Omaha daily bee., 1910-12-12
CELLS SPECIALLY PREPARED
New Furniture and Fittings Ordered
to Accommodate Guests"
PUBLICITY sPOns THE LAYOUT
Newspaper Stories Put an End to the
Proposed Luxury.
ADAM BREEDE REVIEWS AFFAIR
Editor of Hastings Tribune Tells Ctr
CumstantiaI story in Regard 60
Exterior Evidence in sup
port of the REPORTS.

port of the REPORTS.
That some reason existed for the outcry
against the special privileges granted the
convicted land barons who are confined
in the Adams county jail is becoming more
and more apparent. The report OF the in
vestigation made by the federal court au-
thorties last week has been given to the
public. with the assurance that the prison
ers are subject to the ordinary jail rules
and discipline. Adam Breede, editor of
the Hastings Tribune, is sufficiently Ia
miliar with the facts to be able to givo
some information that has hitherto been
withheld In his Issue Of Friday he re-
views the whole proceedings at length.
His story follows:
There is no questioning the fact that
the investigation by the Department OF
Justice into the condition OF affairs rela-
tive to the manner in which the wealthy
land barons were to serve their time in
the Adams county jail IL directly due 10
the exposures made by the Tribune. When
the prisoners were brought to Hastings
the Tribune was the first paper to tell of
the plans for the installation of electric
lights, telephone, new BEDS rugs, ETC., for
the benefit and convenience Of the newly
| arrived prisoners. Some of these plans
have been carried out, and there appears
] to be no doubt that all of them would
have been put into execution had It not
been for the timely exposure OF the Trib-
une
THE Tribune having secured a beat on
this story, its evening contemporary i'm
mediately began to fake up something con-
oerning the case and. as usual. made
horrible botch of It.
mot only has our contemporary printed
lnnumerable accounts OF the privileges and
comforts enjoyed by the ranohmen, but
It. or it's employees. have supplied the same
information to newspapers elsewhere.
selection of the Prison.
"The important question in connection
with the Incarceration OF these prisoners
| in the Adams county jail is whether they
were permitted to select the place OF their
imprisonment The Tribune's first anthor-
aty that the ranchrhen had gone on a
home hunting expedition was the pubii-
/ cation Of an assertion 70 that effect by
the Omaha newspapers on Tuesday, No
vember g. which assertions these papers
have not since retracted or corrected, so
far as the Tribune has dlscerned' On the
same day our esteemed contemporary,
without qualification or the disclosure Of
its source OF information, decared The
hoIne.hunting" expedition Of the con-
victed men has been In progress for sew
erai weeks. The jailH OF many counties
have been considered by the men under
sentence as possible places Of residence
for the coming term OF imprisonment
The report made by the officials who in
vestigated the jail this week is silent ON
this point.
ION the morning OF the day when
three of the prisoners were brought 10
Hastings representative of the Tribune
was admitted to the Adams county Jail.
Preparations for the arrival Of the ranch
men were then in progress. The gilded
bedsteads were there, One box OF bed
clothing was being opened. Mattresses.
apparently just from the store, were on
the floor. Fresh blue paint was on the
wall. A general cleaning up process was
I'm progress the character of which was
not such as Indicate preparations for
ordinary prisoners. At that time the
representative OF the Tribune was in
formed by the Jail officials that the
prisoners would have rugs on the floor
No rugs were then In eyidence for the
county prisoners The further information
was vouchsafed by the officials that the
lranchmen had been given the selection
OF the jail exception being made In the
case Of Grand Island on account Of the
fact that the government was not pleased
with the treatment OF federal prisoners that
had been sent to that place. Fremont was
mentioned as one OF the places that had
been visited or considered by the ranch
men. The Tribune was still further in
formed that the ranchneh would be per-
mitted TO have electric lights In their
cells and that telephone might be In
stalled.
sheriff McCleery informed the Tribune
representative that Mr.. Comstock and Mr.
Jameson had visited him about two weeks
previous TO their incarceration and In
formed him that they and Mossrs. Tripiett
ana Richards. would serve their sentences
here. some days later Mr.. Mccleery
declared that only Mr.. Comstock had
visited him. He insists now that no snp-
poses that when Mr.. Comstock was here
on his visit Of inspection that the order
committing the men 10 Hastings had
already been made by the judiciary depart
ment.
sheriff closes Up.
THE Tribune has no desire to misrep-
resent anyone in this matter. 1t wants
the truth. in justice 70 both the prisoner
ana the public. Assuming that the infor-
nation given by the sheriff and published
by the Omaha papers and by our evening
contemporary was correct-that the ranch
men selected the Adams county jail az the
place for their imprisohment-lt endeavoFed
to get the truth in relation to the other
reports. With this object n view II applied
TO Sheriff MecieeFy on Thursday, Deem
Der l. the second day aft6f the men were
inesrcerated, for permission to have a
photograph taken OF the cells occupied by
the ranchmen. The sheriff was informed
that photograph would show better than
words just how the cells were furnished
there could be no exaggeration. no yellow
journalism in a photograph OF tine actual
conditions. The request was refused. on
the same day a represontatlve Of the Kan
sas City Star who was sent here to get
the facts made a similar request and was