Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-10
VIOLATED HIS ORDERS
GUARD QUINN, WHO TOOK WAT
SON TO PRISON.
Warden Harris Explains Use of Pull
man Car by District Prisoner
Cause for Gossip.

Friends of Machen and the Groffs who
were taken to the penitentiary at Mounds
vile Tuesday are indulging in considerable
gossip because of the difference in the
treatment Of the trio and James NJ. A.
Watson on their trips to the state prison
Machen and the two Groffs Travelled In a
day coach in company with eleven other
prisoners, but were not shackeled to them
Watson rode to Moundsville In comfort
able Pullman car and was handcuffed u
Guard Gumm, but had to sit up during the
"trip The government paid for the trans
portation of the prisoner and guard, and
Watson paid for the privilege of riding in
the Pullman coach.
Capt Harris, warden of the jail, told a
Star reporter that the matter of Watson
riding in Pullman car was direct Wolf
ton of his orders, and that the guard VIII
be held to a strict accountability for l..
He said that friend of Samuel "A. Groif
called upon him and said he would ike
to have Croft, and he understood, his as
sociates also to travel in car other than
the one in which the other prisoners were
to be taken This friend of Croft, Capt.
Harris stated, said that members of Gron S
family and possibly a friend or two would
like to accompany him on the trip. lie
refused to grant the request. and the mat
ter ended, so far the Groffs were con-
cerned. The day the three prisoners were
the marshals Office by one of Machens
bondsmen, who wanted to know If the
three men could be sent to Moundsville in
some way other than with the batch of
other prisoners. He expressed a willing
ness to put up bond of $4,000. and said
he would pay for additional guards to &C.
company them. His request also included
that they be sent without being and
cuffed. This request, the warden said, he
also refused
Guard Must Suffer.
Commenting upon the Watson case War.
den Harris said that United States Attorney
Beach told him that he had entered into an
agreement with Watsons counsel in which
the latter was to abandon further proceed
ings upon condition that the prisoner should
be taken to the penitentiary without delay
In order to carry out his part he procured
two tickets at government rates, one for
Watson and the other for George C. Quinn
the guard. Strict instructions were given
that the prisoner should be handcuffed to
the guard during the entire journey and
that no favors were to be shown him.
Whatever favors were shown him." said
the warden, were shown in violation of the
strict instructions l had given. and the
guard will be held responsible for the viola
ton
In conclusion, he said he wanted it dis
tinctly understood that there was no dispo-
sition on the part of the Department of JUS
tice or himself to extend any favors in the
Watson case.
Under the terms of an act of the legisla-
ture Watson will serve only six years and
eight months should he refrain from violat-
ing the rules of the institution. Prisoners
who are under sentence to serve eight years
or more receive one-third time off for good
behavior. He seems much more contented
in the pententiary than he did when he was
in the local JAIL and says he is going to
earn his full allowance for good conduct.
In. the case of Machen and the Groffs an al
lowance of only FIVE days each month is to
be made for good conduct They will there
fore have to serve twenty months of their
two-year sentence.