The Lubbock avalanche. (Lubbock, Tex.) 1909-1922, 1912-10-24


tiaries and prison farms, the
laws governing same, treatment
of prisoners. business manage
ment of the system, suggested
improvements, etc.
The States plant at Rusk con-
sists Of a penitentiary that can
be made to comfortably accom-
snodate several hundred men, al
though there are now only about
one hundred and twenty kept
there, these being employed in
the machine shops, foundry, tin
shop and box factory, and in cul-
tivating the penitentiary farm of
some three hundred and fifty
acres.
The penitentiary itself, al
though well kept, has an an.
tiquated, somewhat dilapidated
appearance. Evidences of recent
improvements in the way OF new
roofs on practically all of the
buildings, a modern. well equip
ped box factory and new ma
chinery, can be seen. The box
factory has but recently been
started and is now employing
some twenty-five men. although
it has a capacity of sixty men,
and these will be put to work
there as soon as they can be OBJ
tanned from the share farms, or
from other places. None of the
other industries are running to
full capacity. although the com
r,issioners informed US that the
number of men had been increas-
ed from sixty-three at the begin
ming of their administration, and
those mostly cripples, invalids
and worn out old men, to about
double that number.
AS a business proposition 1t
looks like Rusk must continue to
be, as it has been for many years,
money losing place until enough
industries are established and
enough men placed TO greatly re-
duce the overhead" expenses.
Almost as many men are needed,
and almost as much expense in
volved, in handling one hundred
convicts as in handling four or
five times that number IN
the penitentiary. Where the
industries are tagging, as they
appear to have Jagged at Rusk.
the men become listless and in
different, slow-moving and care
less. The Rusk convicts do not
show the snap, vigor and interest
manifested at Huntsville. They
move slowly at their work and
show their lack of interest in
their movements as well as on
their faces. The employees and
guards largely show the same in
difference. Our party. on the
way to the ore beds, saw two
wagons lightly loaded with wood,
slowly plodding their way along
the deep sand used for a road.
These two wagons were driven
by sleepy looking convicts with a
sleepy looking guard YEARLY fol-
lowing behind. Four young con-
victs were seen riding on top of
about half ton Of peanut hay
with a guard in charge of the
four. That sort Of inactivity
will ruin any kind of an industrial
enterprise. The fault is hardly
with the prison officials or with
the employees; it is due to the
fact that they are not equipped
with facilities or with men to
really accomplish anything worth
while.
am not prepared to say why
it has been done, but the Rusk
penitentiary has been allowed to
suffer, it has been robbed of its
industries, it has been made to
look like a deserted village, and
prison officials, and prisoners
alike, have cause to complain Of
it. There is evidence, though,
of new life there. Competent
citizen foremen have been placed
in charge of the few industries
left there, the foundry, machine
shops and box factory are taking
on some degree of activity, the
conWcts are learning something
of their work and better things
are to be expected. The citizens
of Rusk. who have long been dis
couraged because of the lack of
interest shown by the state, are
seeing in the new order of things
something to make them hopeful
that the Rusk penitentiary is go
ing to receive all the attention