The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-08-11
TO PRESS PRISON
SYSTEM PROBE
Mississippi Officials Predict
Investigation to Reach
Climax This Week

jackson. Miss. August 1o.-Investi-
cation of Irregularities in Mississippi's s
state institutions, principally the prison
system, which already has resulted in
conviction and sentencing of eight men,
will be pressed vigorously the coming
week and. it Is freely predicted that the
scandal which startled citizens all over
the state has far from reached cli-
max Governor Brewer has headed the
investigation and brought charges be-
fore grand juries that have resulted in
numerous indictments and convictions
for thievery, graft and embezzlement.
He now is investigating stories of Sc
rious conditions at all the state prison
farms
The scandal broke when Lawrence
Yerger, secretary of the prison board
of trustees. was found short in his
ACCOUNTS about sss,ooo. confessed and
was sentenced to 10 years servitude.
He implicated others in his downfall
and working on this evidence Governor
Brewer and his assistants have been
instrumental in convicting prison Of
ficers and former officers of crimes,
even down to petty thefts of products
raised on the prison Farms of the state.
He now is probing into charges that
prisoners on the Parohman farm sold
to their own account large quantities
of supplies purchased to feed and clothe
the prisoners. st
Charges of general laxity of perform
Ting duties at several of the farms and
by the three members of the prison
board of trustees resulted In the in
dictment of each of the three members
on charges of misfeasance in office.
Col. W. A. Montgomery, a member of
the board and one of the. best known
men in the state was tried on TINS
charge, convicted and fined Sl00, ana
ordered from office. He Is holding his
office, however, pending an appeal OF
the. case.
Indifference to duty is spoken OF. III
the disastrous prison fire of Akley farms
when 80 convicts. trapped in an antiquated
wooden cage, lost their lives special
state committee that investigated the
fire, reported general mismanagement
and lack of protection for prisoners at
the Oakley farm.
The chairman of the prison board who
faces the misfeasance charge has been
convicted of embezzement. He Is 9. Z.
Smith, who now Is serving a five-year
f1e WIS lOufiQ 5biiey u eetf>AN~e Q
$500 he obtained on an automobile deal
made for the state.
Evidence Gained
With the prison scandal stirring the
whole state and prospects of a searching
investigation into every state department
Leigh watkins. a clerk in the state land
commissioner office confessed to en-
bezzling sa25 and was sentenced to q
years Imprisonment. Other convictions
! in connection with the prison system in
i clude j. L. McLendon, former sergeant al
| Rankin farm, who pleaded guilty tc
stealing cotton grown on the farm He
was sentenced to six months imprison-
ment Gaines Purvis, McLendons assist
ant. pleaded guilty to the same charge
and was given the same sentence. A. p
Miller. a wealthy planter, pleaded guilty
| to assisting Purvis and McLendon, and
| was fined $500.
l There has heen only one conviction sc
| far as result of investigation of Other
departments. That came last Thursday
when T. H. Turley, former steward al