The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-22
HEARING is TO BE RESUMED
THIS MORNING AT 10 O'CLOCK ~
THE COURT HOUSE IN MINNIE
APOLIS.
which Was Admitted Recently
From the Inquiry of 1891, L.
Herewith Reproduced.


into alleged abuses at the state prison,
will resume the inQuisition which has
aroused so much interest during the
last few weeks, at the rooms OF the
Hennepin county bar in the city and
county building at Minneapolis TINS
morning. MI. Farmer will be up from MS
home at Spring Valley for the after
noon session.
While Mr.. Harrisons participation in
the Durham trial forbade his taking
any active part in the prison inquiry
until Fridays session, the other two
members have manifested an industri-
Gus disposition, as well as desire to get
at the full facts in regard to the treat
ment of the convicts at saltwater.
whether such treatment be found 10
be humane or inhuman.
Five sessions were held during The
week, and some testimony was deve!-
oped which tends to corroborate the
charges which have been made by
eX-cOnvicts and ex-guards and which
had been previously published in the
G. | o be.
The testimony shows that the use OF
the cane and the club in the PEE
suasion" of convicts has been very
frequent, and the commission will have
a number of incidents cited in detail
in order to assist it in determining
whether frequency in this case in
wolves inhumanity or not. The evil
dence. thus far, if true, and some OF
it is apparently entirely worthy OF
credence shows a carelessness in the
use of the weapons named which has
resulted so disastrously to a number Of
convicts.
The commission laid a foundation
for it's work by making a thorough
inspection of the prison from The
boards luxurious dining room to the
solitary cells under the lee of the west
wall
DR.. Hedbeck the young assistant
prison physician. told story to the
commissioners Tuesday which was a
revelation of seeming brutality, invo!v-
ing, as it did, gashes, Welts and bruises
on the bodies of a number of con-
victs, these casualties having been
quite recent in many cases.
1t has been conceded, however, by
the hardest fighters of the inquiry
that the star witness of the week. in
rences which he and others deem bru-
tai, was the stalWart eX-guard, For
roster, who was an unpleasant sur
prise to the friends of the prison Of
ficials, who had counted on his Skip
ping" as they termed it, to avofd
testifying.
Forester not only did not skip. e"
but came all the way to st. Paul from
Sioux Falls to be present at the first
days hearing in the capital city. His
story was intelligent, circumstantial-
ly definite, and distinct as to PERSONS
and places, while his recital of the
scenes he had witnessed was especial
ly graphic. Forester is admitted, even
by those who attribute his charges to
spite, to have been a thoroughly com
petent guard.
Probably the most sensational as
sault of those as yet inquired into by
the commission was that which was
committed on Charles Hahn, the badly
out a living death in the insane hos
pital at Rochester. Eccentric, Ger
talnly, if not insane this cratic indi-
Vidual. who should. it is believed have
even then been under the care of ex-
perts in brain and nerve disorders, for
an act which on it's face was not in
spired by any sane idea, was beaten
and, if the story of the witness. who
says that Guard Parker held Hahn
down While Guard Colligan kicked
the PROSTATE man and Deputy Warden
Lemon beat him with a cane is true. bru-
tality can hardly be questioned. Ii
will be admitted by the prison officials
that violence was used in Hahn's case
but it will be pleaded in eXtenuation
that the excitement of the Incident
was foment1ng an inSurrectionarv
disorder among the convicts which
stern measures were needed to uueU
and that, too, forthwith
In the case of the convict Ryan, who
was left in the solitary after he reached
such stage of exhaustion that his
release was ordered by the assistant
physician, and his diet changed to
bread and milk instead of bread and
water, to save his life, less has been
developed as yet. That Deputy War
den Lemon delayed releasing Ryan for
two hours, or thereabouts after the
communication of the physician an
pears to be established beyond a doubt
In the case of Reed, it appears that
he had finger broken while being put
into or punished in the solitary. AS
TO exactly how it occurred, authorities
differ, but a fuller Investigate than
has yet been made will be INDUCED in
by the commission.
The Anderson case. in which a con-
vlcts leg is alleged to have been bro
ken by rolling an immense bale over
him; the case of Ed Smith. who was
burdened with load his physical
strength rebelled under; the case Of
Lawson, who was driven to suicide bv
petty prosecutions, and finally the sys-
tenn of nagging which, according to
the testimony of an intelligent ex-
convict who has appeared before the
commission, makes reform of the in
dividual almost impracticable; all these
matters have been gone into, superb
cially at least by the commission.
which promises a thorough inquiry as
the days roll around.
The complaints as to the prison fare
have been sustained in the testimony
of some of the witnesses as to num-
Der of occasions. 1t will be contended
that the prison fare is usually ample
Full justice demands that it be said
that the inquiry has ELECTED one fact
previously unknown, and that is that
the prison this year was within $1,000
of being self-sustaining, whereas it
was wont to run $4,000 or more be-
hind annually For this the board OF
managers has given great credit to
Warden VOTERS executive ability, re-
gardleSS of charges as to his ignorance
or tolerance of alleged inhumanities in
the cell room and the shops.
MIR. FEIG'S STORY.