The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-01-21
Superintendent of New York
Prisons is Removed BY
Whitman Who Sustains
Charges of Misconduct in
Once.
Deposed Official Says Exc
cutive is Swayed BY
Maudlin Sentimentalists,
Victims of "Erractic Wis
ionary."

Albany, N. T., Jan. 21-JOhn
B. Riley, state superintendent
Of prisons, was removed from
office today by Governor Whit
man, who in lengthy opinion
sustained the charges of mis-
conduct in office, preferred by
himself on Jan. 8.
The governor said that Ri
ley's permanent successor
would be named next week and
In the meantime Owen L. Pot
ter, who is attached to the ex-
eeutive chamber with the title
of executive legal assistant,
wiz be in charge of the prison
department.
Immediately after the order of re-
1novaI was served on Riley. the depos-
ed superfntendent issued q statement
10 which he said:
I'm all his advice regarding prison
affairs Governor Whitman has catered
to rnaud1in sentin ntaIists rather than
the prisoners. In acceding to the de-
snand for nay removal by a coterie of
we1I-1ntentione persons who Know
nothing abont prisons, and who have
only the most vague notions OF prison
conditions, being the victims Of an err
TO be destitute OF courage to discharge
his duty zegard1ess of public cIamor, |
q cba<aeeeristic evers ofdclal must
possess If be Is to command and re-
tain the respect of fellow citizens .
In an opinion which accompanied
man heId that the evidence concern
ing recent order by Superint endent
Riley for the transfer OF IS prisoners
from Sing Sing to Clinton prison slls-
tanned the charge Of misconduct.
Quoting from a letter written by
borne then warden at Sing Sing, that
the transfer to Clinton prison except
in the cases of tuberculosis. was re-
garded as punishment the governor
said that Riley either was knowfngly
and willingly q party to a plan con-
ceived fer the purpose of afrecting a
crimdna1a trial by including In the
transfer of prisoners those who are
70 be witnesses for the defense in the
trial of the indictments pending
against Osborne, or the condition of
the superfntendentss Office were s1cf.
that this wholly reprehensfble thing,s
as the governor termed 1t, could be
brought about by his signature and
without his knowledge
1T was distinctly understood the
sppinton says. that when the present
warden of Sing Sing George w.
1zirchwey1 took charge that the Sit /
nation, 50 far as the soca11ed Osborne |
controversy was concerned, should
not be disturbed until the Conclusion
of the trial; that the district attorney
and the counsel for the defense
should have free access to the prison
and to the witnesses. as occasion |
might require.
This order, made on, the very eve
OF. criminal trial. served notice to |
every convict in Sing Sing that he
rigibles for punishment should he dare
to become a witness in behalf of the |
defendant
In conc1usion,the opinion states that |
superintendent Riley "f1as accom-
plished many good things in the man |
agement of prisons in this state I
think he has done much to bring /
humane methods and practices into /
the management of our penal fnstftua /
tons and I think the public is indebt- /
ed to him for what he has tried to I
accom- pIish and what he has accom-
plished in the past, but believe that I
the condition which this examination I
reveals in the prison department is in
toIerab1e."
Although Rfleyss successor will not |
be named until next week, it is un-
derstood that the governor has de-
terrnfued upon Frank E.Wade, of Buff
falo. president of the state probation
commission, and vice president of the
state prison commission.