The Detroit times., 1909-05-03
COURT WILL ISSUE
WARRANTS AGAINST
TWENTY
Action Of Grand Jury in Returning
Indictments in Investigation Of
Prison and City Affairs
Causes Sensation.
Fallacy of System Under Which
State Institutions Are Conduct.
ed Pointed To By Jury.
GRAND JURY INDICTMENTS
NAVE BEEN RETI RNED AGAINST

NAVE been RETURNED AGAINST
ALLEN \. ARMSTRONG. forme,
warden.
JOHN WENGER. acting warden.
MILTON .. DAILY. OF Chicago. ngenl
Tor sisrI and binder twine machines.
E. ,. EMMINeER, president Hoover A
Gamble Co.. Nfnniisburg. a.
FRED shy DER. farmer.
CARL a. TRU MBLE, druggist.
MICHAEL NORRIS. Jackson, presi-
dent Norris Grocery 90.
CHARLES A, ELLIOTr, Jackson, well
GEO. y. MAINo, JACKSON. city boiler
CLYDE ~. ELI.wOOD. treasurer >. r.
Bartlett building supplies Go.
hosiNEss MN. n.mc not given.
LLTHER w. NEwD,. LUTHER 4.
NoMLiN. >. MURRAY. SEBAsTIAN
,. WRIT, WILLIAM WIRTZ aud W. }.
ers' association, accused OF acting in re-
strnint az trade.
JACKSON, Mich May 3-The &C.
ton of the grand jury in returning in
dictments against 20 persons in the In.
yestlgstion of affairs in Jackson pris-
on and Jackson city proper has caus-
ed a sensation. II was said today that
the names of those indicted would not
be announced until they were brought
into court to be arraigned or admitted
To bail. This was expected TO take
place some time today.
Ex-Warden Armstrong is confronted
with several indictments. All the men
concerned in the state cases are well
known. The indictments against local
business men are returned in connec.
ton with the probing of the Master
Plumbers association, accused of act
ing In restraint OF trade.
The bills returned aginst Milton J.
DAILY and A. J. Emminger have TO do
with the purchase by the Jackson
prison officials OF machinery for the
'binder Irvine plant. The prison Off
Gals awardea the contract for this ma
chinery TO the Hoover & Gamble Co.
OF Miamisburg. o., and it Is charged
that secondhand machines--taken from
plant in Canada, were installed in
stead Of new equipment.
Emminger refused to come TO Mich
igan to testify and Gov. Warner will
be called upon TO sign requests for
requisition for both Emminger and
DAILY The latter has been in Texas
for some time.
There Is much speculation as to the
course the board OF control will take
In the case Of Acting Warden Wenger
The indictment against him. undoubt-
eddy. Is for perjury. Armstrong had
stated shortly after his arrest that he
showed Wenger 500 in marked bills
he had fixed To trap" Cen Green.
Wengeramust explain whether he real
~ did see the bills or whether Arm
strong's story was fake"
In the cases Clyde b. Eiwoed
treasurer OF the j. Il. Bartlett Co,
which sells brick. cement and other
building supplies. Druggist Trumble,
Grocer Norris, Welldigger Elliott and
Farmer Snyder. the charge is that
Armstrong demanded n rakeoff from
them and they gave IL TO him. some
entering otto specific agreements.
Some OF these men have told OF the
deals they were forced into with Arm
strong and there Is much sympathy
for them. The course OF the grand
jury was plain, however, and the in.
dictmeuts were returned. Their pun
ishment. il is expected, will be such as
TO serve as a lesson 10 others not to
be trapped" by grafters in the service
OF the state.
The report of the grand Jury Is a
scathing document. pointing out the
fallacy OF the system under which the
state institutions are being conducted.
The state account box contract at
u
keeper employed on that contract told
the grand jury he had "doctored" the
books and trial balances so often that
he could not correct the figures. This
crooked work was done to convey the
impression that the contract was being
operated with a profit when IL was
losing venture.
The grand Jury points out the op.
portunities for crooked work under the
power possessed by the state pardon
board The Jury says this board is
practically a review court where po-
liticsl influence Yields much power.
The Jury declares that mo poor, friend
less convict has been the subject OF
the boards clemency" so far as the
investigation disclosed.
The grand jury says the members OF
the board OF three that conducts the
affairs of Jackson prison receive no
compensation. IL meets once month
and spends few hours hearing re.
ports. allowing bills and transacting
other business. The jury says the In
ouiry shows that members OF this
board perform their duties In per-
functory manner. bills being allowed
without anyone connected with the I'M
stitution having actual knowledge OF
the correctness OF them
The Investigators say there Is no one
IN the box factory I'm managerial ca
pacity who even claims to be compe-
tent TO make estimates of the cost OF
the articles II produces. shortage OF
20, 1000 feet of lumber was found in con-
nection with this department. The
garden truck business is not profitable.
the Jury declares.
The Investigators say the punish-
ment OF prisoners by claiming their
hands behind their backs was barbar-
ours. and II was inflicted contrary to
Fthe prison rules without the knowl-
edge OF the prison board until the pris-
on board OF corrections and charities
discovered Warden Armstrong aud his
assistants infiicting the punishment.
A new English blast furnace for tho
manufacture of pig iron is said 10
utilize s1.7 per cent OF the heat. where