Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-02-19
LANKFORD HEARING
Is WELL UNDERWAY
Baltimore Grand Jurors Reiterate
Charges Against Head Of
House OF Correction
THE GOVERNOR ATTENDS.

Charges made ii their report q
january 10 against Warden William
Il Lankiord Of the House 81 eorrec.
ton. we're reiterated BY three members
OF The september grand jury for Bal
tanore city yesterday when they Went
hefore the board of prison control
with Governor Harrington participat-
ing.
The probe Yesterday marked the
beginning of hearings planned by the
prison board on charges made against
the warden. Hearings are being con-
Quoted Id the Union Trust building
Adjournment was taken late yester-
day afternoon until noon today when
ii vas planned To have the board visit
the House III Correction and peni-
tentiary and take testimony of pris-
oners confined III the two institutions
What They Alleged.
Briefly, the members Of the grand
jury again declared. under oath
That Warden Lankford had met
the inquest committee with the
words What iii hell IS Balti-
more grand jury doing down here
III Anne Arundel county y
That water and sewerage sys
TENS and the ventilation at The
Cut are bad
That dirty bedding was seen IN
the cells of men prisoners
That ii white woman III with
loathsome disease. was in a cell
next to one occupied BY colored
women. with only the bars 70 sepa
rate them.
That Warden Landlords atti-
tude to the prisoners and To the
grand iuries had brought the
charge that the Institution WAS
ruled BY brute force 4
starts When Governor ARRIVES.
The hearings got under way shortly
after the arrival of Governor Harring,
ton. The small hoard room was thrown
open and the board members Charles
r. Crane ichairman1 Dr. ] HUBER
Wade and Frank Metzerott took their
seats.
Next to Mr.. Metzerott sal the gov
ernor on his right was Harry Wolf
counsel to Warden Lankford, and the
warden. Farther down the room sal
John Il. Gary. president and Howard
Hill. executive secretary OF the Prison
ers, Aid association, with Raymond S
Williams, counsel for the association.
Philip b. Perlnan. deputy attorney
general sat with the board and helpet
conduct the examination of witnesses
Dockman First ON stand.
Louis b. Dockman manufacturing
eonfeetioner, who lives az 2230 Gar,
rison avenue. was the first witness
He was 4 member of the grand jury
committee that went 10 The Cut
Mr.. Doekman declared. first, tina
Warden Lankford had dssused the dis
courteous language % the committee
Personally. however, he declared. h,
did not take offense at the remark d
the warden
" replied jouclarly Mr DockmaI
said. when he asked us what In hell |
Baltimore grand Jury was doing there
j replied. What does Anne Arunde
county need with an Eastern Shore
man to run the the House of Correc
ton Landlord replied TO get re
suits.
MI. Docknlan then told of the in
spection trip. He declared that th.
more modern part Of the institution
apparently was satisfactory, but tha
III the old wing, in which was tht
womenss quarters, d bad odor wal
noticeable. This, he added was ex
planned BY Warden Lankford as heinf
due to poor water and sewerage IA
cilities
Cigars And Booze.
Chairman Crane then took hand
He asked Dockman whether WardeI
Lankford had provided any entertain
ment or refreshments for the grand
Jurors. Mr. Dockman replied that tht
warden had offered them cigars ane
whisky
Mr.. Perlman also examined Mr.
Dockman on the water and ventilat-
ing systems and the witness re
sponded that he believed they should
Be corrected. Mr. Dockman reiter-
ated the statement that white and col
ored women prisoners were not prop,
erly separated and that the bedding oi
the Baltimore buns. as WardeT
Lankford has designated some Of tht
prisoners. was unclean
Touching on the charge Of brute
force. Mr. Dockman said he looked
Oh warden Lankforsi as jaiIer of the
old school and that he didn't like
Warden Landlords attitude toward
prisoners. He cited one case il which
the warden saked coIored prisoner
ii there we're any gentlemen In thu
room Vhen the prisoner replied
he didp1 know. Mr. Dockman said
the WaEden turned to the prisoner and
said. ut n see you later about that
Had Worn Ball And Chaia.
I'm response to questions Of Mr.. Perl
man. SKr. Docknan told of seeing 4
prisoner ii the shop who bad worn I