Omaha daily bee., 1910-12-08
HOW THE LAND BARONS LIVE
NUnited States Attorney and Special
Examiner Make Trip to Hastings.
DENY ALL TALES OF LUXURY
D. 3. Howell Gives oct statement Of
the Conditions ~ he Found
Them nt Adams County
Jail ~ Hastings.

THE millionaire flats" OF the Hastings jail
where Comstock Richards, Jameson and
Trlppieu. land fencers are confined, lack
the oriental splendor depicted in reports
eminating from that city, so Frank Howell
limited states district attorney. declares in
a written statement. made following an in
vestigauon. Mr.. Howell, together with
other officials Of the Department Of JUS
tice visited the Jail Tuesday. On his re-
turn wednesday he gave out statement
under authority from the attorney general
His statement follows:
For some time past the attention Of
Judges w. II. and y. G. Munger, United
States Marshal Warner and United States
Attorney Howell. have been directed to
various newspaper articles concerning the
transfer OF Comstock, Richards, Jameson
and Triplett federal prisoners convicted
Of land frauds in the federal court 81
omaha. from the Douglas county Jail at
Omaha to the Adams county jail At Hast
inEs. Neb This was the subject Of sew
, eral conferences among these parties. on
Monday, December s, the jury work which
had engaged the attention OF the tederal
court at Omaha since November q, ended
II was agreed upon the suggestion OF Judge
r. G. Munger that the United States at
torney go 10 Hastings, personally. and In
vestgate first hand, the conditions there
''Fuu arrangements were made for this
Investigation In the forenoon Of Monday
About o'clock Monday afternoon, J. f.
Fishrnan. special examiner, was sent to eN-
anime the Adams county jail by the attor-
nay general and otherwise generally 70 IN
vestigate the situation with relation TO
these prisoners IN Nebraska. Mr.. Bishman
reported to the United states attorney
office at o'clock Monday. In company
with Mr.. F1shman / Jeff Omaha at 4;lO
for Hastings arriving there about $3.50 IN
IN. evening on the following morning
about O'Clock without any notice from
any one in Hastings. or knowledge OF the
sheriff or any OF the prisoners Of our IN
tended visit, we went to the jail and az
once we're admitted. We made a thoroush
detailed examination OF the contents OF the
iall. the prisoners and OF their treatment
No Oriental Rugs.
"The facts found are as follows:
Tbere were no Oriental rugs" no car
nets on floors" no telephone in cells or IN
the iaii" no "chiffoniers," bureaus ores
sers or other furniture except small CAP
met about one and a half foot VIDE aho
ten inches deep, about the height Oh an
ordinary piano stool, with doors, costing
pO each. There we're no lace curtains
or any other curtains TO or in any OF the
tsU windows or cells. There was no
Japanese chef and no food had been FUR
nished by such chef, the food being fur'
fished by the sheriff. whose wife did the
cooking the same food being furnished &c
ali prisoners alike, there being seven In all
No visitors we're allowed. according to the
fail rules established by the state court
except from 10 to II Wednesdays ana
10 s Saturdays. There was no vaudeville
or other theatrical performances Ther'
all obi al W
a SERIOUS stats offense. his presence beinS
tbo only evidence that we were able to DIS
cover Of "olog dancing or other festivities
ThSro was no delivery OF meals from the
osttgids by automobiles or otherwise. There
was in use no perfectly good Haviland
CHINA"
EqUipment Simple.
'aThe fail cells were supplied as follows
The hedsteads were single iron or meta
bedsteads some OF which had been In tn
fail all the time and others supplied b!
the sheriff. recently, but were Of the SAM
practical mako and dimensions, none bet
y ter than the others 80 far as comfort wa
concerned. The mattresses on all Of tn
beds were the same 90 far as we could de
terniine but some might have been newe
than others. The bed clothing In all blu
two cells were sheets, blankets and whit
spreads; in the other two cells there wer
blankets. One Of the prisoners in tn
latter two cells preferred blankets L
sheets As to the other bed clothing
whether It was preferred or not, am no
advised but they were all clean and re
spectacle bed clothes. In front OF eacl
cot Of all the prisoners there was ma
OF some kind.
I'm the cattle mans cells there was on
domestic rug In front Of each OF the oOts
two Of them costing $50 each, one US
and the other 81 There were electric light
in all OF the cells that I noticed, e1oep
one, being drop lights from the ceiling o
the cell the other cell having an extension
drop light from Just outside the cell, pass
ing through an opening in the cage. IN
cells OF the prisoners other than the oattl
men were supplied with boxes not var
nished, performing the same functions a
the cabinets In the cattle mems cells. Their
was d bath tub in the jail proper close I
the cells. for the use OF all prisoners. I
was supplied With only cold water, and IN
method Of heating y was by turning 4
steam from heating pipes. through 4 hos,
into the cold water There were one o
two small tables In the Jail outside tn
cells. for card playing or such use a. IN
prisoners mighi see NJ TO make use Of
to which all the prisoners had access dur
ms the daytime
Nevspapers for Curtains.
The only Obstruction TO any OF the ia
windows, it being a basement Jail and IN
windows being level with the ground
were newspapers pinned up over the VIII
dows. THEY were put there because cur
GUS people, attracted by the newspaper al
tlcles had gotten IN the habit OF going I
these windows early in the morning and 9
an times OF the day, peeping at the prison
ers inside, who were In plain sight
those, Iookiug through the windows. n
cells peipg latticed steel work, The prl,
oners complained Of curious peeping peopl
during the early morning hours when the
we're dressing and for that reason n
newspapers were put up. All OF the phi
oners are locked m their cells during n
night but are auowed the liberty OF II
corridors during the daytime
There was absolutely no segregation q
the cattle men prisoners from the other
confined IN the jail. and at the time OF GU