The Saint Paul globe., 1897-11-02
FIRES IN L0eKUpS
STATE BOARD OF CORRECTIONS
AND CHARITIES is ANXIOUS
BUT HELPLESS.
FAIRFAX HORROR AWAKENS
COMINGs OF THESE INsTITU-
TIONS IN MINNESOTA.
NO PROTECTION AGAINST FIRE
Is Given to Prisoners In Many of
the Smaller Comm munities
Throughout the State.

The burning of prisoner in the lock-
up at Fairfax, Renville county, Satur-
day, has revived consideration of the
care which Is taken of minor offenders
in the smaller communities of the state,
which is conceded by those who have
made special investigation Of 1t dis
grace to O state which makes the pre-
tensions to advancement along human
itarian linas that Minnesota does, and
not without reason in some lines.
The supervision Of the lockups Of the
state is given by the law to the state
board of corrections and charities, but
yesterday afternoon Secretary Hart
had not received any information
officially of the affair of Saturday.
IT was no surprise at the department,
however, when the news of the catas-
trophe was read in the newspapers, as
the Fairfax lookup was on the "black-
list" so to speak.
While a personal visitation of every
lookup in the state is q practical i'm
possibility, with the present staff OF
the board, yet annual reports are Sc
cured through the local health officers,
and canvass of such reports as they
are on file in the Office of the secretary
at the capitol shows a terrible condi-
ton of things in many of the smaller
communities in the state. Between
vermin and fire in the village lockups,
bad sanitation in county jails. and
brutal assaults at the state prison, the
state of Minnesota seems to be deVot-
ing itself to a demonstration of the
scriptural averment that 'the way Of
the transgressor is hard"
The state board of corrections and
charities has urged that no new lock-
ups be permitted unless fireproof, but
it's suggestion has not been enthusias-
ticaIIy supported, and the condition OF
the lockups of the state is shown by
the last annual report to be very bad,
especially as to protection from fire.
This report shows that out of over
200 lockups in the state, barely dozen
are fireproof, and the plain drunk or
other petty criminal who CHANGED to be
imprisoned for a night is left in the
others with small protection against
fire. Two thirds of these lOckups are
of wood, and ten of the seventy-fve
that are of brick or stone. are in the
Twin Cities, being the precinct police
stations Fires are not infrequent.
South saltwater and Merritt. st. Louis
county. were both visited by lookup
fires during the term of that last re-
port.
The same document describes the
Fairfax lookup at Fairfax, in which
Theodore Edwin lost his life as follows:
Wood, built in 1889, cost $780, two 6XS
cells, capacity, four: largest number in
mates recorded, three; wooden bedstead
with blankets and quilts, bedding
washed as often as dirty and lookup
scrubbed once in six months"
The reports of the health officers are
frequently very unfattering. While
Anoka reports an admirdble institution,
the Detroit officer reports of the lookup
in his town that in case of fire prison
ers must perish" Yet the state board is
powerless. The reports made by the
health officers are made on blanks fur
nished by the state board, and show
Improvements or changes made during
the year, heating facilities, fire protec-
ton, closet accommodations and sewer
connections, condition of floors bed
ding. etc, as to cleanliness, vermin,
ventilation, and anything else that the
health officer may deem worthy of no
taton.
Secretary Hart referred in strong
terms to the subject in an address at
St Cloud Sunday night, where he
caused something of a sensation by di-
crossing long enough from his subject
to administer a very severe rebuke to
the Stearns county commissioners for
having expended 1900 in court house
and Jail improvement and having as
result a prison which he declared was
unfit for use. Mine men have been
cremated in county jails in Minnesota"
he said "and the conditions here are
Just right for more in case Of fire.
The jail is not freproof nor is it prop
erly ventilated. We talk about the
black hole of Calcutta and the terTOrs
of the prisons of Siberia. but l have
never read anything that looked TO me
as bad as this Jail has been. There
is some Improvement now but the
county jail is still nuisance"
The subject of jails and lock-ups will
be discussed by Secretary Hart in
paper at the sixth annual conference
of corrections and charities, which will
be held at st. Cloud beginning tomor-
row evening.