The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1916-02-18
ELLIS COUNTY FARM 81
ALMOST ELF-sUsTAINIAG.
MANAGEMENT - SUCU THAT
COUNTY HaS To dig rP"
But LITTLE EXPENSE.
visit There or "Wednesday pi>cioses
Pact That sanitation L. Fea-
tured in Every Department
of the Farm.


ioyed visi to the county farm on
Wednesday Of this week and through
the courtesy Of Manager White was
shown over the entire place, iuelud-
ing the pauper's quarters. the Jail.
asylum and outbuildings. IN as
much as uufaYorable reports nave
been made the newspaper man msde
close investigation OF The premises
10 each ward and do not hesitate
to say that the management ef the
farm is perhaps the very best pos-
sible under the conditions. There
are circumstances surrounding the
II anagemeut of a county fatm which
ere experienced in no other ueaer-
taking. Sometimes respectable
young nan drifts TO the farm. bat
lacre generally it IS the degenerate.
ne INDECENT pauper OF the moutally
unbalanced With these facts al
mittea the sanitary surroundings
thereby must OF necessity be the
course Of greatest annoyance. Che
superintendent cannot sit az nights
to see that the negro prisoners d.
not 90 10 bed with their clothes AMI
shoes on because it is too much
trouble 10 pun them off, aud If he
has been working on the farm or on
the road in muddy weather the
chances are the bed clothes xiii be
come soiled even il washed thorough
y once each week.
But lets get back to the subject.
We first visited the pauper quar-
tiers where there are ten people
housed in as comfortable rooms as
the farm accommodations afford.
There we're no carpets on the floor,
no easy rockers to reeline in, but
the walls and floors were clean and
the bedding was clean This bed
ding did not consist OF feathers On
cotton, but il was clean. The blan-
kets had been washed and OF course
did not have that fluffy appearance
OF the blankets found in some OF the
better homes, but there was nothiab
unsanitary about the bed clothing or
tho BLANKETS II would be hard to
conceive plan under which tie
patients, six Of whom are unable
to take care Of themselves. could be
cared for on the appropriation avail
able from county taxes. OF course
no man who is able to do for him
SELF would be content to occupy such
quarters. but more elaborate quar-
ters would be too expensive
Next we visited the wash anc
bath house. A recent grand jury
report criticlzing the farm, indicaf
ed that the grand jury overiooKe1
the bath system in use at the farm
Ii is true that there is but one bath
tub for use Of the prisoners on the
farm. but there are three nice show
er baths available and often usea.
In fact the shower bath system is
the system used in modern prison
houses. This manner of bathing
keeps the partially clean person
from having to follow dirty, lousy
people in the baths The shower
baths were first built in the kitchen
Of the new Jail, but were foand e
be imprac. ical there and were move
ed TO quarters adjoining the wash
house. The bathing facilities at the
farm are first class in every respect
with the exception Of the asylum
Here they have only ore bath tub
and the four inmates must use Il,
but il is clean. The commissioners
would remedy this evil II it were in
their power with the means availa-
Bile. but after one considers for
moment it is not SO bad TIE mana-
ger Of the farm assured us taat is
was thoroughly cleanea after each
bath ana that all baths In .hat 90
partmeat had 70 be administered q
an attendant, the patients not being
il clined TO battle or helpless.
Into the prison quarters we fol-
loved the manager Of the farm end
took look through tho cell on The
lover floor. which Is occupied by
the negro prisoners. OF course We
would not want 10 occupy such guar
tcrs. bar we venture the assertion
that there are 1000 negroes in Ell
liza county who DO not have more
comfortable sleeping quarters. TIE
tod clo,hlng here Was reasonably
clean. shougn VIC could net sec how
could Re 30 without washing daily
when We were told that many Of the
nrisorers slept on fheir beds f. their
work clothes and sometimes eren
vim thelr shoes on.