The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-14

UP in Louisville, according. to the bill
and charges are made for his fare from
Louisville to st. Louis, thence to JEFF
ferson City, Mo-, where there lis an
other "pen," and back to Saltwater, via
Chicago
This trip occupied from April 10 to
| somewhere about May 1. The bill was
paid May 4. The items run along at
intervals of one or two days, until
May /, on which a number of charges
are made which are evidently Jumped
from previous days, as there is more
travelling footed up on that one day
than Prof Andree's balloon could ac-
complish.
This may, or may not, have any
thing to do with the coincidence, OBJ
tanned by a reference to the G
files of contemporary date, which show
that April 81, 1896, the annual spring
racing meeting opened at Lexington,
which is the county seat Of Fayette
county, siXty-five miles almost due
east from the home of the base ball
tailenders Of SO many seasons. In its
fame. It differs from Lexington,
Mass, in that in the one place the
natives revere horses, while in the
other they once horsed Revere, but
between the rye and the runners, the
Kentucky town of late years has out
stripped it's historic Yankee namesake
in the affections of many a governor,
and many another citizen Of more or
less distinction.
TAMS BIXBY'S PAPER.
The statements which have been
printed in the G ! o b still furnish
topic for discussion in the state papers.
The Red Wing Republican is espe-
cially interesting, in view of the fact
hot No ixyIx &c cI1nTlnCa6 IFS
ruling spirit. In it's last issue this
paper contains the following:
The st. Paul G O has published num-
Der of charges of the most serious nature
against the management Of the state prison
i at Saltwater. Some of the incidents that
it relates are alleged to have happened several
years ago. and some later, and all are sup
ported by the testimony OF persons who have
been inmates or guards at the prison. IT Is
asserted in addition to these specific instan-
ces, that the discipline Of the prison Is IN
necessarily harsh and brutal, and that vio-
lence not permitted by the law is employed
toward prisoners. Practically all of the al
legations are aimed at Deputy Warden Lemon,
who is said to be the chief offender. Warden
Wolfer Is implicated only in as far as he
may have permitted men to remain in office
is no charge of personal abuse of power by
him, nor is 1t made to appear that he was
personally cogniZant Of the abuses at the
time when they occurred
only fair to suspend its judgment until all
the facts have been brought out and estab-
lished by the most searching inquiry, all the
people Of Minnesota will agree with 1t that
the relation made calls for a thorough in
vestigation. Even those who think that the
allegations are not well founded, and who
disbelieve the assertions that have been made,
will be the first to ask that nothing be left
undone to sift this matter to the bottom.
The statements of the G o e are positive
are supported by the printed testimony of eye
witnesses, and in the case of the most serious
affair are accompanied by an affidavit of a
guard, who says that he witnessed the &C.
currence. This gives sufficient substantially
to the matter to make 1t one Of great public
concern. There cannot be too great care, too
constant vigilance, too much precaution eX-
ercised in the management of our penal in
stitutions. While those who are confined
there are an unruly and unreliable lot, while
their government is difficult and their word
is seldom to be relied upon, 1t is also true
that there are great opportunities for coarse
or brutal man among the attendants to give
play to his desires with little fear Of discov-
cry. Nobody pays much attention to the woes
of an ex-convict. Prison walls are thick, and
communication with the outside world can.
not be carried on without surveillance. II
abuses really did exist, if convicts were cruel
ly treated, it would be next to impossible to
discover 1t without the almost constant resi-
dence there of some agent of the state bent
on detective work. Just because these peo-
pie are helpless, it is the duty of the state to
leave nowhere any possibility that they
should be imposed upon or treated with bru-
tality. It is better to have ten examinations
which disclose nothing to be corrected than
to have single case of cruelty and tyranny.
Therefore let the investigation of the Still
water penitentiary be so minute and search
ing that no guilty man, If there be any, can
escape.
NO POLITICS ABOUT IT.
S. A. Langum, candidate for secre-
tary of state, also continues to notice
IT,, HI Preston
Times, of this week, he says:
There seems to be determined effort in
MANY quarters to charge the ] b eX-
posture of cruelty at the state prison to poll
tics in other words, that the G o e is AMI
mated by desire to throw mud at the n. Re
publican party. In this we believe that they
are mistaken in fact some of this class or
apologists know better. We know not what
Mr.. Lemons politics are now, but 1t was
no secret that at the time of his appoint
ment in 1891, and prior thereto, he was a
Democrat How then did he receive his
appointment? Easy enough. The old prison
gang knew no politics, or rather pontlcs were
a secondary matter with them. Lemon mad
had no experience as prison official, but
he had for years been the companys foreman
in the paint shop and so faithful had he been
to their interests in that position that they
determined to promote him. TO accomplish
this they whipped into line not only the board
Of prison managers, portion, at least, OF the
state board of charities but even the gov
ernor himself had to submit to their imperial
will and the change that sent good, old
Warden Randall to an untimely grave, be-
cause of the Infamous prosecutions he had
been subjected to- installed Lemon deputy
warden. No, whatever may have been the
motive of the G ! b e, it cannot in the very
nature of things be charged to political bias
as the charges are mainly directed against
one Of its own faith, and the would-be apo
logists and white washers should let up on
their contemplate tactics and await the re-
suit of the investigation, although God knows
that the findings of the legislative investigat-
ing committee in 1891 were explicit enough
to dislodge any man not protected by the
powerful influences of the famed prison ring.
However this gang has lost much of its
power during late years and should the
coming investigation prove even one-half
of the G o b charges true an outraged peo-
pie will demand a speedy change If nothing
more in the office of deputy warden.