Omaha daily bee., 1898-02-10
CONVICTS EARN A LIVING
Produce Now Enough Revenue to Pay for
Their Keeping,
STATE PENITENTIARY is stLf-sUPPoRTING
Contracts for Prison Labor Turn I'm
More Money Than IL Needed to
support the Prisoners Now in
Confinement.

LINCOLN, Feb. 9.-(Speclal)-The etate
penitentiary has now become self-sustaining,
the receipts being sufficient to keep up the
expenses OF the institution. The appropria-
tlon for the pententiary ror the two years
was $50 600. The rule has been that the
money earned by the institution by reason
OF the labor contracts should be turned into
the state treasury, there to constitute fund
from which the money was drawn to pay the
expenses, and When this fund was exhausted
the appropriation was drawn upon. Since
the 11th of last month 1t has not been neces-
sary to draw from the appropriation and the
special FUND is growing in size, besides pay
ing the current expenses. The reasons fof
this good showing are that the new contracts
made with the manufacturers for the en-
ployment of the men are higher thau ever
before and many men are being employed IN
addition to the numbec stipulated In the con-
tracts. The number now at work is 225 ana
the contracts run from 80 cents to oO ceOts
per day for each man,
Warden Leidigh, when interviewed this att
ernoon. expressed his gceat satisfaction at the
good condition OF affairs at the penitentiary,
but said that the institution could not be kept
fef-sustainng duriug the whole year, as the
contracts allowed the manufacturers to lay
off all the men for thirty days during the
year end this would make 1t necessary 10
again draw upon the state appropriation for
expense money. Besides this shutdown,
there would be somewhat of falling off in
the receipts later in the season. when 40 ex-
ira men were employed.
STATE HOUSE GOSSIP.
state Superintendent Jackson returned
this morning from a trip to Omaha, where
he had been in attendance at meeting OF
the executive committee of the Transmits
sissppi Educational congress. While there
,,,.r In
vestigaton of the space allotted for the ed
ucational exhibit and 1t was found that un-
less more room is devised In some way there
will be but five feet of wall space for each
teacher who has made application. super
intendent Jackson thinks that by the addi-
tion of shelves, partitions and movable par
titons in the form of screens the space can
be increased to nine square feet for each
applicant and it is hoped that still more
room will be granted so that each applicant
will be entitled to twelve or fifteen square
feet.
The National Cigar company, with cap
ital stock of $4,000 filed articles of incor-
poration today, the stockholders being H. ].
Samuels, +. Wolfe, w. T. Stevens and r. A.
Barnes. The NOnpareil Laundry company
Of Omaha also filed articles today Its cap
ital stock is $1,000, and the incorporators
are w. NJ. Wenham and Henry H. Allen.
The following notaries were commissioned
yesterday: lssie France Omaha; f. n.
Porterield, Kearney; w. II. Bucholz Nor
folk; j. C. Martin, Falls City; II. f. Alver-
son, Lorella; Moses NJ. Chase, Haigler.
The funeral of Mrs. Marie Friend, who
died yesterday at her home at 227 South.
Eighteenth street. will be held at the res
idence tomorrow forenoon. Rabbi Leo NJ.
Franklin of Omaha will conduct the serv-
ices and the burial will be at the Jewish
cemetery.
The Woman's club of Lincoln, which now
numbers ZOO mpmbprS iS intending n
take a hand in politics this spring and to
that end will hold caucus and nominate
two members of the school board from
among its members. These candidates they
will present to the other conventions for
endorsement.
The grand jury is in session and has put
In the last two days looking after minor
criminal matters 1t is said that the inves-
tigation of city affairs will be taken up in
few days.
The city investigating committee will use
up the balance of this week probing into
city affairs and it Is expected that re-
port will be made to the council next Mon
day night The evidence so far shows con-
clusively that the city employees have been
compelled to pay the higher officials for
their Jobs and that they have been sub
ject to frequent assessments. The testimony
in regard to the conduct of the water de-
partment has been very damaging one wit
ness testfyiag that he was instructed by the
mayor to plug up one we'll so as to stop
the flow. in order that new well could be
put down in another part of the city. There
is much talk Of impeachment proceedings
and the members of the Investigating COM
mittee say that they vii! have ten votes
out of a total of fourteen councilmen in
favor OF Impeachment. The general opinion
is, however, that they will not be able to
muster that many votes
Omaha people at the hotels: At the Lin
dell-E. p. Quincy, b. H. Hayden, T. W.
7 I
jr., II. B. Coryell o. p. Judd.