Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-02-05
WORKING FOR new S||[
Movement Is Being Made to Sc
cure New Buildings For
State Penitentiary
coNvIcTs WOULD DO THE WORK
There Is Abundant Room in the Peni-
ten.iaries, But the Buildings Are Old
and Would of Necessity Have to Be
Rebuilt soon-New Use for the In
ebriacy Law. -
Special to Tlmes-Republican.

- *
Special to Times-Republican.
Des Moines, Feb. Sit is learned
that a movement is being quietly start
ed in the southeastern corner of the
tiary at Fort Madison new site near
the city Of Fort Madison. The effort
will be made to secure options on suit
able land and hold them subject TO the
action of the state legislature at it's
next session, when an effort will be
made to secure an appropriation to buy
the land. then let the work of building
IA new penitentiary be commenced and
the work be done as far as possible by
the convicts. The contract labor sys-
TEN is in vogue at the Fort Madison
penitentiary and has been many years,
and convict-made shoes and agricult-
ural implements are quite common and
popular in Iowa; but not all the con-
victs can be thus employed. If new
site is secured for the penitentiary en-
tirely new buildings will be erected and
the erection of these may cover a num-
her of years. The prison population
OF the state has not appreciably in
creased in ten years and there is
abundant room now at the two peni-
tentfaries to accommodate more than
the state will send before another ten
years: but the old buildings at Fort
Madison, some of which We're erected
in territorial days, or started then, are
about ready to fall to pieces and it is
known that they must be rebuilt soon.
The last legislature came near taking
sone steps lokking to procuring new
site. A subcommittee of the two ap-
preparation committees made an in
yestigation and reported informally,
but no affirmative action was taken. 1t
lis regarded as certain that the next
PIG; siature Will do something. either in
the way of providing for removal or a
new site in or near Fort Madison. The
grounds now occupied are entirely too
small and contracted for good prison,
and the location is far to one corner of
the state. To head off any possibility
Of removal to the central part OF the
state an offer may be made of good
site at q low price.
Two interesting state cases We're
submitted to the supreme court of
Iowa on oral arguments today. The
case of the state against c. S. Kirby
from Greene county involves the meth
cd of enforcing quarantine regulations.
Kirby is Grand Junction doctor who
had the smallpox and refused to stay
in quarantine the required time. He
was fined for his violation of the quar-
antine rules and appealed on technical
grounds largely, claiming that the no.
tice of quarantine was not regular and
that the mayor was not properly noti-
fed by the health physician of the
prevalence of an epidemic. The court
is asked to interpret the regula tions
with great strictness. The case of the
state agains. w. w. Ames, from Du-
huque, Is one for embezzlement. Ames
formerly lived in Des Moines where he
was connected with his father-in-law,
DR.. Spinney, in some of his peculiar in
vestment company propositions. Ames
went to Dubuque to represent the COM
pany and received money which was
not applied rs 1t was intended. Pecu-
liar significance attaches to the case in
that he threatens If he is finally COM
PEELED to 20 to the penitentiary To re-
veal many other things of which he has
some cognizance which have been thus
far concealed from the grand juries.
49,
A new use for the inebricay law has
been found in Des Moines. 1t is sus-
pected that the large number of cases
recently filed wherein women accuse
their husbands of being inebriates have
divorce proceedings in view. A number
of such cases have been started where
it is known that divorces are desired.
1t is found to be very easy matter to
get a man sent to the state hospital as
an inebriate on the testimony of MEM
bers Of his family and interested per-
sons Once sent there the way to a di-
vorce is easy. Where habitual drunk
enness is alleged as ground for di-
porce there is some difficulty in prov
ing it, but Il judge who has just sent a
man to the hospital under three year
sentence for being an inebriate would
find 1T hard to refuse divorce TO the
wife of the inebriate.
The mutual insurance business ap-
pears to be growing in Iowa and at the
same time is running to classes. The
farmers have been making use of it a
long time. then the millers. the town
house owners, later the machinery
dealers organized, and now the retail
hardware dealers of Iowa are going to
take up mutual insurance. The annual
meeting of thestat association Is to be
held in Des NIoines next week. The
principal new features of the session is
to be that of taking the preliminary
STEPS for the organization OF a mutual
fire ana insurance association 10 be
confined strictly to dealers in hardware.
This matter is being worked up by 5.
r. Miles, of Mason City. who is an ar
dent advocate of mutual fire Insurance
for the hardware men, There is no
doubt that steps will be taken looking
to formation of such an association. 1t
will be quite easy for them to secure
risks amounting in the aggregate to
100000 or double to amount, and
with this the business can be commence
ed, and the promoters believe it can be
doubled rapidly. w. a. Mclntire, OF OF