The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1906-03-24

The Grand Jury and Winder Matter
Majority and Minority Reports.--The
March term grand jury, which, in accordance
with the Instructions of Judge Duncan, inves-
failed to agree on report of the matter and as
q result two reports were presented TO the court
on Tuesday.
One report, which is signed by a majority of
the members of the jury, exonerates the Coun-
ty Commissioners from all blame for the escape
of Winder and places the whole responsibility
for il on former warden John P. Chllcoat
This report recommends that q suit be brought
on Mr.. Chilcoat's bond to recover the expense
which has been incurred in endeaving to re-
capture Winder, and the other prisoner (Gardi-
ner) who escaped few days before. -
The minority report severely censures the
County Commissioners for placing the prison.
ers in the Jail while it was in an unfinishe d
condition and charges that the warden, through
political influence. was given incompetent as
the charge of the Jail be taken from the County
Commissioners and that the institution be
placed in charge of the sheriff.
The majority report is signed by MessTs.
John Coolahan, A. A. Sparks, James Smith.
Johh selig Henry 5; ConTsy e.. FREQ. A a: Elm
James T. Milling Elisha F. Parks, Henry F.
@. Giesking, Daniel Lee Bowen and Theodore
Clayton.
The majority report is in part as follows:
I'VE examined thoroughly, as body, the
Jail, its construction and the locking devices
and feel that the escape of prisoners therefrOm
is impossible if the warden and his assistants
use due diligence in guarding them.
"We examined the warden and his assistants,
| the Board of County Commissioners. the
architect, the sheriff, one of the contractors
| for the steel work, his foreman and, in fact,
| evevone who was supposed to know anything
| of the matter and the concurrent testimony of
| all of them is that general looseness charac-
terized the guarding of the Jail and we find that
| the warden and bis assistants are responsible
| for the escape of the prisoners"
| The report further says that the architect
| and foreman in charge of the construction
notified the County Commissioners that two of
the cells in the Jail were ready to receive prison.
| ers two weeks before any prisoners we're placed
| in the remodeled Jail. The report states that
| any expression Of opinion as to the character
| of the work done at the Jail would be o mere
| guess and asserts that the well-known integrity
| of the County Commissioners is guarantee
| that it will be economically and properly done.
The minority report is signed by Mr.John j.
| Ringgold. foreman, and Messrs J. g. Owens,
| Nicholas Jones, Thomas A. Ryan, Joseph 8.
| Hoffman, Joseph MilchliDg, Thomas v.
| Richardson, j. H. Kraft and William A. Coates.
| Joseph s. Bowen, one of the jurors. was nom
| committal.
The minority report is in part as follows
| "Itis further asserted that Mr. Chilcoat who
was appointed through the lnnuence OF COm-
| missioner Slade. was not allowed the privilege
| given to him under the law to appoint bis dep
uty warden and the night watchmen, whom,
| it is stated, were appointed through the influ-
| ence of Commissioner Yellott. Mr.. Chilcoat
never, met his assistants untilthey reported for
| duty. Paul Bode, the former deputy warden,
| it is stated, has a crippled hand, and William
| DeBaugh. the former night Waterman, is a
| timid and frail man." SIDE.
| The Comfy Commissioners are critized for
not giving the work at the Jail their personal
attention and for allowing prisoners to go into
| it until they knew that the work was safely
and satisfactorily done. 1t is asserted that the
| Commissioners used very poor economy in
| selecting an architect who was not sufficiently
experienced in Jail work. The report concludes
as follows:
I'VE, therefore, gather from the facts most
all of this trouble is duet appointments made
through political pull, which resulted in the
| appointment of men who were entirely untitled
! for the duties they had to perform.
I'VE find that the jail is badly planned and
place too dangerous for any one deputy to en-
Ter, as there are 30 many secluded places where
| an officer could be assaulted and the fact never
known until some one had occasion to look
| after him. No outcry of his could be heard in
the residential part of the Jail"