The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1903-08-06
Former Reformatory Manage
ment Is Slit Up the
Back.
NEW supERIHTESDENT's REPORT
Official Records Show Loose
Methods of Administra-
ti0n.
PURPOSES OF NEW MANAGEMENT

Remarkable Condition OF Affairs At
nary Investigation How the State
Has Been Worsted In Dealing With
Companies Working Prison Labor.
--Defects In Sanitary and Moral
Conditions At the Institution Spe-
cifically Pointed Out. .--Donation of
State Supplies BY Prison Oficials.-- -
A Mass OF Interesting Evidence
Superintendent Whitaker Outlines
a PrOgrom OF Retrencbment and
Reform.
Indianapolis, Ind, Aug. 1, 1903
To the Hon. d. ]. Terhune, L. P. New
by D. j. Crittenberger and DR.. H.
c. Hobbs, Members of the Board of
Managers of the Indiana Reform
atory at Jacksonville:
Gentlemen: In assuming the posi-
ton of superintendent of the Indiana
Reformatory l do so with the full un-
derstanding of the responsibilities at
tached to its important duties.
These duties shall receive my
prompt and undivided time and best
Judgment.
Before entering upon my duties you
should have the condition of the insti-
tuition az found during the month just
past.
Acting upon your order of July 2, all
the time possible has been spent at
the institution since tnat date, making
investigations as to conditions as they
have existed since the institution has
been a reformatory. These facts are
given you so far as it is possible to
develop them up to this time: not
based upon rumor or the word of in
mates. but based upon the record as
left by the board of managers and
officers of the institution since April,
1897
The Official record of all boards
where the expenditure OF public funds
is passed upon should at each meet
ing of the board show in dollars and
cents the amount ordered paid to each
individual, and the total expenditures
for the month. This should be inn
perative, so that vouchers or schedules
could not be altered or changed after
the board departs; and at the end of
each fiscal year the Auditor Of State
should be able to take the signed
record of the board in any State IN
- L.
ming up each month for the year show
exactly what the expenditures and re-
ceipts of the institution have been
This is done in all well-regulated pub
lie institutions
Record Of Board Of Managsrs.
The official or signed record OF the
board since April, 1897, does not show
the financial condition of the institu-
ton; that is, 1t does not show whether
the disbursements for q month have
been -one dollar or ten thousand dol
lars; nor that the receipts are fifty
dollars a month or five thousand dol
lars month.
These things are attempted to be
shown on the vouchers and state
ments to which no reference is made
In their oficial record except In . gen.
sral way
As a rule. since 1897 the only entry
In the oficial record as to the bills al
lowed for any particular month is as
follows:
The current bills were upon motion taken
! up and such as proper approved and ordered
Again, the Official record in the al
lowing OF bills for the month of April,
1898. which claims were allowed May
8, 1898, show:
On motion the board proceeded to the
examination of the bills of the preceding
month, and same were allowed, and super
intendent was Instructed to draw warrants
for the same on usual conditions
From the oficial record of the board,
Page 394, there are three unsettled
claims against the contractors for la
Dor performed by inmates so long ago
as 1897, when Mr.. A. T. Hert was su-
perintendent- The claims are as fol-
lows:
Southern Cooperage Company......$ 8S3- -36
Taylor Manufacturing Company. 5e1. 80
IEdiana Manufacturing Company. >. 1.1e6.6 So
The last cflcial record made with
reference to the above claims was at q
regular meeting of the board at the
time the legislature was in session,
Feb. 8, 1908, and shows:
~. .xx.~tr<.x5a.v< rnr~ uv.~-1 - a.