The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-10-06
nenenaencx and Crime

tendance were DIR. Charles Rossenwasser
vice president. who acted in the place o
' ex-senator Barrett, the president, VIII
was not able to be here; Rev. E. A. Boom
of Merchantville; E. A. Ransom, Jr., o
Jersey City; Benjamin B. Babbitt. o
Long Branch; and Mrs. Emily William
son, of Elizabeth. Rev. George B
Wight, State Commissioner of Charities
and Corrections, was present as spectator
to observe anything that might develoI
that would naturally come to his depart
ment The counsel for the commission
was Simon Hahn, of Newark. He asked
the questions and plainly exceeded his
authority by going into subjects that were
absolutely beyond the power of the COM
mission. In order that this statement
may be verified we give the law under
which this commission acts. 1t reads:
Chapter 40
An Act creating commission to investigate
the causes of dependency and criminality.
Be 1t enacted by the Senate ana General AS
sembly of the State of New Jersey:
l. The Governor of this State be and he
| hereby is authorized to appoint commission
i
in number, some of whom may be women, to
| investigate into the causes of dependency in
| all FORMS and the causes of cr1m1nal1ty. The
said commission shall report to the Governor
| on or before the converting of the next Legis-
| lature, which report shall be transmitted by
| the Governor to the Legislature.
| 2. The said commission shall investigate
! the causes of dependency and crimtnal1ty,
and make INQUIRY for the purpose OF ascer-
| tanning to what extent excessive use OF aico-
| holic drinks or narcotics, diet, lack of home
training, immigration. the present penal
healthful tenement-house conditions, are
contributory causes. The commission shall
also consider such other factors as, In It's Judg-
| ment, contribute to the increase of the defec-
tive and criminal classes, and shall recon-
mend to the Governor the best methods, in
| its opinion, of alleviating these conditions
and eliminating the causes thereof
g. The said commission shall select from its
members president and secretary, and shall
meet at such places in this state as IL may
deem advisable, and shall have the power to
subpoena witnesses, employ necessary eX-
perts, stenographers, CLERKS and assistants nus;
act, shall not exceed five thousand dollars
and that all actual expenses incidental to the
work shall be approved by the Governor.
The Commission shall serve without compen-
sation. ALI subpoenas shall be signed by the
president and secretary of said commission,
and any person disobeying subpoena issued
by said commission shall be liable to
penalty of one hundred dollars. to be re-
covered by said commission in an action OF
debt. for the use of the state The fees OF wit
nesses shall be the same as those paid to
witnesses attending trials in the court OF COM
4. This act shall take effect Immediately.
Approved April 8, 1908.
By reading the above law 1t will be
seen that the commission is empowered
to ascertain to what extent certain con-
ditions are contributory causes of Deepen
dency and crime, but the counsel seemed
to think he had the right to ask questions
of personal nature, and he was very
properly called down by Sheriff Norcross,
who. in reply to the inquiry what salary
he paid his deputy, told the commission
that it was none of its business. The
questions with reference to the commit
ment of prisoners and their care while in
the jail the Sheriff answered freely and
promptly.
After carefully looking over all the
proceedings it is hard to see just what
good the commission accomplished. That
there will be very critical report may be
inferred from the remark of Mr.. Hahn at
the close of the Investigation. The pre-
siding officer arose and started to thank
those who had given testimony and at
tended the investigation, when Mr.. Hahn
sharply interrupted and said such acourse
was not necessary, as the witnesses and
those interested would have no reason to
thank the commission when the report
was rendered.
The proceedings opened with an inquiry
into the management of the almshouse.
Mary A. McGettigan was placed on the
stand. Miss McGettigan, it will be re-
membered, was the star witness in the in
vestigation into the insane asylum affairs.
There was marked difference in her de-
meanor at that time and on Tuesday. On
confident and outspoken, but on Tuesday
she was as mild as a lamb and gave her
testimony in such low tone of voice as
to be almost inaudible dozen feet from
mission dwelt upon most particularly was
the failure to observe the law requiring
the sexes to be separated, and endeavored
to show that this neglect had resulted in
McGettigan, who is assistant matron at
the almshouse. frankly stated that the
sexes are not separated entirely at the in
stitution, but she said that it is impossible
under the present conditions, to have the
aw observed. There are separate dining
rooms, the inmates are separated at night
by locked doors. There are separate
toilets for the men and women. Her at
tention was directed to the case of Robert
Murray, colored man who came to the
institution after she became an employee
at the place. She had understood that
Murray had been suffering with private
disease but had been cured either before
he arrived or soon after He was put in
the kitchen to aid in the cooking for the
inmates. Murray was colored man, but
not real black. Josephine Iretti was also
employed and became acquainted with
Murray, through whom she got into
trouble. The two ran away and were
married by justice of the peace in the
neighborhood. The girl was feeble-minded.
About six months later Murray returned
to the almshouse and reported the girl
dead. He was received and was again
put at work In the kitchen. Another girl
whose mind was not very strong was al
soon discovered she was about to become
mother. She charged Murray with the
parentage, and Miss McGettigan under
stood the man acknowledged it. The girl
Murray was committed to the Jail, and is
now there. Other children have been
born at the almshouse, but their parentage
was not due to any of the inmates Ques-
toned about the death rate the witness
said she was unable to answer. She had
known persons to die the same day they
were brought to the place. About FIVE
weeks ago man with consumption was
brought to the almshouse in dying con
dition, and Miss McGettigan told the over
seer who conveyed him there that it was
an outrage to carry dying man SO far.
The official said he could not help it. He
was compelled to obey the commitment.
Inmates are not supposed to leaye the
institution without the permission of the
steward, but they frequently run away.
There are several cases of consumption at
the place. Every precaution is taken to
isolate them, and all sanitary measures
are used to prevent contamination of other
inmates Fresh air is provided, or at
tempted to be provided, by keeping the