Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-03-12
800. ts.e ..eSs 90
INMATES OF .AisAMosA PRISON
ALL ENGAGED IN USEFUL
y WORK.
SEVEN HuNoREn jEvEN
ASSIGNED TO vARIous.TAsks
Answer Made to Critics Of state Penal
Institution and Newspaper Report.
Denied - No -Emsrt Made to Keep
From Public Facts in Regard to Con-
duct Of state Prison.

OF an official connected with the re.
formatory located here was called to
an article in Saturdays Gazette, said
made by the board of control. supposed
to be facts and figures pertaining to the
inmates Of the reformatory. He makes
the following statement in reply:
The figures are in the most part
those submitted in the biennial report
of Warden McClaughry to the board
of control, but II the report Of the board
goes to-. show that men under thirty
years Of age predominant, in those re-
ceived, 1t is misleading since the law
Is such that prevents the sending of
any man to- the reformatory who is
over 80 years of age, but the report of
the warden nor OF the board, intends
any such thing. OF course few were
received lat the reformatory during the
biennial period who were over 30 years
of age, but as women and insane pris-
oners are kept here it ts easy to see
why this was. the case. During the
period covered there were. received 20
women and SO insane which accounts
for the ones received over 80 years of
age. The average age Of those received
was "a years and 3 months.
: 1T seems that writer's persist in
coloring facts concerning the penal in
situations of the state more than any
other institution in the country. Some
man writing for one of the Dies Moines
papers the other day made great
story out of what he claimed to be
fact, that there were only SO men elm
ployed in the reformatory at Anamosa.
The facts in. the case are that every
one of the 7O7 inhabitants, including
the insane, are employed. The insane
do not work in the shops Of the. main
prison, but they are employed by keep
ing everything about their department
in the best of shape and the yards as
clean as a floor in a well kept home.
The women have sewing room where
gowns, shirts and all articles of wear
ing apparel are made aside from the
work of caring for the various rooms
and departments. Several attend school
in the forenoon and work in the after
noon and vice versa. In the tailor shop
alone there is employed sforty-four men
In the ,nlanufactufe of clothing for this
and other Institutions; in the stone
sheds you will find IS men daily at the
the buildings at this and other insti-
tutions; in the tin shop six, men are
kept busy. the same number in the shoe
shop while in the printing office and
thirty men are engaged daily:
at the quarry getting out the building
stone and crushed stone which is
shipped for road purposes will be found
IS or 20 men, in the carpenter shop Is
or 20, in the barber shop or 8, in the
boiler rooms IL or 10, in the engine
room and electrical department 6 or Z,
on the farm 10 or IL even at this time
of year, a number In the building
squads, some painters, number in the
cell houses, etc.
All Kept Eusy.
IF anyone thinks that eny are kept
in idleness in the reformatory they are
labOring under mistaken idea and the
fellows who are publishing such stories
as the one cited above are doing the
and the state of Iowa an
injustice. There are twenty-eight men
employed at contract labor here by the
American Cooperage Company. in the
of butter tubs and if the
writer for the Des Moines paper meant
to convey the idea that these were the
only ones employed he is as badly
mistaken as the most Of the fellows
who start out to write up the penal in
from the fact that he has
his figures wrong even as to that shop
alone. 1t should have Leen twenty
eight, not thirty-eigh but that is about
as near right as the most Of the stories |
get. Just last week a man from the !
western part of the state paid the in
stitution visit in company with a !
sheriff and went home and told his |
newspaper friends that there was not
,nly school of letters, which is at
ended by about fifty in the mornings:
Ind as many in the afternoons, but
hat there was a we'll regulated gym
lasium. The school work is carried on
lere, but the officials are wondering |
where the gym" is located as they !
lave been unable to- discover that much
needed Improvement. Even those who i
SC &c school are employed. which ac-
counts for the fact that new school |
list is made up for the different Sec
ions of the. day.
There is, no disposition on the part
If anyone to conceal the facts from |
he people, altho that seems to have
,een the idea a few years ago. Facts |
Ia not iniure any cause but II is the !