Jefferson jimplecute. (Jefferson, Tex.) 1907-1926, 1912-10-24
By WILL n. MAvES.

sists of a penitentiary that can
be made to comfortably accom-
modate several hundred men,
although 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
cultivating the penitent iary farm
of some three hundred acres.
The penitentiary itself, al
though well kept, has an anti
quated somewhat dilapidated
appearance. Evidences Of recent
improvements in the way of new
roofs on practically all the build
ings, modern, well equipped
box factory and new machinery
can be seen. The box factory
has but recently been started
and is now employing some TWEEN
ty-tive men, although it has
capacity Of sixty men, and these
will be sut to work there as soon
as they can be obtained from the
share farms, or from other
places. None of the other indus,
tries are running full capacity,
although the commissioners in
formed us that the number of
men had been increased from
sixty three at the beginning of
their administration, and those
mostly cripples, invalids and
worn out old men, to about double
that lumber.
AS a business proposition it
looks like Rusk must continue
to be, as it has 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 indus
tries are tagging, as they appear
to have Jagged at Rusk, the men
become listless and Indifferent,
slow moving and careless. The
Rusk convicts do not show the
snap, vigor and interest mani
tested at Huntsville. They move
slowly at their work and show
their lack of interest in their
movements as well as in their
faces. The employ ees and
guards largely show the same
Indifference. Our party, on the
way to the ore beds, saw two
wagons lightly loaded with wood
slowly Flooding their way along
the deep sand used for road.
These two wagons were drived
by sleepy looking convicts with
a sleepy looking guard YEARLY
following behind. Four young
convicts 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 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 an Vt h i n &
worth while.
l 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 Deserted Village, and
prison officials, and prisoners
/ alike, have cause 10 complain of
/ it. There is evidence. though,
of new life there. Competent
citizen ioremen have been placed
in charge OF the few industries
left there, the foundry, machine
shops and box factory are TAX
ing ON some degree Of activity,
the conyicts are learning some
thing of their work and better
things are 10 be expected. The
citizens OF Rusk, who have long
been discouraged because OF the
lack Of interest shown by the
state, are seeing in the new or.
der OF things something 10 make
them hopeful that the Rusk peni.
Tertiary Is going to receive all
the attention that Il deserves.
There - no excuse that could
possibly be- made by the state
for allowing the property "a
Rusk % depreciate through idle
hess, except u use prisoners
who should have bceE there.
lmauy Of them learning useful
.rade>l on railroad contracts,
contract farms and other places
where more money could be-
realized from their labor. and a
better financial showing could be-
made for the state. The old
prison policy. which 80 stealthily
grew ON the country that bu'
few even suspected the enormity
~ Us abuses, was hardly lc~.
than peousge for the benefit o