The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-04-11
WARDEN RUSSELL
DENOUNCED AND
ASKED TO RESIGN
Minority Report of Committee to
Legislature Calls Also for the
Official Heads of Marquette
Prison Board of Control.
Punishment Of ConvictS Is Stoutly
Condemned-Big Fight Over Mat
ter Coming in House.
tFrom , STAFF Correspond nt).

From a staff Correspondent.
LANSING, Mich, April lL-Wlth
the filing of the minority report OF
the Marquette investigation commit
tee today, issue is Joined for what
win probably be the most bitter nshl
OF the session
The report is signed by Reps'
Straight and Kalmbach, Reps. Perry
Warner and Henry having signed the
majority report. submitted last week.
The majority report endorsed the
administration of Warden Russell
= The minority report denounces MIN
and recommends his removal IL
goes farther and recommends that
all the members OF the board or con-
troll be removed and that corporai
punishment be abolished. The MN
.ority report denounces hi mand rec
ommends his removal. Ii goes far
ther and recommends that all the
members OF the board OF control be
removed and that corporal punish
ment be abolished. The minority re-
port Is not as specific as the major
ity report in charging looseness In
business methods. but in other re-
spects il is more severe.
detailed and described as horrifying
and the warden and his brother VIII
are denominated falsiiers.
In Offering the report, the minority
members exprses esteem for the oth'
er members. but declare themselvs
compiled to differ on material points.
II then goes on TO refer to the varl'
ous statutes governing the appoint
ment and conduct OF the board OF
control, warden and assistants. TX
then criticises the contract made by
the warden with Shauer Bros. for
the manufacture OF overalls in the
prison. as showing personal selfish
ness, dishonesty. heedlessness and In
competency. Stress is thrown on the
fact that the state furnishes space,
light heat and superintendent, and
gives the work OF convicts at 40
cents day. pointing out that the
services OF convict named Printz'
who acts as instructor are worth
500 a month. --c~--s-t--.
The report says on this subject:
when we consider the terms OF
this contract, with the tasks lmpos-
cd upon the men. one OF which Is 10
sew on 700 pockets a day, with ais
honest foreman, William Russell, VINO
has all the qualifications OF a hendish
slaye-driyer, to rush them from
morning TO night, with the bull-pen
or the paddle staring them In the
face IL they fail TO do their task, Is
there a member Of the house who
would quietly submit TO such condi-
rions were he the recipient OF such
treatment, without offering resis-
tance?"
This leads the signers Of the re
port to the subject Of corporal pun.
ishment, which IL says is administer
ed in a manner that Is horrifying.
I'VE do not believe that we can
produce in your mind full concep-
ton OF the punishments that nave
been inflicted on these poor victims,
because much OF the evidence is too
revolving to have printed. While we
realize that umch OF the evidence Is
from convicts, and that for that rea'
son, much allowance must be made,
vet all that evidence Is borne out
by corroborating testimony and the
prison records. This Is true or the
prisoners. but we do not hesitate to
call James Russell and William Rus
sell two Of the biggest falsi6ers that
ever made a defence.
9TH majority report does not con-
yey any notion OF the real facts. At
the east end of the east wing is what
Is known as the bull-pen. II is as
near sound proof as can be made.
In this bulIpen, men are tortured al
most beyond human endurance. They
are chained in a standing position
to the gates of their cells In such a
way that many of them have been
permanently injured. The hands OF
each convict are drawn up to the
same height. Such position allows
some men TO raise their hands above
their heads and subjects them TO
extreme torture. Men have been
chained continuously In this position