Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-24
PRISON AT MOUNDSVILLE
Method of Employing the Convicts in the
Penitentiary.
The Institution More Than SeIf-Sup-
portinG-The Observations of
Detective Baur.

Detective Frank Baur returned home this
morning from trip to the peffitentiary 'at
MoundSville W. Va, where he had gone
with the Jail guards who conveyed thir-
teen prisoners to the penitentiary. Eleven
of the thirteen prisoners were co,ored the
whites being John P. Cage and Oyelton
Harrison. \ sentence of four years is to
be served by the former for forgery, while
Harrison will serve three years for theft
The others Were: Thomas Branch, embez-
element, two and half years: Samuel Viii
hams, William Ford and Joseph Davis. sec
ohd oifense petit larceny, three years each;
Peter Lee. carnal Knowledge, eight years;
Richard Campbell, housebreakins. eighteen
months; Robert Young, bigamy, one year;
Matthew Taylor, violating Revised Stat
utes, three and a half years; Henry Dixon.
forgery, one and d half years; Benjamin
wayne grand larceny. two years and
Bianch Riley. grand larceny, one year
Inc prisoners left here Monday night and
We're delivered to the officials at Mounds
VILE Yesterday morning. Detective Baur
MADE the trip to the, prison. hoping he
Mcuio ne abe to inspect the criminals con-
iiheu there, and to study their faces but
ne was disappointed to some extent. He
was permitted to go only to the door lead
ing to the workshops and see the men from
mere lie was not allowed to speak to
mem nor We're the men permitted to even
tndr the rules of the prison. the officer
could send for the prisoners he desired to
see ana be permitted to interview them in
ihe once In this way he conversed with
city. ' '---'
H"" Prisoners Are Employed.
During his brief stay at the prison De-
tectlEe Baur learned something of how the
PRISONERS spend their time within the walls
OF the institution. The prison is more than
sef-supporting, the contractors paying the
state y cents d day for each prisoner en-
ployed. Whips. broomS and undercIot hing
are the principal articles ranufacturod
and eight hours constitute a DAYS work
" hen work is over the prisoners have time
Tor rccrea ZION. Nearly every prisoner, the
detective was informed possesses a musicaI
instrument of some kind. Games of base
hall are INDUCED in and other outdoor
sports are permitted at times, in order that
prison life may not be too severe on the
victims and thus produce a mutinv
wall fully thirty feet high surrounds the
prison property and guards do duty along
the top Of it.
The penitentiary officials keep a pack Of
hloodhoundS on hand all the time to use
IN the event OF the escape Of prisoners. The
mounds as we'll as the men are given eXer-
else In order to keep them in practice
the detective says a convict is turned loose
once a week and when ne has been given
TIM" 10 reach the woods and climb a tree
the dogs are set at liberty, and they never
tail to find him. Sometimes q prisoner IS
set at liberty and after a tramp of two or
three hours he returns to the prison The
dogs are started after the return Of the
prisoner. and upon their return they find
the man who was at liberty. locating him
wherever he may be among the several
hundred in the shops.
1t is Detective Baur's opinion that the
prisoners sent 10 MOundSVille have a COM
paratively good time.