The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1907-07-19
No More LOafing and Ease
for Petty Criminals.
COUNCIL AND BOARD AGREE
Plan for the Employment Of Jail Pris-
Oners; Conference Held BY the
Officials Last Evening.
From Wednesdays Daily.

mon DRINKS and all people of that ilk
Mankato the workhouse or the chain
gang, or the rock pile will get them.
Plans are in the incubator to make
the iailbirds work for their keep while
serving sentences. The county commits
sioners and the council are practically
agreed that the time Is now ripe to
make law offenders put in time on the
streets, the country roads and to per
form other tasks that will mean for the
betterment of the highways. Out of the
incubator may be born a workhouse in
which prisoners will turn their hands
at trades and occupations of various
kinds. At any rate there will be no
more loaiing for the fellows who are
sent to the bastile on the hill for thir-
ty, sixty or ninety days as the gravity
of their Offense against the statutes
may warrant.
Judge Comstock, Aldermen Atchison
and Bradley, and the full board OF
county commissioners held an informal
meeting at the council chambers last
night and discussed the feasibility OF
working the jail prisoners. All the gen
tlemen were of one mind on the prop
osition. Judge Comstock was the prin-
cipal spokesman. He advanced his own
ideas as to what should and could be
done i'm the premises. He offered several
excellent suggestions. He stated that
the law provides that prisoners shall
be allowed $50 per day for ten hours
work, this amount to apply on the fines
tlaY, hn 10
not contemplate that the prisoners
shall be let out to contractors, and ne
advised against this method as public
sentiment does not sanction it. In the
larger cities petty law-breakers are
confined in warehouses. Judge Com
stock recalled the time when prisoners
were worked on the streets in Man
katO.
Aid. Atchison would favor the en-
ployment of a competent guard so as to
prevent the prisoners from making their
escape Judge Comstock did not APP
prehenJ that any of the prisoners
would attempt to escape The aw,per-
mitsy the attaching of a. ball and chain
to7;tAeir ankles, but he did, not favor
thisa ,tpeatment of the. prisoners The
guard yqweuld be under the authority
Of 1.-The sheriff, and that officer held re-
sponsible for the guards failure to per
folanz his sworn duty. Judge Comstock
was of the opinion that a suitable place
could be secured wherein the prisoners
should be housed in case of storm.
II developed during the discussion
that majority of the petty offenses
are committed during the spring and
summer months. April is productive OF
good many offenses. Judge Comstock
said that many offenders were permit
ted to pay fines because a Jail sentence
meant burden placed upon the tax
PAYERS The commitments were held
down to the minimum rather than tax
the people to pay the expense of contin-
ING the law breakers in jail. - .'.
Another; argument advanced: by Judge
Comsteck" in favor of making the, pris-
oners work was that their employment
during the day would keep them from
associating with the more hardened
criminals who conduct schools for crime
in Jail while waiting for their trials in
the district court. ss,-N .. sues
1t was the consensus of opinion that
plenty of work could be found for the
prisoners both in and out of the city.
The roads leading into the city were In
need of improvement and no lack OF
work could be found for them in the
city limits.
Judge Comstock suggested that a
Joint committee from the council and
the county board be appointed whose
duty it shall be to prescribe where and
what labor should be performed. This
will have tendency to prevent clash
ING. He also advised that the proper
proceedings be gone through with by
both council and board to naugurate
the plan These proceedings must be
in LEGAL form and a matter of record.
Aldermen and commissioners agreed
that the plan proposed could not be ex-
pected TO be a money maker for either
the city or county for some time to
come. but if properly carried out 1T GER
tainlv would have tendency, to reduce
the amount of petty crime that is com
mitted in this city. Judge Comstock
stated that there are four or five men
confined in the county Jail at the pres
ent time whose sentences called for hard
labor, but he guessed they were not
working very hard because there was
nothing for them to do.
i lie conference TtSulJeu III tHC dSiSS
ment that action would be taken by
both the council and the commissioners
looking to the employment of Jail pris
oners. A. resolution drafted in proper
fashion will be acted on by the council
at its meeting next Friday night. The
commissioners will probably hold
special meeting week from Monday
and adopt a similar resolution. 1t was
suggested that the city attorney and
county attorney confer together SO that
the resolutions shall be drawn alike
Judge Comstock was requested to lend
his assistance in the drafting of the res
olutions.
The prisoners will be protected from
the insults and jeers of the mob while
at work on the streets. The law pro
vides that any person who shall Offer
insults to prisoners while engaged in la