The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-08
PRISON BOSSES Met
THEY TURNED DOWN j. s. O'BRIEN
JUST AS GOV. LIND
DID
MADE NELSON PRESIDENT

MIR. O'Brien's Old Place and David
Bronson Recognized as His Sue
cessOr on the Board--Prices
We're Fixed for Binding Irvine
for the Coming Year.
President That Has Been James S.
OBrien and two newspaper men were
ouSted from the session of the state
board of prison managers at Saltwater
yesterday.
1t was the first session Of the board
since Gov. Lind removed Mr.. O'Brien
and appointed David Bronson, of Still
water. to succeed him. Consequently.
and quite naturally. more or less inter-
est attached to the threat of Mr..
OBrien that he would not stay fired.
he was on the scene early and, pulling
t the members off to one side one at
time. found that they were disposed
to give Gov. Lind the benefit Of the
doubt and Mr. Bronson the privilege
OF signing vouchers and such. But as
ne had consulted legal advice, and had
been informed that he should make a
FORMAL protest to protect his rights, he
did so.
union depot yards it was an hour and
half after the scheduled time when
the board was able to secure the pres
ence of A. G. Weiss. the new member
from Duluth. 1t was therefore only a.
few minutes before noon when the ses-
sion convened.
A representative Of The Glob q. with
reporter for a Saltwater daily. en-
tered the chamber Of the board and in
quired If the session was to be execu-
tive. The members Of the board looked
at each other curiously.
1T all rests with the board" said B.
F. Nelson. Of Minneapolis. who stood
vt the reporters left.
The CUSTOM" added the patriarchal
member from Eyota, Mr. Edwin Dunn
has been to hold all regular sessions
Of the board as executive"
And the other members did not say
him nay. Not they.
The further services of the reporters
being dispensed with the board pro-
ceeded to elect president to succeed
Mr.. OBrien, removed. and with little
delay Mr.. Nelson, Of Minneapolis, was
duly installed at the head Of the table.
In few minutes MIR. O'Brien, the
former president. appeared He had
heard the merry toot-toot of the de-
layed train and had hurried up to the
prison as fast as he could. but they
had beaten him. Still he had his lines
to read to them.
Looking with reproachful eyes at the
new occupant of the chair where he
had so long been won't to sit, the Still
water man declared his formal decla-
ration that he was still entitled to sit
as q member of the board and as it's
president.
President Nelson said. Eyes, sit down
anywhere" but did not offer the visitor
his chair.
Mr.. O'Brien continued. He said:
II insist that my removal was with
out cause. and I insist that the mem
bers Of this board do recognize me as
officially part thereof"
The members Of the board stretched
their feet a few inches farther under
the table.
What Is your pleasure. gentlemen"
asked Mr.. Nelson.
1--WE have just decided to recognize
Mr.. Bronson as the sitting member"
said Mr.. Weiss.
YES" said Mr.. Temple.
That's So said Mr.. Dunn.
EFT tn Brute" said Mr.. O'Brien, and
he went down town.
MIR. Bronson did not vote. He did
not have to. Besides it would not have
been good form.
Then the board took a recess for
lunch.
Having gotten a. load off their minds.
the managers proceeded to put q new
one on their digestive apparatus.
Then they went back to work. They
were at work several hours.
Although the session was executive,
and the press representatives Of the
state Of Minnesota were excluded from
the star chamber meeting, two men,
bers of the Kansas legislature sat in
and heard the procedure by which the
new board fixed the price of binding
twine to the Minnesota farmers.
While the Kansas men carry away
with them deliberately typewriter
statements Of the workings Of the pris-
on, the people Of Minnesota must wait
for their information as to the conduct
of state prison affairs in the publication
Of the prison biennial report Jan. !.
1901: 1t will be nice reading then.
Of course, they will not have to wait
that long for all of the proceedings,
for Warden Wolfer doled out in driblets
some Of the matters which occurred
during the secret session of the star
chamber BODY.
For instance, Mr.. Wolfer came out
about 2:40 and told the reporters that
the board had fixed the price Of Irvine.
ut will be s cents for all Manila Irvine
and ~ cents for half Manila and half
sisal," he said.
mo, they haven't taken any action
as to appointments" said the warden
in answer to an interrogatory.
ooh, yes, might say" he resumed,
that the pure Manila runs $50 feet to
the pound, while the 71R-cent kind only
runs 600 feet. Be sure and get that
right" said Mr.. Wolfer. unctuously. 1T
might mislead the farmers If you got
it wrong. And these sales are to be
to consumers only, farmers. The board
did decide that where farmers could
form a club and take carload lot,
they could have until Nov 1 to pay for
the Irvine, but otherwise they must pay
for 1t by May 10"
Then the warden went back into the
star chamber and the line of convicts
asking paroles was ushered, one at
time. into the inquisition, under the
marshalship of Assistant Deputy War
den Col1igan. AS they finished. the
members dashed into the cashiers
office. drew their per diem and hied
themselves to the train.