Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-02-11
C0NVICTS WERE A
PROFIT TO STATE
Operations for Year Show Net Gain,
Including Farm OF Twenty-Five
Thousand.

IUOuoUUu.
RICHMOND. VA. Feb. 1O.--The re-
port of the pcnitentiary for the year
1908 was submitted to the governor
Yesterday by the members OF the
board and Superintendent Morgan.
The financial end Of the state pris-
on was a great and satisfactory sur
prise to the members Of the board. 1t
shows that the "shoemakers" earned
s2S,1S317 for the state over and above
the actual expenses OF the institution.
This was accomplished in spite OF
the loss Of the number OF men. who
are now being sentenced to the roads
instead OF to the prison proper.
The loss at the state farm, which
Is ASYLUM for many of the Old ana
sick and feeble OF the criminal classes
or the state shows a shrinkage, TIL
the last year has a balance on the
wrong side of the hook OF $3.l23.79-
a NEST gratifying showing when 1t Is
recalled that in former Years the
doss has been as high as $4,000.
The board rencws its recommends
lions for a new kitchen for the pen
tent ry. 1t is badly needed, the pres
ent kitchen being hole In the
ground dark. unsanitary. lacking ven
tlation and in every way all and ev-
erything that a kitchen should not
be. The superintendent pleads for
a dining room for the cOnvicts, hold
ing that it would b" an economical
and healthy move on the part OF the
state.
Discountenance Visiting.
Major Morgan insists That II Is
wrong to permit the mOrbidly curious
to have access to the prison. He says
IL interferes with discipline, that 1t
serves to humiliate the prisoners and
that il accomplishes no good in any
direction.
The figures show that $50 convicts
were received during the year. ana
that the cost for bringing them toI
this city reached a total OF s5.to3.o 90.
OF those received at the penitentlarr
163 are white men, | white woman 3s2
negro men and 40 negro women.
There were twentv-three deaths in
the prison during the year tlnciudihs
the farm as Il part Of the prison.) Dur
ing the year there were thirty six
escapes from the prison. the roads
and the public works and Of these
TWENTY-FIVE have been rceaptured, ana
fourteen are sti,l at large.
Norfolk Sends More Conviets.
The CITY of Norfolk sends more con-
victs to the penitentiary tnan any
other city. LOG being accredited to
that city: Richmond had eighty-three.
Wise county sent total OF twenty
the largest number for any county
in the state. Eighteen counties had
a total of one convict each. Virginia
Is the home OF COS of the conVicts.
while North Carolina has cighty-three !
of her citizens in the state prison
here. Other states are also represent |
ed New York having eleven, South |
Carolina ten Tennessee nine. while
Austria. England. Ireland. Italy and
Syria furnished one each. iermany, ,
Hungary and the West Indies con- |
tributed . each.
Cause Of Sentence.
All sorts Of crimes were committed
bv those who came over to the White
House on the hill HOUSEKEEPING
and larceny having 179. grand larceny
ia forgery 80. cocaine selling Is,
murder IS. second degree murder A..
while bigamy. arson. malicious wound
ing. horse stealing. the usual crime.
betrayal embezzlement and other Of
fenses being enumerated in the list.
There are forty-four persons in the
prison for life. Of which four are
white men. 80 are colored men, and
two are colored women.
Editors and LAWYERS are about the
only professions which are not con-
tanned in the occupations that are
given by the prisoners. Three preach
ers and four tartenders are in the
prison. along with one hank cashier.
500 laborers. fifty-three cooks. seven
ty-tow farmers. thirteen walters. six
factory girls. two printers. one under
taker one real estate agent. thirty
nine drivers. six bonthlacks and all
sorts of yocations and trades and
cal,ings.
Married men Jared much better
than single men. for while 100 men
were sent over who had wives. 5S1
Of the unmarried gentry were receiv-
ed. and fifteen widOwers found work
under Major Morgan. OF the number
received, 400 professed to being Hit
crate. Moderate drinkers were 4s1.
incorporates registered a total OF ZIG.
while 169 declared that they were
total abstainers. The average term
OF convicts was four years. four
months and eleven days