The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-04
USING STATE PROVISIONS.
L. a. WISE, RELEASED YEsTER-
DAY, TELLS OF THE ABUSE
JOHN REED RECEIVED.
HIS BROKEN FINGERS TELL IT.
Trvesti~ntion Commission Sched-
uIed to Hold IT'S First Meeting
This Afternoon.

will. meet at the capitol this afternoon
at 2:30 o'clock. Probably nothing Will
be done at toGay's session beyond Or
ganizing and adopting a plan OF pro-
cedure; the taking of testimony may
not commence for several days.
In the meantime each day brings to
light new evidence against the man
agement of the institution, and prac-
ticalIy against the brutal methods of
Deputy Warden Lemon. very inter
estfRg bit of testimony is that added
by ex-Convict L. A. Wise, who'was re-
leased from prison yesterday, ana
called at the Globe office to tell
some interesting things concerning the
penitentiary. Wise says that con-
victs whose terms are about to expire
are almost invariably treated with
great. consideration for week or two
before their release; they are given
some light jobs and made much OF ana
are messed in dining room No. ), }"
on the ground floor, where they obtain
all the .luXuries of the season IN the
way Of food-beefsteak, eggs, cakes,
ETC., so, as he expresses it, they VIII
forget the Outrages they have suffered
or seen and will not tell any tales out
of school" Some of the favored con-
victs enjoy this soft snap right along
and they can always be depended
upon to say a good word Tor the
prison and it's mana cement; during
the investigation the defense may pro-
duce them as witnesses. Wise was
assigned to mo. 3" about ten days
ago.
In commenting on the fact that state
ments have been made that Warden
Wolfer does not know what is going I
on inside the instiRtion, Wise says
that the warden seldom visits the in
side, and when he does, it is usually to
escort a bevy of friends on a visit; the
entire management of the cOnvicts is
turned over to Deputy Lemon, who,
with his satellite, Assistant COlligan,
Wise thinks is deserving of all that has
been said to his discredit; kindness is ]
an emotion to which they are both
strangers. He has seen Colligan catch
convicts by the collar and throw and
bang them around just because they
were not moving fast enough TO suit
his august pleasure.
He saw Convict John Reed, No. I ,497,
who had been brutally assaulted and
horribly beaten by Lemon and Coli
II,
The victim had the back of his head
badly cut and bruised and two fingers
of his right hand broken where Lemon
had struck him with q cane. They
cannot conceal the evidence of those
broken fingers" said Wise. Reed had
been reported by Guard StiflIey and,
was taken to the solitary. He after
wards slapped StillSeX and was i'm
mediately overpoWered, of course. He
offered no resistance, but Lemon and
Cclligan thought simple confinement
in the solitary handcuffed to the door
with meager allowance of bread ana
water, was not severe enough punish
ment for him.
Wise was received from Clay county
to serve one year for forgery. On July
he was parOled by the board of man
ayers, and a man named Barney Crit
fifth, of Moorhead, was willing to give
him work on his farm at $3.50 day,
but this did not suit Warden Wolfer.
Wise says he was too valuable man
in the shoe shops, so he kept him IN
the prison for another month, finally
sending him up to Capt Coles farm,
near Fergus Falls, to work. This did
not suit Wise. who thought he was
worth more money, and he was espe-
cially incensed because Wolfer would
not give him any decent clothes to
wear, nor any of his good-tine earn
ings to buy clothing. He watched his
chance and jumped off the train and
went to MooIhead. He made no effort
to conceal himself, but walked the
streets during the day until the order
came for his rearreSt. On being re-
turned to prison he was put in the
third grade, as he certainly desired and
expected to be, but he says to Jolly
him the warden released him couple
of weeks before his term expired, so he
l.;
place.
Wise says he had some trouble in
getting the clothes that the state al
lows but he made a vigorous kick and
after some hesitation the warden final
Iy gave him a suit worth about Sc.
when a man enters the prison he is
considered in the light of yellow dog,
or perhaps not so good" continued
Wise. land the sooner he makes up his
mind to the effect the better it will be
for him. If he has any pride and is
resolved to do better, his notions are
very speedily driven out of his head:
they haven't much time for sentiment
there, and so far as the reformatory
Influences are concerned, that is all in
his eye. If he faWns and bends his
knee to Lemon and Colligan he stands
a better chance to get some soft snap;
he may then get into dining room No.
g."
Wise says that the news of the prison
investigation is carefully kept from
the convicts: all the newspapers and
letters to the inmates are carefully
read by a press censor" who cuts out
the objectionable" parts Neverthe-
less from the appearance of the badly
mutilated papers they all had an idea
that something is going on. Now they
are "on" Wise left afidavits with the
Glob covering the foregoing state
ments.
EWING HEARD. FROM AGAIN.
Ex-Guard A. B. Ewing, of Mankato,
whose statement was printed in the
G o b e last week, has a few more
interesting things to tell Of the prison.
The following appeared in the Man
kato Review, which, shows that Gov.
Clough was at one time notified of the
condition of affairs in the state prison
at Saltwater, and sent for Warden
Wolfer, but what transpired between
them has never been made known to
the public.
During the summer of 1895 Steward
Benner was discharged from the
prison, but was reinstated in two
months. The records will show that
Benner was paid for August. the time
he was not employed in the prison.
During June Of that year [ filled the
position of yardmaster in the absence
of Mr.. Stilkey, who was away on a
vacation. One day I was hauling
prison. Deputy Warden Lemon told
me to take sack of flour to his resi-
dence; also one to the residence of
Warden Wolfer. AS 1 understand the
rules and the law. no one has a right
TO take any of the provisions belong