Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1916-09-15
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JOLIET PRISON
FLORENCE suLLIvAN's COMPANY
HAS HAD A SOFT THING WITH
coNvIcT-MApE CHAIRS.

When Edward r. Dunno was cam.
paigning Tor governor four years ago
he had as his press agent and field
manager one Florence E. Sullivan. for
merly connected with the John r.
Walsh interests In Chicago. After Mr..
Dunne's election Sullivan. for a time,
became the Official headsman for the
chief executive. at the state reforms
tory at Pontiac and at other state In
stitutions. This position. however, did
not prove sufficiently rcmuneratiye TO
satisfy the financial cravings OF Sulli-
van. who then conceived the Idea OF
forming selling company. q close cor
porat.on. TO take over the chairs made
by the conyicts In tho Joliet peniten-
tiary. This 1eld of endeayor looked
most inviting and profitable to this
conildant OF Governor DUNES, SO on
April s. 1914. out In South Dakota. q
corporation known as the Continental
Supply Company was chartered BY
John Reynolds. w. II. Clare. Eric /.
King. Mlss Z. Levin and +. L. Sulli-
van. with q capital stock OF $1,000.
Reynolds. the president Of the COM
pany. was . Chicago city salesman;
Clare resided At Joliet: King. son-in-
Law OF Reynolds. was employed By
others as a clark: Mlsa Levin was a
stenographer In tho Office. and Sulli-
van was the active generalissimo OF
the concern. The company. for It's
own profit. was fortunate In being able
70 make an Arrangement with the
Democratic management Of Joliet
prison 10 buy from It chairs made by
the convicts at the rate of $500 per
dozen. chairs OF exactly the same type
and make which the preceding Repub-
Iican management at Joliet had been
selling At s14.oo per dozen. This was
9 good deal for Mr.. Sullivan and his
...insids company" but II Is dificult to
Ifzzst where the taxpayers of I'LL
tenenttsd by the arrangement.
Business was thriving with Mr.. sulii-
vans corporation. however. and ~
wasn't Tong before n succeeded In ow-
ing The state OF Illinois, for goods pur-
chased. an amount In excess OF It's
capital stock. At very recent date
tile company was indebted 10 the state
for chairs In the amount OF $4,000
and In Wow Of the fact that Florence
Sullivan has now migrated TO Missouri
70 embark In the mining business with
former Warden Allen OF Joliet prison.
there Is . great deal OF speculation
and curiosity 10 see Just what aort OF
manipulation or bookkeeping will be
resortci 10 by the Democratic officials
10 ileuIdate this indebtedness. the pro-
duet OF the labor OF the convicts. at a
ridicnlousiy low figure.
Matters have been going from bad
10 worse in tho management Of Joliet
prison during the past three and one
half years. The cold-blooded murder
OF the wife OF Warden Ned Alien, who
finally resigned. a $4,000 Ore within
the prison walls, the almost daily es-
eapes OF conyic,s. including many life
termers. and the absolute demoraliza-
ton Of all former discipline. are among
the costly fruits at Joliet OF the TO-
called honor system. The public knows
little os the scores of escapes from
Joliet. such news being carefully sup
pressed by prison oficials. The prison
payroll has been padded by the sddi-
tion OF at least two dozen more en-
ployees than were connected with this
penal institution during the manage
ment OF Warden r. J. Murphy. under
the last Republican administration. IL
has been q haven OF refuge for hun
cry horde OF useless Democrats. who
had to be taken care OF somewhere
to comply with Governor DUNES cam
paign promise.