The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-10-04
1WESTN VIRGINIA
STATE / PRISON.
WARDEN MADDOX sEMI.ANNUAL
REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR
FIGURES GIVEN.

"a n -Fl1SHE0 tSlNENs
MoUNDsv1LLE, W. Va, Oct A.
Sunday was the last day Of the Di.
ennial period for the West Virginia
penltentiary. During the two years
Just ended ITO State and All feleral
prisoners were received at the insti-
tuition. During the similar six months
In 1904 there were received at the
institution G72 State prisoners. The
total number OF State prisoners in
the institution Sunday was 6@S and
All federal. OF this number the
counties Of Fayette, Mcdowell, Kan
awha, Mercer and Mingo have to
their credit, or rather to their dis.
credit, 415. This 1t will be seen
that these five counties have furnish.
ed more convicts than the remain
ing fifty counties of the State. Nc.
Dowell, which for crime stands sec
ond only to Fayette, sent exactly the
same number of convicts to the pen.
itentiary during the biennial period
just closed as during the previous bi-
ennlel period. Two counties, Hardy
and Doddridge, have no representa-.
ton among the convlcts in the peni-
tertiary. Hancock, which for many
years had no convicts in the peniten
tlary, now has two.
Manufacturing Cement Blocks.
The manufacture of cement b'oel.s
is the latest industry that has been
established at the .penltentiary. Sew
eral weeks ago the board Of directors
decided to erect a new stable. Ward
en- Haddox concluded that the best
results, considering the price OF ma.
terlal and labor, could be obtained
by the use of cement blocks. A
press and the proper molds were
purchased and for the past two
weeks several convicts have been
engaged in making the. blocks 10 be
used In the construction Of the
building. After experimenting for
several weeks Warden HadtloX was
finally successful in mixing a con
crete that gives the blocks facing
that is hard to distinguish from line
stone. This facing is two inches
thick and is made of one part ce.
ment and two parts lake sand. The
lake sand is sharp and gritty and en-.
tirely free from soil.
Cement Fence Posts.
Fence posts are also being made
from concrete. These posts are to be
used in fencing in the prison farm.
Each post is reinforced with two
pieces of wire, placed In the center,
while the posts are being nodded.
Staples to which the wire IS to be-
fastened are also set In desired po-
sitions in the concrete while the posts
are being nodded. The composition
from which the posts are made is The
same as used for the building blocks,
four parts gravel, one part. sand and
one part cement.
Notes from Prison Congress.
The Charities and the Commons,
which is the national organ OF the
Society of Charities and Corrections,
has the following to say regarding
the national prison congress held at
Buffalo that is pertinent to our own
institution:
1.-THE warden came to the front
with some excellent papers as they
do now at nearly every prison con-
gress. The opening address Of War
den N. N. Jones, Of Fort Madison,
La, was broad succinct treatment
of the warden's relation to prison
reform. He dealt with the prison
labor problem briefly but intelligent.
ly, showing how small an element in
the total product is the contribution
of prison labor. The relation Of
discipline to reformation was finefy
stated: Discipline is the medium
through which all reform becomes
effective. The attitude Of the war
en- towards reform should be sym.
pathetic and recentive. 4 paper I'M
the same spirit was that Of Warden
c. E. Haidox, of the West Virginia
penitentlary, chairman of the COM
mittee on prison discipline. Mr..
HaddoX came to his work as warden
few years ago with mini and a
sympathetic receptive spirit lie his
become now an authority in his own
profession and no address during
the week was more frequently ap.
plauded. There was hardy any as.
poet of the work of prison which
Mr.. Haddox did not treat in an eff.
fective way.
IAN interesting and attractive fea.
ture OF the congress was the exit.
bition of goods and products from the
penal institutions of the State. Al
few Of these were from The reform.