The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1903-02-11
A DAY AT THE PRISON.
An Institution that Yields Handsome
Return to the State.

The best disciplined prison insti-
tuition in the United States is prob
ably the prison at Saltwater, Mimi.
AS result OF that rigid discipline
the institution is a model of cleanli
ness, systematic work, and above
all a self sustaining institution, net
ting to the State last year. above all
expenditures the neat sum Of $4S,
000 To Henry Wolfer, the war
den, his deputy, ]. S. Glennon,
experienced men in the handling of
prisoners, and their experienced
corps of assistants, is all this due,
and the people of the State will
never fully realize what faithful and
excellent employees they have at
Saltwater until they visit the place
1t was the good fortune of the
editor of THE GAZETTE, and Repre-
sentative w. A Hinton of Martin
county. to be the personal guests OF
Mr.. Wolfer and Deputy Glennon
one day recently. They were not
hampered by large crowd, or by a
pre-arranged reception, but were
given all the time desired and were
shown things at the prison as they
occur from day to day, and as re-
suit it is hardly possible to be loud
enough in the praises of the conduct
of the institution.
The cells are models of neatness
the corridors are clean to the high
est meaning of the word, and would
be model for the best OF house
wives, the cooking is perfect and
inviting, while the service cannot
be improved upon. In the hospital
everything is in perfect order and
patients are given every attention
! necessary.
In this connection it is we'll to
state that the present legislature
will have to make an appropriation
TO increase the cell room, and the
dining hall. Already, the prison
is overcrowded, and many OF the
inmates only the best of them-are
obliged to sleep in the corridors.
something which interfereS with
the discipline and the neat appear
ance of a section of the institution
1t is proposed to use the present
chapel for an additional dining
room and to build new chapel in
another portion OF the grounds
This, with the cell room proposed.
will probably be sufficient to meet
the demands of the institution for
another ten years, but after that
time it is practically certain that
another penal institution will have
to be built. The population of the
State is increasing rapidly, and
with it comes an increase in the
number of inmates of all of our char
table and penal institutions.
If the farmers OF the State could
see what the prison is doing to
meet one of their demands-that Of
! binding twine- and of the medium
that keeps the prices down-t they
would certainly feel that they were
favored class. One-half of the ma
chinery building is given over tC
! the manufacture of binding Irvine.
A large warehouse is full, or partly
full of the raw material, sisal, ma
Mia, hemp aud the like, shipped tC
Saltwater from Manila and Yucatan
and purchased under the watchfu1
eye of Warden Wolfer, who receives
three or four cablegrams each day
on the fuctation of prices in this
all important product.
The inmates unload this from the
cars, cut the bales for use, TURF
them over to another set of inmates
who get the material in readiness
for the first machinery process, and
4 then it is passed from one set O
machinery to another until at las