The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-24
CONNECTS AND INSANE
Annual Reports of the Boards of
Commissioners,
AFFAIRS AT THE PRISON
Not So Many Convicts as the Year Be-
fore Repairs to the Building.
Number OF Insane Has In
creased.
Special Dispatch to the Standard.

| ending Nov. 80 the cost of maintaining
the state prison was s5S06, and for the
| same period the expense of the insane
| asylum was s11414O. These figures are fur
nished in the annual reports of the state
| prison commissioners and the commits
sioners of the insane asylum.
| The report of the prison commissioners
shows that there were 1923 convicts in
| the penitentiary the first of the present
month or Al less than at the same time
| last year, as there We're 1863 at the time
| the last report was made During the
| past II months 14S prisoners were re-
| ceived. 1874 released and died OF those
| released 103 We're discharged by having
| their sentences reduced for meritorious
| conduct, including work upon the i'm
! provements at the penitentiary, Ga by the
| expiration of their sentences, II by par
| don. by order of the court and sent to
| the asylum. When the former report was
| made there were three women convcts.
| During the year two have been released
| and there is but one woman in the PEN
| itentiary now.
| There are four times as many single as
married men in the penitentiary as the
| report shows that of the 1928 now in the
| penitentiary 1853 are single, while 65 were
married at the time convicted. There are
222 native Americans and 106 of foreign
birth. OF the native-born convicts this
largest number were born in New York
80 in Illinois and Iowa furnished the next
largest number, IS; Ohio IA, Pennsylvania
and Massachusetts II each, and the bal
ance were divided among the other sta tes
OF those Of foreign birth the largest
| number came from Canada, SO. Ireland is
next Is; England II, Germany 10, Scot
land 5. There is one Chinaman and one
Indian.
The 32S convicts in the pententiary on
Dec. l were convicted in the following
counties: Broadwater 9, Cascade 23, Car
bon 2, Choteau II, Custer u. Dawson j.
Deer Lodge As, Fergus and Flathead 49,
Granite !. Galiatin 5. Jefferson II, Lewis
| and Clarke so, Madison 4. Meagher 5,
Missoula %, Park - Ravalli 7, Silver Bow
%, TETON 5, Valley 6, Yellowstone It.
About every trade and calling appears
to be represented in the penitentiary
with the exception of lawyers doctors
and ministers There are more laborers
than any other class. There are 81 miners,
20 cowboys, 10 rancllers, IA cooks, II wait
ers. engineers and farmers, s teamsters
and so on down the human avoeations to
aeronaut, ! actor, l baseball player
photographer, 1 pugilist, etc. There is
one convict between 70 and so years of
age, two are between 60 and 60. IA between
so and So 80 between 40 and 40, 81 be-
tween 50 and 80. 81 between 80 and a. 60
between % and 49, Go between 20 and "a and
20 between II and 1872
During the year the prison physician
treated 81, showing thatathe health of the
place is good
There are 26 life-timers two for 80
years, one for so, one for 80, two for 49,
one each for 81, So and 81, three for 80
one for 2S, seven for % and one each for
% and q, 10 for 20, and so on down to
50 for one, year and one for months
The board of prison commissioners re-
ceived recently a letter from Messrs
Conley g. McTague commenting upon the
department of the convicts and the gem
eral conditions prevailing at the institu-
ton. They inform the board that the
| conduct of the prisoners has shown mark
ed Improvement over the preceding year,
| and that there was nothing in any man
ner approaching the disturbances COM
mon in the other prisons unless exception
is made in the case of George Young, who
was killed by guard while resisting
He was a vicious convict.
1.-THE health of the prisoners has been
| exceptionally good" write the CONTRACT
tors, land the deaths that have occurred
can be traced back to the diseased condi-
ton of the prisoner in each case prior to
coming here. AS soon as the possibility
of an epidemic of smallpox became appar-
ent we had every inmate vaccinated and
no sign of the disease has crept into the
prison. nor will it be at all likely to do
So
The contractors have carried on more
than the usual repairs and to-day the
prison Is in better condition than ever be,
fore. The prison band that has been or
| ganized has proved to be a beneficial UNI
| dertaking.
| The band has repertoire of sacred
-,,t,
las feature of the regular church SER
| vice the band renders music for the SER
| vice and Immediately after the service a
| concert is given for the benefit Of the In
mates and such visitors as may be pres
| ent. This feature is much appreciated
| by the inmates. The best testimony on
the point lies in the excellent order MAIN
| tanned while the concert is being given,
| for it is realized that their privileges are
| bounded by their conduct"
/ During the year a storeroom has been
| erected and supplies removed outside,
| avoiding leakage. Other improvements
| are also noted
The report of the commissioners for the
| insane shows there were 447 patients in
| the asylum at the expiration of the last
| fiscal year, or 20 more than on Dec. /,
1898.
During the past ~ months las were adj
| mitted and 125 left the institution. The
| table of departures shows that so were
| discharged as recovered % removed by
| friends. Is escaped, ] returned to the GRIM
| inal court and IS died. There were 375
males and 1902 females in the asylum
! Dec.
During the year the percentage of re-
| coveries on the number treated was 6.1. !:
| percentage of recoveries on number treat
| ed. 34.4: percentage of deaths 6.3.
OF the All in the asylum on Dec. l the
| different counties furnished the following
number: Broadwater Z. Beaverhead 16,
Carbon g. Cascade %. Choteau IA, Custer
| IA. Dawson A. Deer Lodge 81, Fergus 10,
Flathead 6, Gallatin 90, Granite 5. Jeffer-
son is, Lewis and Clarke SO; Madison IL
Meagher H. Missoula AZ. Park IL, Ravalli
.. Silver Bow IS, Sweet Grass Z, Teton 5,
! Valley Q Yellowstone Is.
Foreigners predominant in the asylum,
as 2s2 were born in other lands against
lS3 in the United States and in u eases
place of nativity is unknown More of
those of foreign birth We're born in Ire
land than in any other country. Sixty
two saw the light OF day first in the EN-
! n tel