Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1912-06-05
WOULD MAKE IT PAY OUT
GEORGE B. FISHER WRITES OF
HIS JOB AT WAUPUN
He is the Commonwealth Superin-
tendert on the Big State Farm
Wants to Make Good

pecl BQOo many AT nome are wonder
ing how Fisher is making it. will ask
little space to let my friends know
how am coming along. We moved
here the last week in March, but the
superintendent before me quit the first
OF March, and temporary man was look
ing after things until could get here.
Now believe me, l felt kind of foolish
for week or two, stepping right into
all of this. | kept expecting somebody
to give me orders telling me | "must
do this OF couldn't do that, {" bat instead
everyone here was looking to me for
orders. In the past the farm has had
superintendent and one or two guards
to guard the men at work on the f8rfn,
and go to the prison for the men III the
morning and return with them il the
evening, as all the labor here is done by
prisoners. That was the main reason /
refused their first offer to take the
position. Over a hundred took the ex-
animation for the positisn of superin-
tendent, but less than ten passed, and
only myself and one other with high
enough standing that the board of con-
troll cared to consider, and neither of US
wanted job. Seven here at Waupun
took the examination, but none passed.
By the way, the people here think that
a man who can hold the position of
superintendent is little bit extra and
to be looked up to. to go when and
where he pleases, and am not going
out of my way to tell them any diff
ferent. The last man lost this Job be-
bause he spent most of his time riding
around in his automobile, but / won't
lose my job that way, for can't afford
an auto and couldn't run one if | did.
When the board sent for me the second
time, said the only way | would take
the position would be to put the prison
ers on their honor and not have any
guards, as they receive $50 per month
and the amount was charged up TO the
farm. You will probably be like me,
surprised when you hear this farm has
never paid expenses, and last year run
behind $4,000. | propose to make it
pay a profit. 1t has lots of Canada
thistles and quack grass. The farm is
charged with 65 cents a day for each
man used from the prison. People here
are surprised to see the men without
guards. They leave the prison at 500
in the morning; takes them 20 minutes
to walk out here. Each one knows his
chores and all are interested in their
work. use them just as | would wish
to be treated if was in their place. |
tell them if they do the right thing |
will meet them more than half way,
but if they break the rules they will be
taken inside the walls to work ana not
get another chance to be out. They all
know what that means.
/ have IL men with me now, and |
wouldn't be afraid to send one or all of
them to Chicago for three days, alone,
for | am confident not one Of them
would disappoint me, and never hired
men at any price that would do me
better days work. All the men in the
prison are not criminals and outlaws,
and are no worse here than before they
came or after they leave. From what
I have learned from them more than
80 per cent of them get here by liquor
or women, or both. At present there
are over 700 in the prison and of course
in that number there are many of the
very worst criminals.
The prison farm has over 300 acres
in it. This spring the state bought a
70 acre farm just west of the city and
is putting criminal insane hospital
buildings on it. have that farm to
run also. This 70 acres is mostly in
garden truck. A great deal of this big
farm needs tile draining. l have good
buildings, COW barn with silo in center
and two other big barns, one 45xl00,
plenty of tool sheds, etc. Have about
so head of Holstein cattle. take all
the milk to the prison at 81 so per hun
bred. The cows are bringing in over
$50 per week now. When came here
the men assigned to me got breakfast
and supper in the prison and the milk
man brought their dinner out here to
them. But we have good kitchen
near the barn, and I have the grub
brought out here and one man prepares
the meals and all eat here. / take din
ner and supper with them, as the boys
all like to have me eat with them. If
any of my friends come this way they
can have meal with the conyiets en-
prison grub, and you will be lucky if
you never strike anything worse.As,s1
We have Ia work horses, weighing
from l, 400 to 1900 pounds each. have
driver and three colts. ehaye about
seventy-five hogs. We get all the scraps
from the prison tables, which nearly
feeds them. butcher three each week
for the yard men and farm hands, but
tomorrow l will kill seven, as all the
men get fresh pork for holidays, and
Thursday is Decoration day. / have
Link Price out here. He does the
butchering and hauls the milk and din
ners. Prices health is very poor, but
is gaining since he is on the farm. He
is one of my best men. He had not
been outside the walls for over three
years. He says he hopes / will stay
here as long as he has to. The men
are all very good to me. They try to
save me in every way they can. They
won't let me hitch or unhitch my driv-
ing horse if any OF them are around.
The worst feature have is that every
little while some of the mems time is
out, then | must have new ones. Two
have gone out since | came, but some
of my men have five or six years yet.
| When any of the convicts die in pri-
son and they have no friends or home,
| or their folks don't want to take them
home, there is cemetery here on the
| farm. | have brought two for burial.
have the men dig the grave, then one
takes the horse and milk wagon and we
go to the prison and get the corpse.
| The chaplain and deputy warden come
along and we give them decent bur.
| ial, but it is not very elaborate cere-
mcny. The men say If will get q
bushel of hlacs they will decorate the
graves next Thursday. There are l63
graves in the cemetery. | will get the
| flowers and let them fix up the graves.
| When | came here the feed was all
gone. | have bought 1000 bushels of
oats. 400 bushels of corn, 20 tons OF
hay. All the buildings on the farm are
lighted by electricity. ] run adynamo