The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-22
CONVICT DEPARTMENT
QUARTERLY REPORT SUBMIT
 TED TO THE GOVERNOR.
During Last Ten Months 2,2Oo Per sons Have Been Confined in State Prison-Very Small
 Death Rate Reported.

The quarterly report Of the state con yict Department vas submitted to Gov
 ernor Jelks yesterday by Judge J. Nj. Carmichael, President of the Convict
 Board. While the report covers the three
 months just ended it goes into an ex-
 haustive review of the operation of the
 Department during the past year and
 much valuable information is made pub
 lie.
 For example Judge Carmichael shows
 that during the past ten months 2.2Oo per
 sons have been confined in the State pris-
 ons and that the death rate of this num-
 Der has been 3-4 per cent The princi-
 pal cause of death has been tuberculo-
 sis. The report also gives detailed infor-
 nation concerning the products of the
 State farms.
 The regular meeting of the Convict
 Board took place yesterday and the re-
 port was transmitted to the Executive
 Department at the close of the meeting. President Carmichael and Dr. Shirley Bragg. Physician Inspector. were present
 at the meeting. Judge Thomas Bradford, Associate Inspector, was detained at his home In Centre by reason of illness. Judge Carmichael said the Board only transacted routine business and aside from the report to the Governor, no mat ter of public interest was considered. The complete report of Judge Car michael to the Governor is as follows: 'I respectfully beg leave to submit, now at the close of the year, the report
 contemplated by Section 445s of the Code of Alabama.
 "In the first place can safely say that the condition of the convicts remains reasonably satisfactory. During the ten months. ending with this day, there have | been confined in the penitentiary all told about 220O persons. Of course it is not | meant to say that such number has been in the prison at any one time, but includ- Ing those now confined and those who
 have been discharged there has been
 about the number named. Of the num-
 Der named in the ten months indicated
 there have departed this life not quite
 3-4 per cent Most of those dying were
 afflicted with tuberculosis, some with
 pneumonia. some with fever and a few
 have been the victims of accidents. There
 are now in the prison about 1,S00, all of
 whom except small per cent, care in
 fine health and good condition.
 Since the last quarterly report it has
 been ascertained about what has been realized from the farming operations of
 the State. At Wetumpka there were of cotton. several hundred bushels each
 of ground peas and potatoes and quite a quantity of field or COW peas.
 At Speigner there were made about 5000 bushels of corn. 275 bales of cotton. a large quantity of ground peas, field peas. potatoes and a poor crop of sugar cane, some of which has been made into syrup and 100000 stalks saved for seed. Thirty-two bales of cotton at the gin house at Speigner were burned or so in- jured by fire as to make the loss fully
 twenty-five bales. There was no insur- snce. Since that time, however. the re- nainder of the lotion has been insured for three months. There were made 1t
 the farm called No. 4, eight miles out from Montgomery. fully 10000 bushels of corn.
 Tt follows therefore. that with little rent cotton from the Buyck place the State
 has on hand about $50 bales of cotton. Of
 the corn made at Speigner, 1000 bushels
 may be safely sold and of that made at
 No. 4, 5000 bushels may be safely sold.
 "The meat crops at the respective
 farms of the State are fairly good. The
 stock embracing mules cattle, hogs and
 sheep are in moderate condition and
 have shown a reasonable increase for
 the year. There were lost in the freshet at No. about thirty head of hogs sows and pigs-and not exceeding five yearlings. Sixteen mules. thirteen from No. and three from No. l, Wetumpka, have been sold at $1O0 each and the money paid into the treasury by the pur- 1 chaeeIs. These mules were not needed and were an expense to the State. with out any promise of available return for | the outlay in keeping them
 The te.ephCne iue from this office by
 the way of No. 4, Wetumpka, and to | Speigner is now being constructed and will be completed at an early day. As Your Excellency is aware number of available contracts for the hire of con- | victs have been made during the last | few months which will make d decided | increase in the income of the depart ment.
 For long years past it has been the 1 desire of the good people of Alabama | to make the price of convict labor de- | fray the expenses of the administration | of the criminal law, but the desired end | has not yet been obtained but will prob- | ably be at no distant day. By reference | to the Treasurers report 1t will be Ob- served that the net income of this de- | partment for the year ending September | 30 1901. was s93.074.62, which, together with -~Solicit fees. earned and paid | into the treasury. make the sum of S1l3,- | 96O.15, which sum deducted from the amount expended for salaries of Solicit ors, feeding prisoners, arrests of ab- sconding felons, commissions paid So- licitors and removal of prisoners-$126,- | S33S5-leaves a deficit of $12,973.10 only. In tach to this report as exhibit A a com parative statement showing receipts and disbursements of the convict department for a number of years, the earnings of Solicitors. the cost of criminal admins tration or administration of the criminal law and aggregating receipts and dis bursements showing the defcts for the respective years named.
 During the quarter, the Honorables Shirley Bragg and Thomas Bradford, As sociate Inspectors, have been employed in making inspections of convicts at the various points at which they are To- cated. classifying convicts at the mines attending the monthly meetings of the Board, assisting the President in making contracts end generally aiding in the en- deavor to promote the interest of the