The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1909-05-14
sests'
eemmends Grand Jpryp~ss
gate Marquette PrnH

The house committee Oh - Mar
quette prison, of which Representative
John J. Whelan is chairman, has been
conducting an investigation during the
winter into the MANAGEMENT Of the
prison and its report made this week
has caused considerable talk in legis-
lative circles. Without doubt the COM
mittee satisfied itself. that there was
ample proof of the charges it makes
and If this Is true the report cannot
DO passed by without its recommends
tiopsy baingtalted.up. j. E. Worthing-
4tore $hel correspondent of the Grand
Rapids Herald, summarizes and COM
ments on the report as follows:
e. Advocating grand jury for Mar
quette county, the report of the spec
ial legislative committe to investigate
Marquette prison made up in vigor
what it lacked in the finer literary
graces.
Warden Russell was criticised severe
ly and all the way through the report
ran tone that seemed to indicate
either that the committee believed there
was more to find or that it was conceal
ing something of what it had found.
The warden and the prison board were
criticised for letting the Shauer Bros,
contract without the approval of the
attorney general and it is stated that
two bidders were higher than Shauer
Bros Instances in which the contract
is more favorable to the contractors
than to the state are pointed out.
The warden is criticised for extrava-
giant living. Reference is made to bills
in the auditor generals Office for out
ofseason delicacies and the report adds:
Certainly it was never intended that
extravaganza should run riot as shown
by these vouchers" The board Of con-
troll is censured for not cutting the war
den down and it is intimated that the
monthly board meetings were more of
a banquet than business session.
1t is claimed that the warden bought
$500 worth of household goods from his
wife and $500 worth of horses from his
brother and charged the state for them.
In this connection the committee gives
it as its belief that he should reimburse
the state for these expenditures.
The removal of VIM. Russell, the
warden's brother, as foreman in the shop
is recommended, it being claimed that
he is not of the disposition to handle
convicts.
The case Of VIM. VanGorden, of Iron
Mountain, murderer who was given
extraordinary privileges is recited. 1t is
stated that the man entered the prison
with s., 600 and yelled reference, bas-
ed on his own testimony, is made in
the report to the alleged fact that 1t has
not all been returned to him. 1t seems
that Van Gorden was allowed many
privileges, being allowed to drive about
Marquette until two o'clock in the
morning He owned pedigreed stall
lion at Iron Mountain and the commit
tee got the testimony of two Marquette
men that they paid $l5 and $25 for the
services of the horse, sums which the
committee says Van Gorden says he
didn't get and which don't appear on
the prison books.
Instances Of brutal treatment of con-
victs are limited at and it is recommend
ed that one Johnston be transferred to
Jackson, the committee saying it fears
he will not be safe at Marquette. It de-
velops that he is one who gave the COM
mittee some information. 1t is claimed
that convicts are given tasks they can
not possibly perform and then are pun
ished because they cannot come up to
an impossible standard. In summing
up the committee recommended that
"higher legal authority" taken to mean
grand jury, go further into the mat
tiers it has uncovered at Marquette.