Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1913-02-01

such as to require the return Of only
about six per cent, II seems 10 me
that this Is a strong argument in IA
yor Of Our parole law The warden
also reports that the paroling Of pris-
'oners is o. great factor toward secur-
ing good principle in the prison be
u unless they make good prison
records they are not considered eligi.
Bile for parole. | recommend an amend
ment 10 our parole law to extend to
inmates of iails; OF our reform school
for boys and our industrial home for
girls. Within the past four years /
have known many instances in which
II seemed to me wise TO parole Jail
prisoners If | had had authority TO do
SO as II is now we are complied to
dismiss from the boys reform school
and the girls industrial home boys
and girls over whom some watch
should be kept and whom we are com
PEELED to release from the schools be.
fore they are twenty-one years Of age
in order that care may be taken Of
others who are committed to these IN
stitutions, In this connection | rec
ommend that the West Virginia Re.
form School be named ",West Virginia
Industrial School for Boys
Capital Punishment.
| want to go on record as opposed
to. capital punishment. Five states,
namely. Michigan, Wisconsin, Rhode
Island, Maine and Kansas have al
ready taken this advanced step. |
know 1t is argued by q great many
that murders viii be increased il cap
ital punishment is abolished, but the
records are against any such argu-
ment. For instance: Iowa has prob
ably the lowest percentage of litter
acy of any state in the union and yet
according to the records two murders
are committed III Iowa TO every one
In Wisconsin where capital punish
ment has been abolished, and IL is
also true that three murders are com
mitted IN Ohio to every one in Mich.
igan, another state where capital pun
ishment has been abolished. In the
year 1910 there were about 1000 mur-
ders committed in this country, only
three of which occurred in the state
of Maine. another state in which cap
ital punishment has been abolished.
Labor At West Virginia Penitentiary.
The following is a condensed state
ment showing the price at which con.
Wet labor at the penitentiary is con
tracted
When the Board of Control Came
into office July /, 1909, the labor of
all the male conviets in the peniten-
tiary was employed at .hfty-two cents
t52e) per day.
One contract, however, had been
awarded by the board of directors in
April, 1909, at 65e per day, but tlsis
contract did not become effective unl
til October, 1909. faA ha ;
At the time the Board Of Control
came into Office the female convicts
were employed at 28c per day, half
as much as was received for the labor
Of the men. At present the same
amount is received for the labor OF
the women as for that of the men
Contracts o in force are as fol-
lows: Labor of 450 conyicts at Csc
per day, 100 at zoe per day, 200 at zoe
per day. and 275 at 75c per day.
State Tuberculosis Sanitarium.
The legislature of 1911 created a tu-
berculosis sanitarium and appropri-
ated $50. 900 for the last biennial ner-
iod for the purchase of lands and sup
port Of the institution. The act also
provided that the site for this sanitar-
ium should be selected by the State
Board Of Health and the state Eoard
OF OOnlTOl lueSe DodIFS dlttl fhtt
ing different parts of the state par
chased a farm OF 535 acres IN Preston
county, two miles from Terra Alta.
This farm is located on top OF tue
great Cheat Mountain range, with an
altitude ranging from about $500 'eet
at the lowest point to 5000 feet
above sea level at the highest point,
and nearly onchalf of which is very
fertile. The main line of The Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad passes
through the entire farm. On tine farm
are two large and never failing
streams of water.
A building has been erected thereon
with a frontage of 1853 feet and cor
sists Of a two story central part 29x5G
feet, and two one story wings 67X23
feet. one of these wings or wards is
women and the other for men and the
rCo,,y ORC 90 arrapUad tha4 fhaN pau