Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-07-05
4 UNIQUE PEN IS OURS
INSTITUTION RECEIVING NOT
ONE DOLLAR FROM THE STATE.
How This IL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Cost OF Getting Convicted Persons 20
the Penftentisry--How Prisoner
Are Fed, Clothed, Taught and
Their Labor Utilized.

D~enitentlary, when is lochteu ~
Moundsville, neal Wheeling, the
State of West Virginia occupies a
unique position. While other States,
for example, our neighbors, ONO u
Pennsylvania, pay out hundreds OF
thousands of dollars annually to
maintain their penal institutions,
Ours Toes not spend a dollar tor this
not even for permanent IN
provements. II a new building. ad-
ditional land, or anything OF that sort
is needed, the cost OF IL is paid out OF
the earnings of the penirentiary IT.
self.
Strange to say, on the other hand.
Ii costs this State $165. 600 per wear
to get her convicts within the walls
vi the ~penitentiary, nearly one-half
of what il costs the State of Michi-
gan TO maintain and house her near
ly 1.7OO Here Is a nice lit
tie problem for the tinanciers n !
iticians TO figure out as to the why
and wherefore OF this. The State
now has ISL of it's own convicts In its
penltentiary the balance OF the 1854
being United States prisoners. Hen
lie costs the State an average OF 1884
each to get a prisoner to the peniten-
tiarv.
mn eoItom;no uarv condensed and
interesting statistics OF this States
pepitentiary at Moundsville were fur
q lshed by Warden Haddox to the Wis
lting Editorial Association when 1t
called there on Friday last. They were
eatly printed in folder form on the
nenitentlarv press, by convict prison
ers ever part of the work being dcne
bv ~convlcts. 1t is IN part as follows,
being of date June ~, 1902:
FACTS AND
FIGURES.
The walls, administration building.
part oil the cell blocks were COM
pleted IN 1870. at which time the
prison population numbered about
1t now is 963. of whom 407 are
white. and 500 colored. The State
number 5S1. 374 white. ard
POT colored. Washington Uity(inclu-
ding the District of Columbla) sends
all of her prisoners here, and they
now number 334, l01 white. and 1913
colored.
The federal prisoners from Virginia
are also zen there. and they from
Virginia are Is white, 5 colored /;
West Virginia % white. S colored.
There are SO women in the institu-
ton. s white. 2S colored. Seventeen
are from the District of Colombia.
Fayette county leads in prison pop
ulation, furnishing 10. or - per cent
of the entire number. Mcdowell has
60, Campbell "A. Mlngo 80. KanaN ha
30. Woou 30, Marion 81. and Ohio 20.
Grant. Hancock, Morgan,
Peasants and Roane counties have
no prisoners. while Brooke. Gilmer.
jackson. Nicholas. Pendleton. Raleigh
and Upshur, have one each. There
are Is life prisoners, of whom "a are
an 40 colored. Two life time
prisoners are m Five men are
under sentence of death, and eight
been executed since October 10th
1899, at which time the law went in
to effect.
-Four thousand three hundred and
seventv-two State prisoners. and 95l
United States prisoners have been
c,udr. since the penltentiary was
estan shed.
TIE following quantities OF food,
when used, are required for Il meal
700 pounds of fresh beef, 400 pound S
of fresh pork, 800 pounds of bacon,
300 pounds of bologna, 5000 green
onions. $50 pounds of lettuce, 800
pounds of navy beans. 100 pounds Of
prunes -Four and one-half barrels of
flour. 20 gallons of syrup, and 80
pounds of coffee are used daily, The
average expense for feeding the pris-
0 ers is 10 cents per man ner daN
OHIO costs 10 cents, Illinois IA cents,
Penn, vlvania II cents per man Der
dav.
The State spends SI65. COO per year
to send her convicts there, bet does
no spend a dollar for maintaining
the r. NOT even for permanent inn
ut. cement. They are fed, clothed,
qua ded. schooled, furnished with
~co..tortanle and durable clothing
when discharged. a ticket bought for
them TO their homes, and a small sun
of money paid them. all by the insti-
futon from its own earnings.
SIX hundred and thirtv-slx prison
ers are at work for the contractors III
the shops, and thew earn the institu-
ton about $3.50 per day. The board
- TT..4o1 G+okos Drisnnorc amnuntc RI