The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-01-07

needs warden, and it needs one bad"
Society is not greatly improved by
mingling with those innocent men,
who make the prison necessity.
The writer is not DESTROYS of DIN
ing the .sAnanias Club nor is he de
sirous of finding fault or criticising the
private life or acts of Warden ] C.
Sanders of the Iowa state peniten-
tiary at Fort Madison, Iowa. 1t is
the official acts of the warden and OF
the board of control which come with
in the scoNe of this article. The
board of control and the warden are
under fire at this time; almost every
paper in Iowa has one or more articles
descriptive of abuses in the manage
ment of the Fort Madison prison.
This prison is designated as the home
of the older and hardened criminals
of the state. This is not local fight.
but rather general assault, coming
simultaneously from all parts Of
Iowa's domain
1t is in no sense political, nor is 1t
anti Cummins-it is a solemn pro
test filed against the idiotic methods
now in vogue under Warden Sanders
sanctioned by the members OF the
board OF control.
| Warden n. n. Jones was known as
practical, economical manager OF
/ the prison. He was removed to make
4 room for a school teacher of loca
reputation in northern Iowa
who was noted for his fac
i ulty of amusing the school boys A:
( a school teacher he was pronounced {
i success. The responsibility Of the
appointment rests upon Judge Robin
son. The Judge has long since reached
and passed the line of usefulness.
The accusations against the wardel
and the board of control are numer
GUS | will cite a few of the charges
The charges against the warden, ar
violating the soldiers preference act
of cruelty to the guards; of oppression
and overbearing conduct, of duplicit
in his official conduct towards tn
guards of discharging guards sun
marily and without reason; of decei
and treachery.
He is charged with allowing illega
privileges to convicts; allowing ther
to take automobile rides when the
should have been locked In their cells
leaving forty or fifty cells unlocke
i at night; permitting convicts to D
outside the walls day and night, col
trary to law; allowing hardened erin
inals TO go to different parts of tn
city without proper guard. 1t is n
unusual sight to see convicts in two
and threes in the business part of th
city. Convicts go into bakeries, re
taurants, clothing stores, shops, on
ces and other public places unatten'
ed properly by guards. Many Of thes
privileged convicts are possessed
dangerous impulses. They are sci
here primarily for Imprisonment
punishment, and for the protection
the lives and property of societ
They are not sent here for reform
ton, but for the proper punishment
the most hellish crimes upon the ca
endar Some OF the worst class ar
by reason OF musical attainment
given many liberties and indulgence
In the absence of the warden, co
vict is in that officials Office and re
resents the warden. Guards enterii
the Office, on business or otherwis
salute the convict. Officials from OF
the state who come to visit the prise
are surprised as well as disguised
the methods the warden or the boa
Of control have inaugurated in Il
prison
The law Of Iowa plainly designat
this as prison, for those over thir
years of age. and not as '.reformator.
Those who are sentenced are to I
main during a definite period, wit
in the walls. at hard labor" The Ii
does not contemplate the prison TO
reformatory, kindergarten, or