The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1901-06-18
ECONOMY
AT THE Pen
Prison Managers Gain
Too Much Inform alton.
Big MUSHROOM BILL
Board Of Managers Indignant
Till Informed the Members
Themselves Had Eaten
the Mushrooms.

Columbus, June 1.-THE secrets W
the executive session of the board OF
peuitentiary managers do sometimes
percolate through the keyhole and they
are little gems in the way of honesty.
One of the most interesting and 1t is
true, is an incident where the board dug
up more information than it wanted.
II seems that the board had spasm
or epileptic fit on economy and deter
mined to give the 'lower scum of Off
cials' six easy lessons in that line.
Judge of the CONSERVATION among these
multimillionaires who are not able to
pay their own hotel bills on paltry $40
per day salary, when they found snugly
tucked away among the mass of bills
one for $50 for mushrooms and French
peas. Visions of those nineteen hun
dred convicts being fed on such high
priced stuff fitted through their minds
and the more they thought of the mat
ter the more indignant they became.
Now that was the time that an execu-
tive session was more than necessary,
If such thing could be, for had his
satanic majesty been there with his
many pronged fork to stir up the brim-
stone atmosphere, it would not have
been circumstance.
The prison runners were dispatched
in hot haste for the various officials
to ascertain If possible why such ex-
travagance was INDUCED. French peas
and mushrooms were luxuries that
were entirely too rich for the stomachs
of common law breakers and besides
that the board was too humane to
endanger lives, for 1t was certain to
lead to indigestion and finally dyspep-
sia. One official after another was
rounded up and placed on the gridiron
of catechism by the august board, and
1t could not ascertain who was the re-
sponsible party until the superintend-
ent of subsistence was reached. When
he entered that sacred padded room
the browS of the members were drawn
down and matters were at white heat
with indignation. The questions came
fast and furious, but the poor superin-
tendent of subsistence was not aware
that a regular Galveston tidal wave
. was in the vicinity, for he knew that
he was innocent of any intentional wrong
doing, so he answered as placidly as a
May morn. Finally one of the men,
bers in the most severe voice he could
command and full of indignation. de-
manded to know what had become OF
those French peas and mushrooms. At
first the superintendent was unable 70
account for so much indignation over a
paltry $50 for mushrooms and French
peas, and he replied in a tone of voice
like the ripping waters: why, you
gents ought not to kick for you know
they we're eaten by you for breakfast.
The bubble burst at once and the
information acted like oil on the
troubled waters. The members lean
ed back in their padded chairs, they
breathed a sigh of relief as much as
to say: Thank God, the good stuff
went to our own stomachs and not tC
common convicts. We are the people
and it Is a cold day in August wher
we get left, law or no law" Ont
member is quoted as saying: "That IL
SO, that is true. and we have no kich
coming, for we ate the mushrooms ant
French peas"
In view Of the above the attention
of Governor Nash Is respectfully calico
to the fact that the board of peniten
tiary managers and the secretary o
the board violates the specific law pro
hibiting any person or persons from
boarding at the administration building
except the warden and his family. Th
law fixes the pay of members of tn
board at $40 per day for the actual tim
served, but they draw $50 for two days
service and that certainly ought to b
sufficient to pay any incidental ex
pense connected with the Office.