The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-10-30

| ".
no political administration can excuse itself
Ior neglect In the scrutiny and strict OBJ
seryance Of all the legal and moral requir,-
mems pertaining to the position.-Winona Re-
publican.
Inc omcer who inficts such horrors wan
| toniy, In the heat of anger, or to crafty
| malice and give vent to the sayaserv Of His
nature upon victims solely In his power is
cowardly wretch of more degraded nature
tnan many OF the convicted criminals he tor
lures. Justice is defrauded until he himself
stands behind the bars
The II b e wants investigation; so does
the Democrat and 1T will go further than the
proposes. 1t wants the matter dealt
Win quickly and under the searchlight of a
| judicial inquiry If Deputy Warden Lemon is
guilty of the crimes charged against him by
the stories in the G o b he should be
crim1nally prosecuted Let Gov. Clough in
struct the attorney general to investigate tire
matter, and If there is any foundation for
the tales published commence legal proceed
lngs TO punish the guilty. If these stories
are raise let the falsehood rest where it be-
longs. 1t is claimed that they have been
SET a1oot for mere political effect and
warden Wolfer. who has always been consid-
eIeu good officer asks investigation by
the prison board. From the spirit with which
the o. Re has entered into this matter
II would characterize such investigation as
wh1tewash. The charges 1t has made are
too serious to be banded about for political
erect. Let the matter have judicial investI-
gation--Chatfeld Democrat.
The st. Paul Globe Of SATURDAY. con-
tanned an expose Of the acts of Deputy War
den Lemon, of the state prison. 1t is claimed.
and the claim is substantiated bv testimony
OF eye-Witnesses, that he pounded one man
until he died from the injuries and that an
other Is confined in the insane asylum from
the effects Of his treatment. Tuesdays Man
kato Review gives an interview with a bust
ness man Of that city, who was formerly
a guard, and in this interview still further
charges are made against Lemon In the
humanity e qhn
not go unpublished. A man who has such an
ungovernabie temper as Lemon is said to
nave Is no MT man to have charge of prison.
ers.-Worthington Globe.
Saturdays st. Paul G Oh contained a
write-up of cruelties said to be practiced in
the prison at Saltwater, that If true are a
disgrace to the state.-Le Sueur News.
1t is now Warden VOTERS turn explain
I ing things about the Saltwater pen. Some
body makes charges of cruel treatment of
prisoners. 1t may be true. Strange If some
brute may not have been employed as guard
ana stranger still if some prisoner did not
invite a club over his head. Outside of
prison there is class of who are con-
stantly doing something for which they ought
to be dubbed or killed and why should the
propens1ttes to do brutal things leave them
as soon as they are locked within prison
walls? 1t is well to take into account the
character of men in prison when consider
ing accusations against officers. Men whom
1T is necessary to stand guard over with
rifles are not the kind of people to be peace
makers in prison or anywhere else. Better
go slow in attacking Wolfer.-Windom Re-
porter.
The st. Paul G o e is making accusa-
tons of brutality to prisoners against Deputy
Warden Lemon. Of the Saltwater prison. The
charges demand an immediate investigation.
There is nothing so mean and contemplate
as to maltreat a prisoner who stands with
out the means of retaliation Echo.
The st. Paul o. e, in its issue of the
2Sd, makes some serious charges against the
officials of the state penitentiary at Still
water. alleging cruel and inhuman treatment.
Deputy Warden Lemon is especially called
to account for certain acts Of cruelty to con-
victs which resulted in the death of one or
two. The G 0 b g demands that its charges
be investigated. and claims that 1t has
abundant evidence to substantiate them
New Paynesville Press.
The st. Paul G o b is raising a hue and
cry about the management Of the state prison
at saltwater. 1t charges brutal and inhuman
treatment Of prisoners, and hints that the
funds are not properly used. The charges
made by the G o b are not supported by
observations of such as have visited our
state prison, all Of whom agree that, from
all appearances, that institution Is admirably
conducted, and, moreover, the structures OF
the G 10 b appear rather strained and SEN
sational, giving the impression while
reading them that there is but little basis
OF truth In them.-Madison Western Guard.
tempts to expose lot of cruelty pepetrated
on the convicts by Deputy Warden Lemon
at the Saltwater state prison. We should
judge from the character and disposition of
this man Lemon that there was more truth
than gospel in the expose, and 1t should
be Investigated. No blame is attached to
Warden Wolfer. who has always been kind
hearted and conservative manager, but this
is not the first complaint that has been made
against Lemon, and it is about time that
something should be done to put stop to his
cruelty.-Morris Tribune.
The ST. Paul G | o b e of Saturday. in bring
ing before the public gaze the inhuman and
murderous deeds of the officials of the state
penitentiary, deserves everlasting praise.
However much truth there is associated
with the G o b 9 report, 1t certainly car
ries win it plausibility that is difficult to
question. With the disposition attributed to
Deputy Warden F. H. Lemon, by experienced
would suffer the most inhuman treatment IL
they were unfortunate enough to acquire his
enmity. 1t is shocking in the extreme to
have such brutality practiced by men in
whom the people of Minnesota have reposed
implicit confidence and sacred trust.
If the death of the old man Heen was
the prison rod of iron-known as a cane
by Deputy Warden Lemon, and then pro-
nounced and labeled by the prison physician
typhoid fever" it is nothing nor less
than manslaughter, and deserves the full pen
atty of the law. If the accusation of guards
and convicts be true, Deputy Warden Lemon
prison walls at Saltwater. The. testimony Of
Guard O'Meara, corroborated by ex-Guards
McCracken, Ben Cayou, w. c.. Forester.
Murphy, Flannery and others, is certainly
most infinitesimal part of the u o b e IN
vestigation be true, 1t is stigma on the
great penal institution of Minnesota.-Eveleth
The Globe on Saturday gave the state
prison management in general and Deputy
Warden Lemon in particular very rlcn,
nd rim St evidence adduCPQ
by the G o b is certainly sufficiently IN
eliminating and the offenses charged serious
enough to demand an investigation. If F. II.
Lemon be guilty of one-haf the brutality he
stands charged with, he should occupy cell
beside the helpless prisoners he is charged
with maltreating Those who are committed
to that institution are sent there for the
double purpose of punishment and reformation
as we'll as for an example that may act as
a check upon crime. We only punish, how
ever by confinement; and brutal treatment.
even of one who has outraged and broken the
law, is no part of and finds no place in
criminal sentence. 1t is said that continual
contact with hardened criminals hardens and
callouses ones nature. Evidently F. II.
Lemon has been too long In office at the
prison. matter of twenty years he has
had to do with the convicts in one capacity
or another and the face of the G o b e s
charges, he ought to be given vacation.
The defense which the G. o b anticipates,
viz. that the witnesses being either ex-guards
or ex-convicts, and not entitled to credence,
may go with the managers of the Republi-
can party in this state but will the rank and
file stand convinced that al is well. We shall
see-Le Seuer Sentinel.
While the first printed charges of cruel and
inhuman treatment of prisoners at Saltwater
penitentiary did not commend themselves
very strongly to an impartial public judg
ment, some of the corroborative testimony,
coming out unsolicited within the last day
two notably the statement made at Mankato
to Journal correspondent yesterday, adds
standing and credence to the charges pre-
ferred and seems to demand a thorough in