Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1903-03-28
GRAND JURY REPORT.
County Jail Condemned Lunatles are
Confined With Prisoners.
RECOMMEND ENLARGEMENT.

To the Honorable Benjamin S. Baker,
Associate Justice of the Supreme
Court of said territory and Judge of
said District Court.
We, the members of the grand Jury.
who have served during the present
term of the district court. having con
Guided our labors, submit this as our
final report:
On the first and lest days of our la
bors we were in session a portion of
the day only, so that we have held ses-
slons for about ten days, during which
time we have examined more than
one hundred and twenty witnesses and
have presented to the court forty-nine
indictments. and eleven bills, which
were ignored We have had before us
also some other cases, in which no
presentments to the court have been
made. because the accused persons
were not under bond or in custody and
the evidence did not justify indict-
ments. In the discharge of III duties
we have e~ndeavored faithfully to fol-
low the instructions of the court, and
have returned indictments in all cases
in which We believed the evidence JUS
titled in u doing so.
We have made an examination of
the public buildings and offices of the
county officials. We find that some re-
pairs and improvements are necessary
about the court house, but do not be-
lieve it necessary to go into details, as
what is needed must be obvious to
any one. We invite the attention of
the county commissioners to this mat
ter.
We find the county Jail entirely mad
euuate to the needs of the county, as
il has been for a number of years. We
are not inclined to criticize the sheriff
or his employees, as we believe they
have done the best possible to care for
the prisoners with the limited accom-
modations which the Jail affords, but
we are called upon to express in stron-
gest language possible our sense of
the barbarity and inhumanity of con-
ining so many prisoners as are often
in this Jail in such a place. Not only
from the point of view of humanity is
the present jail to be condemned, but
also on account of the difficulty of
safely keeping so many prisoners in
such crowded quarters. Evidence pre-
sented to us shows that on the thirty
first of December fourteen men were
confined in one room. three of them
being lunatics, and that during the
pioht Cnyan Of tho nricnnnrc nCnannH
by removing a large stone from the
wall of the Jail. Had there been prop
er and suitable places in which to
keep these prisoners, it would have
been impossible for them to make a
hole through the wall without detec-
ton, and We do not believe that the
jailor in charge should be seriously
blamed or c%ensured, under the circum-
stances, for what happened. We earn
estly recommend to the county COM
missioners that steps be Immediately
taken for the enlargement Of the Jail
and for the making of arrangements
by which youthful and inexperienced
offenders can be separately confined
from old and hardened criminals.
We also have learned that in the
Jail there is confined a l%unatic, who
has been there for two years. This fact
is not c%reditable to our county, as
there is a territorial asylum provided
for the INDECENT insane, and while it
is true that that asylum is taxed to its
utmost capacity, yet, certainly, there
must have been some time within the
last two years when Bernalillo county
could have obtained admission for an
additional inmate.
We have found the county Offices in
good condition, with their books and
records properly kept, so far as we can
Judge from such examination as we
have been able to make. We have no
criticisms to make nor suggestions to
offer on this subject, but We do feel
that we ought to congratulate the
county upon the manner in which the
records of the county and probate
court are kept, especially with regard
10 the records of deeds and convey
ances of real estate, and the indexes
10 those records. 1t is doubtful If any
county in the territory equals ours in
this regard, and we are sure that there
is not n which surpasses us.
Special mention should, however, be
made of the business of the office of
treasurer and collector. We find from
the records of the county clerk, that
the late treasurer, Charles X. Newhall.
has made a complete settlement OF his
accounts, filing all vouchers and war
rants, which have been carefully check.
ed up and found correct. This is wor-
thy of note, because as we are inform
ed this is the first time in the history
or the county when a treasurer and
Coliector has made such a settlement
at tne close OF his term OF Office. The
methods n system adopted by Mr..
Newhall are continued by his success
or who has entrusted the conduct of
the details of his official work to the
same cOmDetent denutv ubo hoc -.