The San Francisco call., 1897-12-16
San Ouentin'S Warden
Would Collect Up
to the Limit.
Wants the Full Five Hundred
Dollars for His Eastern
Junket.
But the Board of Examiners VIII
Demand an Item zed Bill
of Expenses.
Special Dispatch to THE CALL

SACRAMENTO, Dec. 15.-Some months
ago the Board of Prison Directors adopted
resolutions authorizing Wardens Anil and
Hale TO attend convention of Wardens
in the East, and fixed the limit of their
expenditures at S1000-$500 for each.
Yesterday Warden Hale presented his
claim for the $500 to the Board of Exam
liners, who Immediately referred it to the
Attorney General for his opinion upon il,
as there is law governing general appro-
priations and a rule of the board on the
same lines which make it necessary 10
ltemlze all claims against the State. This
claim, however, being against the prison
fund, the question naturally arose
whether or not the general provision ap-
piled 10 it. Should the Attorney General
so decide 1t will be necessary for Warden
Hale to show just how much of the $500
he applied 10 his travelling and other ex =
penses, including railroad and streetca r
iare. The claim of Captain Aull has no
been presented.
The Board OF Examiners was inclined
to the belief that wnile tie amount to be
expended may have been specified IL the
resolutions of the prison board, it was in
tended simply as Limitation and did not
necessarily imply that the entire allow
HilOC oNOulo Oe re-
gard 10 the amount actually expended.
1t Is asserted that Warden Hale
did not set foot in the United States Su-
preme Courts apartments in WaShing-
ton, whittier he went from San Quen tin
10 attend the Durrant case when IL came
up before the highest trI bunal in the
country. The trip that the Warden took
was so paIpabIy iunketing excur sion
that the fac: that the Board of Exam
iners have asked for further enlighten-
ment upon the subject before passing the
bill may not cause surprise.
The facts in regard to the Warden s
pleasure trim would appear 10 show
that the States money has been
used for the purpose OF allowing Off
cials a trip at the expense OF the
taxpayers OF the State. 1t seems that
just before the Durrant and other capital
cases came up before the United States
Supreme Court Attorney General Fitz-
gerald wrote u letter TO the Board of Prison
Directors, in which he SAID that it was
abso utely necessary that the Wardens oil
the Safe prisons should be present in
Washington at the time when the cases
were called. The Attorney Gen eral is the le-
gal adviser of the Board of Prison Directors
as well as Of the Wardens and this letter
was so urgent in lis declarations that the
presence OF the officials was necessary that
only one course was open Tor the Direc-
tors TO pursue and that was to accede to
the request.
Prison Director James II. Wilkins was
seen IN San Rafael Yesterday. He was re-
luctant 10 discuss the action of the State
Board OF Examiners, but admitted thai
they had sent the Warden's claim back.
The Prison Directors" said he, "have
been undCly blamed in this affair. While
We did NOT believe that il was necessary
for the Wardens TO be in Washington We
were compelled to heed the letter of At
torney-General Fitzgerald, who stated
that their presence was of vital impor-
tancc- Under the circumstances We had
only to follow his advice, and this we did,
allowing each Warden $500 TO cover the
expenses of the trip"
The Prison Directors assert that they
could follow no other course than they
did, and last Saturday al their regular
monthly meeting in San Quentin, Ihey
received some punishment for their ac-
tion, for Warden Hale had prepared a re-
port OF his trip which occupied twelve
pages of typewriting and contained over
$500 words, and this report be read aloud
TO the Directors, who listened in respectful
silence to the narrative of the Warden's
pleasure excursion at the expense OF the
State OF California.