The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-30
UNDER WARRANT
OF SECRECY

the story of the inhunan assaults COM
mitted upon old Nels Heen at the Still
water prison bobs up from day to day
through all the prison inquiry. 1t
seems as though nearly every convict
in the place, as well as every guard,
had taken an interest in the old man
from Goodhue county. whether he could
feel that he knew the man personally
or not.
Not only did another witness to as
saults on Heen turn up in the inquiry
of yesterday, but the three accusative
witnesses called before the commission
presented the following additional
main charges Of inhumanity against the
deputy warden, Frank H. Lemon.
That he struck a helpless prisoner
three times on the head with his cane,
while a stalwart French convict held
the victims arm as in a wise;
That, in spite of the information
given the board that convicts are only
chained up to the solitary door during
working hours, one man, at least, was
taken from the twine shop during the
afternoon and strung up until mid
night without anything to eat;
That water is not given to the pris-
oners in the solitary whenever called
for, and that the ration Of broad fur
nished there Is not liberal.
That the fare of the prisoners not in
the solitary is insufficient.
There was some offset to this show
ing.
The defense called seven ex-convict
witnesses, or at least prisoners who
are now out, whether on parole or dis
charged, and each and every one pro-
fessed a belief in the efficacy Of good
behavior there. None Of these seven
had ever suffered or seen any inhuman
or brutal treatment.
In addition, one of the witnesses call
ed in the accusative testified in a man
ner that conflicted with the story told
by Guard Ewing as to the incidents of
Deputy Warden Lemons treatment of
the convict who had a leg broken by
a big bale of sisal falling on 1t.
Ewing had testified that the deputy
warden tried to get the man up on his
feet again and make him go to work.
The witness of yesterday, who was
working right at the fellows side, did
not remember this at all, and gave
minutely graphic description of what
transpired in the twine shop between
the time of the accident and the re-
moval of the victim to the hospital.
The witness Of yesterday, however,
was specific as to dates and gives both
inouisitors and defense a facility of
confederation which they have not had
before, Ewing and the previous wit
nesses having been very hazy as to
dates. The furnishing of exact times
1ractprHaU
observant Individual, makes the proof
or disproof Of the incidents related by
him a. matter Of comparative ease
when the commission returns to Still
water, where it may get the records
in the institution, to show facts cor
roborative or contradictory OF the in
cidental statements Of the witnesses
whose veracity has been impugned.
All the testimony Of yesterday will
be anonymous as far as the general
public is concerned, for, while the hear
ing was with open doors, it was agreed
that the names of the witnesses, all
of them either discharged or paroled
prisoners, should be kept out of the
papers.
little straw which showed that the
prison officers may have been antici-
pating the eruption of some such vol
cano as has recently exploded under
their feet, was given by two Of the con-
victs examined yesterday, who said
that dairies which they kept while i'll
prison had been destroyed. One Of the
prisoners testified directly that Assist
ant Deputy Warden Colligan tore up
his literary efforts when he was ready
to leave the prison, while the other
said his diary had fallen into other
hands, and he did not now have 1t. 1t
was broadly intimated that the prison
authorities knew where this diary was.