliza-
tion as possible. In that respect we are
unfortunate in that there is not State
west of us. San Quentin. men, as a rule,
are worse than Folsom men, because the
.second-termers' are sent there.
81 found that the financial situation is
worse in the East than here. There is no
real poverty here, and this has due influ-
ence on the class of prisoners we get. Our
prisoners. are naturally bad men, while
most of the Eastern prisoners are of low
and poor classes rather than tough cases.. y