Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1905-09-30

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peal, is to enforce It, while Others be.
lieve that the enforcement of this
law would be detrimental to the vel
fare Of the community, and still 9th.
ers believe that, If enforced at all, the
law should be enforced against all
alike, including such places as drue
stores. cigar stores. news stands, boot
blacks, etc, but they believe such
general enforcement impossible. we
can say. as a whole, that we are all
in favor of tn observance of law, and
fully subscribe to the general idea that
disregard of one law tends to breed
disrespect of all law, and we heartily
wish that the Sunday law could be so
amended as to conform more to the
general sentiment of the people, and
make its observance comparatively
easy.
At the same time we venture to ex-
stands, its enforcement does not nee
e~ssarily depend upon the action of
grand juries. and that It can he en-
forced by the executive officers of the
law without recourse to any grand
jury.
We desire to express our entire sat
isfaction, and, as we believe, the sat
isfaction of the whole community,
with the course of the court in at
tempting to evolve order out of the
confused condition of county affairs,
consequent upon the refusal of remov-
ed county officials to give way to their
successors, and, as well, our entire
confidence in your honesty and i'm
Partially in these troublesome mat
tiers, entirely irrespective of any per
sonal opinions or sympatheties which
We may entertain.
After the foregoing portions of our
report had been prepared, we made a
full and detailed examination of the
condition of the county jail as is pos
sible under present conditions, and in
terviewed the prisoners there confin-
ed, and we are compelled to say to
the court that we are ali filled with
indignation at the condition of the
Jail and the treatment of the prison
ers. We are well aware that state
ments made by such persons as those
usually found in such a jail, are to be
received with great caution, and much
allowance should be made for fear of
/ untruthfulness and eXaggeTatiOn; but
those things which we have been able
to see with our own eyes. so strongly
c~orroborate and confirm the state
ments of the prisoners, that we are
forced to believe there is much Of
truth in their complaints.
They assured US that they had not
had a piece of soap for rs much as six
weeks, and were consequently unable
to keep themselves or their quarters
clean, and as they are tormented
day and night by such vermin as lice
and bedbugs, to an extent which is
frightful. They also say that for about
the same length OF time they have had
no meat or vegetables of any sort,
but have been fed upon Stops, al
though they have frequently seen wa.
CONS going away from the jail loaded
with meat and all kinds of vegetables.
They say that they have not been pro-
vided with proper or sufficient bed
ding to protect them from the cold;
that during last night, they were com
PEELED to keep moving all the time to
avoid extreme suffering. We were
able to see that they are in a filthy
condition and not provided with suf-
ficient clothing or bedding. Ordinar-
lily, prisoners do not dare to make
complaints, for fear Of incuring the
ill-will of their j%ailors, but just at this
time, there having been a change in
the management and control of the
jail, their tongues appear to have
been lOosened.
The prisoners also complain of a
lack of medical attention. They told
us that some time ago one of the pris-
oners was i'll, and although urgent re
quests were made that the doctor
should be called, he did not make his
appearance until the man had died, af-
ter several days of illness, and that
when he did come, he complained with
great bitterness, because he had not
been notified and called earlier, say
ing that he never had received any
message to come to the Jail to attend
to the man who had died.
They also assert that they have
been prevented from communicating
with their friends and relatives, and
from receiving communications from
them, and that more than once it has
happened, that when friends have
been permitted to see prisoners, the
latter have learned that letters and
other things had been ent to them
which never had been received.
We are not willing to believe that
the ~ex-sheriff, Mr.. Thomas S. Hubbell,
or his deputy, Mr.. Newcomer. can
have had personal knowledge of these
bad conditions, or they would have
been remedied, but we do feel that
they are Culpable in not having made
themselves acquainted with them and
given their personal attention, to the
welfare of these unfortunate prison
ers.
The portion of the jail premises
which is used for the confinement of
insane prisoners, consists of nothing
but a room with bare floor and walls,
destitute Of bedding, comforts or con
y%eniences of any kind, where no eff
fort appears to be made to ameliOrate
the suffering of the persons confined.
We will not enter into disgusting de
tails, but will only say that these
prisoners are compelled to spend all
Of their time, sleeping or walking, in
this bare room, destitute of a single
article of furniture of any kind.
We desire TO add, also, a few words
as to another matter which had pre-
viOusly escaped our attention. In the
investigation of some cases, in which
indictments were found, we discover
ed that accounts against the county
had been presented and allowed with
out being itemiZed or sworn to, as re-
quired by law, and we are of the opin-
ion that the county clerk and the couu-
~ commissioner are to be censured