The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-07
FOOD AT STATE PRISON
CoNVICTs NOT RECEIVING ALL THE
MEAT THE LAW ALLOWS THEM.
Appropriation Not Enough 30 Proper
~ Feed Them-The Governor Hears
Reports from Officials.

DGpulH WdTQeu 4. -. hCGlduRnTY anu
H. Nebeker, president of the board of con-
troll, were asked to give the Governor some
information. They called on him yesterday.
One of the points made by the State Board
of Charities was that a number of minor
officials Of the prison were unable to per-
form their duties in the most efficient man
ner, some of them because Of age being
unable to perform their duties with requisite
activity and alertness. Mr., Nebeker in
formed the Governor that it has been the
intention to make several changes.
The most serious question that has been
raised and now confronts the state officials
is the character and quantity Of food
furnished the prisoners. The report showed
that during sixteen days in March the
average amount Of meat given each pris-
oner was .63 of pound daily, while the law
requires rs of a pound. The condition men
toned by the Board of Charities was not
news to the state authorities. Governor
Mount had been consulted about this SUBJ
ject by the board. The trouble is that the
appropriation for prison maintenance is not
sufficient, the Governor says. The last
. Legislature reduced the appropriation from
100000 to $4,000. Meantime the number of
prisoners to be fed has increased, the price
of meat, potatoes, -four and other articles
Ol IOOQ mas Increased, III some cases
doubled. With this condition before it the
board Of control asked what it should do.
The Governor replied that about the only
thing the board could do would be to
economic as much as possible and make
the money go as far as it will. If the
board is not careful there is danger of the
entire appropriation being used before the
end of the year, in which event the board
would have to take the risk of borrowing
money on its own responsibility in the hopes
OF the Legislature reimbursing it. If the
Legislature failed III this the members
would have to pay the money out of their
own pockets The situation has not grown
so serious but what the prisoners receive
all the food that is necessary. Particular
attention was called to the matter of meat
in the report of the Board of Charities. The
daily allowance of this food is but trife
lower than is required by law.
Until the installation of the present depu-
ty warden, the report of the Charity Board
states. the prison discipline was not what
it should have been, prisoners not having
proper respect for the prison rules and the
guard not being properly directed or failing
to give proper attention to the commands
given them. Guards boarding in the prison
receive $50 a month those boarding away
$50. The report recommended that all
guards be kept in the prison at all times as
a means of promoting punctuality and at
tention to duties. Continuing, the report
says:
'At this visit each Of us had many con-
versations with the guards, the contractors
and convicts and believe from what we have
been able to gather that the discipline has
greatly improved since the present deputy
warden has taken charge Of his work. We
are not willing to commend everything that
he has done upon all occasions, but think
that even those things we do not commend
might not have occurred had there been
proper discipline in the prison before his
coming, and it is our opinion that If the
Improvement is continued and proper sup
port and sufficient assistance is given to the
chief officers, the Indiana State Prison will
become what it should be-.
THE. RIOT EXAGGERATED
A thorough investigation of reported
riot" when Convicts Sauerwine and Sur
Der were shot, was made. and the board re-
ported that the reports published in news
paper accounts of an uprising were extrav-
agant and unjustifably sensational. AT sup
per. it seems, Sauerwine wanted more to
eat and refused to sit down at table when
ordered to do so by Assistant Deputy War
den Barnard. Instead, he threw cups at
Barnard. Guard Anderson fired, the bullet
striking Surber, who was sitting near
Sauerwine There was no general melee,
and Sauerwine alone threw missiles: Ac-
corning TO the report OF the CHARITY DOdfu,
he was responsible for the trouble At the
time of the trouble both the warden and
deputy warden We're abse mt from the prison,
an infraction OF the rules 1t was explained
to Governor Mount yesterday that the depu-
ty warden received a telegram calling him
to Chicago and that he left the prison ex-
pecting the warden to return in few min
utes. He was delayed. The Governor was
assured that this will never happen again.
Guard Anderson was violating "a rule when
he wore his arms in the daytime when in
close contact with prisoners, but the Gov
eInor mas receiVeu lnlorHatlon 70 the enect
that this was case where discretionary
violation of the rules was justifable, as An
derson had reason to suspect trouble. An
uprising had been planned. Fire was to be
started in the shoeshop, some cars standing
on an incline were to be loosened in the
hopes that they would crash down against
the prison gates and thus afford means of
escape. But for the trouble at supper this
might have been accomplished.
of ex-Convict Hamilton in newspaper inter
views were investigated 1t was discovered
from very dangerous prisoner, who sim
ply repeated rumors that were af1oat in the
institution.
1--WE could discover but little foundation
for the claim that great cruelty was being
practiced upon the convicts," says the re-
port.
The report goes into the subject of paroles
and disapproves the rules that have been
adopted. Stress is laid on the fact that the
law provides prisoners shall themselves
make applications for paroles, after having
served the n 1nimum tenn, and that the puT-
pose OF II6 law is 10 l6dNe InS pdFCIG DOdTQ
free from any outside suggestions Attention
is also called to The fact that the parole law
does not remove the pardoning and parole
power from the Governors hands.
The investigation was made March 16,
Messrs. Elder, Ellison, Butler and Mrs.
Peelle being the members of the board pres
ent. An extensive review of the improve
ments that have been made in the building
was included in the report. All the steps
that have been taken in this direction were
highly commended. Especial attention is
called to the efforts that have keen made
to improve the sanitary conditions of the
prison by the introduction Of modern meth
DDS of heating and ventilating. Ceilhouses
have been furnished with an excellent venti-
lating system by which warm and pure
air is received, beside which everything has
been frightened and made wholesome with
whitewash and paint. There is a word of
commentator for the new hospital, day
rooms, office quarters and other features of
the improvements. Advanced methods of
conducting the business of the institution
have been adopted. The Bertillon system
of criminal identification has been made
feature.
Canada Wants jackson.
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