Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-01-22
Report on Penitentiary
and State Convict Farm

s# The biennial report of the state pen
Sitentiary for the twenty-five months
HTHfrom January ], 1901 to October 81.
sas61 9O3, is in the hands Of the printer and
will be submitted to the legislature in
gabook form at an early date It con
9ssists principally Of the most minute
Mdetails Of expenditures and Of the pris-
n onors and is. for the most part, tables
Nsof figures.
MI The report is signed ny but four of
1.-THE state officers, the attorney general,
h}secretary of state. auditor and com
aAmissioner OF agriculture, Frank Hill,
IA who went out of office upon the date
sS which closes the time covered, October
M31. In no place does the name of Gov
g Davis, the fifth member Of the board
u appear as a signer. The report is
Il also made directly to the general as
d sembly.
Superintendent Higgins regrets that
n the report is necessarily closed Oct
4 ober 81, since after that date the
greater part Of the crop OF the peni-
\ tentiary farms las been marketed and
4 the financial showing is not as good
as it should be-
n The report Mas Written and closed
before the purchase OF the Cummings
plantation in Lincoln county The
heads of all Tire departments, super
intendent Higgins. the pcnitentiary
physician and financial agent are a
INIT in expressing the hope that a
farm would be purchased.
In the twenty-five months the aver
age population of the penitentiary
was 6S1, for the two years preceding
1 the average was 797 showing de.
/ crease Of Is percent The increase
during the term. as compared with the
i number in the penitentiary at its be.
Slnlng, Is 81 per cent This is a 10
per cent decrease on the increase of
Il the proceeding term. The smallest
tion was, October 81, 1902. 204 white
i males, 5o7 black males, IS black fe-
I males and / Indian male; a total OF
/ 727. This number has been decreased
by almost fifty in pardons and expi-
rations of sentences since the close
OF the report. During the twenty-five
months 81 IL per cent of the convicts
worked outside the walls. The crop
results were not as good as was antici-
pated during the summer on account
Of the boil worm in the cotton and the
August rains.
In speaking of the electric light plant,
which, by terms of the statute ere
ating it, is also to supply the three
charitable institutions and the state
house. Superintendent Hogips says
that the accounts here will show a de-
tict, owing to the disallowance Of
monthly bills in 1902, by the charitable
board. The report is concise, and, in
closing, a short mention of this trouble
is says: The penitentiary should not
be required to operate the plant at a
loss" In this connection, the report
!. OF the blind and deaf-mute institute.
>oming from the charities board, the
recommendation is made that they be
urnished with a separate light plant
to avoid conflict.
OF the new penitentiary, the report
says that the buildings have been but
half completed and should be looked
after, or the state will be loser by
their further dilapidation. They are
now used as stockades. 1t is recon-
mended that the buildings be complet-
ed and the walls capped
OF the convict farm, Mr. Hogins
says: Much has been said relative to
the purchase Of convict farm. 1t
is my opinion that this matter should
be settled without delay and farm
be purchased in time to begin and