Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-07-30
ASYLUM
MORALS
SCORED
April Grand Jury Pre-
SenfS Overlook
Probe Report.
SCATHING ARRANGEMENT
OF EXISTING CONDITIONS
Removal of Superintendent Dill
Is Urged and FreehoIders
Are Criticised. &
SCATHING ARRANGEMENT
OF EXISTING CONDITIONS

The most scathing denunciation AZ
at the Essex County Asylum
for the Insane at Overlook vet made
was that contained in the presentment
OF the second April grand Jury. t,,rnad
in today by Foreman John A. Moffitt Il
Chief Justice William S. Gummere.
After citing conditions at the inet;t,.
ton that in the minds of the grand
1urymen called for indictment for 5or,.,s-
inal acts. but which. under adviee ~
Prosecutor Wilbur A. Mott. were ,,ze.
less to be found. as Convictions ea,.1a
not be secured. the presentment makes
the following recommendations
That the superintendent. DR.. Dan
lei III. Dill. is incompetent and
should be dismissed as soon as pos
sible.
That control of the asylum be
taken away from the Board Of Free
holders and vested in a board or
managers who shall be in entire
charge
That more qualified medical
superintendent be secured. and tha..
ne be given plenary powers to
handle all matters connected with
the institution. the warden to be an
pointed by the Board of Freholdcrs.
but to be under the direction Of the
medical superintendent.
That IN xrio4sy @1,1
of a criminal nature have taken
place Mt the asylum, but which cans
not be punished under existing cir
cumstances. legislation be enacted
at the earliest possible date to cor
rect this situation. ~ sls&...
After handing in the presenfmeat
Foreman Moffitt said: We made iip
our minds when we found 1t WAS usx-
less to ind indictments against persons
who have misbehaved at OverbrooK
that in our presentrnent we woald shasr
as far as possible what the result +
our Investigations were The jurynnnn
were willing AMI anxious to find indi-,-
ments, but were advised that they
would be of no avail
House of Detention Idle
The Board of Freeholders comes n
for another rap in connection with
the housing of witnesses and juveniln
offenders in the county jail. while the
SAG, 600 House of Detention remains
idle. This condition was brought 10.
the attention of the Board of -Free-
holders and the first April grand jury
by the EVENING STAR and formed
the basis of a large part of the pre-
sentiment turned in by that jury IN
May.
After reciting that witnesses and ia
veniles are crowded in a small space
at the jail, the presentment states that
this fact exists despite the fact that
the attention of the building cornEnis-
tee of the Board of Freeholyiers has
been frequently called to the fact that
the House of Detention is unfit for the
use for which it was intended.
Lack of proper bars ON the windows.
dangerous condition of stairways. and
other things brought out by the EVE
MING STARS investigation are re-
ferred to. and also the fact that the
judges of the Common Pleas Coufx
have asked that the House of Deten-
ton be made available for the keeping
of prisoners is mentioned as being re-
pCdlcQ11 DEQ16nt " tic eAllC-atA~ -
the Board of Freeholders without re-
suit.
In the presentment reference is made
to visits to other city and county in
stitutions and outside of a few minor
details conditions existing at them are
praised.
The presentment in full follows:
THE grand jury. sitting for the sec
ond half of the April term, 1910. at the
conclusion of its labors, respectfully
presents to the court as follows;
The Jury's PresenfRent.
I'VE have inspected the county jail
and find it in good condition. both as
to the care of prisoners, food. cleanli-
ness and mana cement. with the excep
ton of the quarters set aside for the
detention of witnesses and find this
portion of the prison inadequate and
unsuitable for the purpose designed
because of insufficient space. lack of
and the promiscuous hud-
ding together of different conditions of
men and women witnesses.
I'VE have learned that this matter
has been repeatedly called to the at
tention of the court by former grand
juries, and. although a house OF de-
tention has been built for the purpose.
such building has not been suitably pro-
vided with proper safeguards by the
Board Of Chosen Freeholders to enable
the sheriff to detain witnesses therein,
the fact that the con-
dition of the witness-roon and tho
urgent necessity of properly equipping
the said house of detention for the de-
tention of delinquent Juveniles AMI
witnesses has been brought to the at
tention Of the building committees Of
the Board of Chosen Freeholders BY
the judges themselves of the Court Of
Common Pleas OF this county.
FreehoIders Censured.
ssyye are compelled. therefore. 70 c<n-
sure the Beard OF Chosen Freeholders
for ats faisare to act ssith ren<onnbie