The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1900-11-02

consequently" says Mr.. Baymiller,
"the convicts are making the brick fol
the new wing and have actually done
the eXcavating and laid the concrete
foundation and have done half The
hauling, and are going to do much
more work. Thus the Rogers admin
istration is contracting out the con
victs to private parties, the contract
for the wing having been awarded by
the federal government to the Pauly
Jail Company, OF st. LOUIS, and depriv
ing free laboring men of work which
rightfnlly belonged to them"
AS is we'll known, it is unlawful tC
sell anything from the penitentiars
which comes into competition witt
the products Of free labor, except jutt
fabrics and brick. Mr.. Baymillel
states that the hides from stock
butchered for food are sold outright tt
the tanneries, bringing in an average
of $50 month
This N oney goes to what Is known
at the penitentiary as the "hide lund,
and cannot be accounted for in any
legal way. 1t is therefore expended
by the warden for personal Injuries, q
very small portion going to The
guards table. Notwithstanding this
the warden's subsistence amounts tt
over 81 day additional, while tht
guards subsistence costs the state only
little over % cents day, and tho
subsistence of one convict for each
guard is charged to the officers mess
Thus any saving which the Rogers ad
ministration may claim in the cost 0
subsistence is due TO niggardness an(
robbing the tables OF the overworket
officers
On the authority OF another priso'
officer Mr. Baymiller states that las
winter Warden Catron sold 135,00t
brick, netting about $50, which III
turned into the "hide fund.-"
"Rogers had the salaries Of Lister
Catron and John Scott raised to
handsome figure year and half o
two years ago." says Mr.. Baymiller
"but he never thought of the little 81!
man until a short time ago, when al
the subordinate officers salaries were
raised ten per cent. And now comes
one of Rogers 'grafters,' George Haz
zard by name, and demands the fnl
amount Of the ten per cent. raise fo
eleven mont tbs, the same being abou
one months salary 1t looks like the,
had deliberately planned to raise salar
les to paclfy the officers, and then turI
the whole cheese over to the grafters.
For time MIR. Baymiller acted al
commissary clerk, but was superseded
by q convict. Before the convict tool
charge the contracts for supplies were
let every three months, since ther
they have been let every six months
Mr.. Baymiller offers an Interesting
comparison Of the prices 10 the las
contracts let while he was clerk ane
the first let after the convict, selected
by Warden Catron, had been made
clerk. Since the quaint titles contracted
for under the six months plan were a
least twice as great as under the three
months plan, the prices, according Il
| the common rules of trade should
have been correspondingly less, they
are from 10 to copper cent higher.
Rogers has pardoned about twenty
convicts, and has extended clemency
to about twenty-six more Altogethe,
about forty-six, and out of that num-
Der there are only o few who deserve
clemency. Among his very best acts
lin that line) was the pardon of w. J
McCauley, ex-treasuer of Tacoma
convicted of receiving interest on pub
lie money. Through the untiring Ell
forts Of McCauley's faithful wife /
tremendously large petition for elem
ency was presented to Rogers, signed
by many of the very best citizens OIL
Tacoma, but the matter dragged along
for months. Finally McCauley re-
ceived letter, which I read, from
party stating that unless certain sun
of money was forthcoming nothing
could be done for him; to which Nc
Cauiey demurred for long time
But the party kept after him and he
finally got McCauley out and George
Hazard told me he was the one who
secured his release.-P. /.